
2525 Correa Road, HIG 238
Honolulu, HI 96822
Martha Newell is a 2017 Knauss Legislative Fellow in the office of Rep. Don Young, Congressman for All Alaska. Her portfolio encompasses oceans, natural resources, and arctic issues. Over the first half of her fellowship she has had the opportunity to participate in every stage of passing a Bill through the House, from introduction to staffing the Congressman on the Floor for a vote.
Before beginning college, Martha served in the U.S. Army as a medic and was stationed at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. During her time there, she learned SCUBA and spent as much time as possible underwater. She then completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Columbus State University in Georgia before returning to Hawaii to pursue a MS in Zoology at UH Manoa. Her graduate work, under the direction of Dr. Peter Marko, focused on understanding the differences in Symbiodinium diversity in bleached and unbleached corals during the 2014 Main Hawaiian Islands bleaching event.
Over the rest of this year, Martha is excited to learn more about Alaska specific issues and further understand and engage in in the legislative process. The fellowship has given her the opportunity to work directly with the Congressman and rest of the Alaska delegation to further the interests of the state and its constituents. Throughout the rest of her fellowship, she is excited to travel to Alaska, move important ocean health legislation forward, and help draft new legislation with her office. She hopes to use what she is learning this year to work in ocean and coastal policy.