Melanie Swick is an extension agent with the University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, serving as the Maui Nui Climate Change and Community Specialist and partnered with Hawai’i Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission. In this role, Mel facilitates a more holistic understanding of climate change and focuses on making climate education accessible to communities on Maui Nui.

Mel earned a BA in anthropology and a BS in geology at St. Lawrence University, in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. She then advocated for environmental education and climate action while pursuing her master’s degree in geology at Central Washington University. For her master’s work, Mel studied climate change and climate feedback systems impacting glaciers, snowmelt, and water resources. She continues to focus on climate science and education but has shifted from the high alpine and snow-packed environments to marine environments. Today, she enjoys using her background in the sciences and humanities to continue to do meaningful work that cultivates environmental sustainability coupled with long-term societal change.