Megan McElligott is a 2026 E. Gordon Grau Fellow working with the communications and outreach team at the Honolulu Office of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Resiliency. Her focus will be on translating climate science into approachable, compelling stories that educate local communities and encourage civic engagement and climate action. She looks forward to sharing the city’s progress in implementing its climate adaptation strategies: strengthening local food systems, improving our resiliency against natural disasters, shifting to clean power, and bolstering community.

Megan McElligott was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area where her love of ocean conservation began. She earned her BS in marine biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and her MS and PhD in marine biology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. In her doctoral research, she used passive acoustic monitoring to investigate how spinner dolphins use different bays in the main Hawaiian Islands for their daytime rest. Her work informs wildlife managers about the efficacy of different regulations to reduce human disturbance of spinner dolphins. Megan also enjoys using art to share stories of wildlife and nature.