MARCO Management Board Member Spotlight – Devon Blair, New Jersey Representative
As part of an effort to help MARCO stakeholders and partners get to know members of the MARCO Management Board, the quarterly newsletter has added a new feature – “Spotlight on a Management Board Member.” This month’s spotlight is on the alternative representative from New Jersey, Devon Blair.
What is your name? Devon Blair
What is your work title? Environmental Specialist 2
What organization do you work for? New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
How many years have you served on the MARCO Management Board? Since 2019
What is your role on the Management Board? New Jersey Member
What MARCO workgroups do you participate in? Communications and Marine Debris
What are your daily job duties? I work with New Jersey Communities to communicate climate change risks we are faced with through social media campaigns, art grant programs, as well as encouraging New Jersey residents to share their experiences through the MyCoast NJ application.
What are the most fun and the most challenging parts of your job? The most fun and the most challenging parts of my job tie together. The most challenging part of my job is being able to communicate the science based data for climate change and coastal flooding into easy and creative ways to make it more accessible to a variety of community members to see and understand. The most fun is watching the communities get involved in these projects and seeing how positively they respond to these unique projects.
Why did you get involved in ocean resource management? To help people better communicate the challenges and better prepare for what our future brings.
What is the most pressing ocean resource issue in your state? In my opinion environmental justice is a big focus in our state, I find it important to make sure resources and opportunities to get involved or learn more to all people in our state. Everyone should have a voice and the opportunity to be involved with what is going on in their communities. Creating those connections and opportunities for underrepresented communities can only help our state adapt to environmental changes on a higher level.
What is your hope for the future of ocean resource management? I hope that the future of ocean resource management will continue to flourish by working with states around us to learn new techniques to better our states that we represent.
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