Mary Ellen has a BFA from the UCLA Film School and Television. She worked on educational, documentary, industrial, and independent film productions in Los Angeles. After migrating to Northern California, she produced and directed programming for a PBS affiliate; moved into advertising; and was the Marketing Communications Manager for JDSU/Flex Products, a global technology company. Other career accomplishments include managing her own consulting company specializing in the creation and implementation of communication strategies for private companies and non-profit organizations.

Mary Ellen considers herself fortunate to have attended Humboldt State University interdisciplinary graduate program in the School of Natural Resources, where she focused on ethology and wildlife management. Today in retirement, she sees her principal persona is as a confirmed naturalist. This has manifested in projects such as a nine-year disturbance study on harbor seals resulting in the formation of the “Seals” project with Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; board positions with Madrone Audubon and Audubon Canyon Ranch; and volunteering with Pt. Reyes National Seashore, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Master Gardeners, among others.

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