Former Knauss Fellow at NOAA Office of International Affairs

Heather Allen

2006 Knauss Fellow Heather Allen enjoys the sights after three back-to-back international meetings in Beijing, China in 2006.
Credit: Jennifer Winston

 

January 2007 – Former Knauss Fellow Heather Allen has accepted a position as an international affairs specialist at NOAA Office of International Affairs in Washington, D.C.

“I am looking forward to continuing to work on international issues that are important, current and ever-changing,” said Allen, who was a Knauss Fellow in the same office in 2006.

The purpose of the Office of International Affairs is to coordinate all the different parts of NOAA. “We are a liaison between different NOAA line offices and the international community,” she said. “We provide a unified, stronger voice for NOAA interests at international venues and forums.”

As a policy specialist, Allen will be representing NOAA on issues related to earth observation systems and two United Nations Environment Programs – its Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and its global program of action to reduce land-based marine pollution.

“I am looking forward to the negotiation process, figuring out what motivates people in different countries on these issues and how to come to grips with that,” said Allen, who begins her new position on Feb. 5, 2007.

As a Knauss Fellow, Allen coordinated NOAA’s review of its programs related to international water policy – in particular as it relates to an international goal of securing safe drinking water for improved public health and global development.

“The Knauss Fellowship was a tremendous experience,” she said. “It was a wonderful way to meet the people who do the work you’ve always thought about. It has also been easier to enter the workforce through the fellowship.”

Allen holds a master’s in international environmental policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, Calif. Her thesis examined the public and political process for choosing water options in California. In particular, she analyzed the pros and cons of obtaining water through desalinization of seawater.

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