Brenda Zollitsch

Brenda Zollitsch, PhD works as a policy analyst for The Association for State Wetland Managers, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to integrate sound science into wetland and stream policy. Her work at ASWM allows her to lead research, policy analysis and network building projects at the federal, state and local level. In 2013, Brenda and ASWM were awarded a Switzer Environmental Leadership Grant to support this work. Brenda was awarded her PhD in Public Policy in 2012 from the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service, where she specialized in environmental policy. Her dissertation research focused on nonpoint source pollution and collaborative implementation of stormwater policy in the United States. In addition to her work as a policy analyst, Brenda serves as a consultant to numerous collaborative environmental groups in the region that are “joining up” to address challenging water pollution issues. She works as a facilitator, strategic planner, and resource development specialist. She has more than 20 years of professional experience in leadership positions, including as an executive director of a nonprofit foundation and has been a leader in facilitating and promoting regional approaches to stormwater management. Recently she was invited to serve on a panel of “expert boundary spanners” in the State of Maine. Brenda holds her interdisciplinary Master’s degree from Boston University in Environmental Resource Management and International Relations. Her bachelor's degree is from the University of Maine, where she graduated With Highest Distinction and Phi Beta Kappa. She is specifically interested in inter-jurisdictional water pollution issues, collaborative environmental management and adaptive conservation planning. Brenda is a member of the American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) and actively writes, publishes and presents her work at state, regional and national conferences.