The Board of Directors of the Washington State Academy of Sciences (WSAS) is pleased to announce the selection of Melanie Roberts as WSAS’s next Executive Director. Roberts joins WSAS from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, where she was a senior advisor and director of state and regional affairs. Roberts assumed her new role on November 1, 2024.
“The WSAS Board is delighted to have Melanie lead the organization into its next chapter,” said WSAS President Allison Campbell. “She is a thoughtful and strategic leader who brings with her a wealth of highly relevant experience and networks in science policy both nationally and in the state. We have great confidence that under Melanie’s leadership WSAS will continue to grow and help decision makers consider how to integrate science and technology for the benefit of Washington State citizens, governments and businesses.”
Roberts brings over 20 years of experience as a science, technology, and innovation policy practitioner focused on increasing the benefits of science for society. In her role as director of state and regional affairs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, she collaborated with regional leaders and associations to advance mutual interests and amplify PNNL’s regional impact. Roberts began her career as a neuroscientist and transitioned to policy through an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) science and technology policy fellowship, where she worked to advance innovation policy and interdisciplinary research in the U.S. Senate and the National Science Foundation. Over the last fifteen years, she has served in leadership roles that build capacity and opportunity for scientists and engineers to collaborate across boundaries on complex societal challenges. She founded and directed a community-engaged leadership program at AAAS, served as assistant director for collaborative research at the BioFrontiers Institute at the University of Colorado, and served as an independent consultant specializing in strategic partnerships and multidisciplinary program design.
