Michele Conrad (she/her) spent most of her career as a policy lead for intergovernmental fisheries and ocean issues with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and represented the state on the Pacific Fishery Management Council for fifteen years (aka Michele Culver). With a background in environmental policy, her expertise is strategically navigating fisheries and oceans management systems to find innovative, practical solutions to achieve desired outcomes for her clients. 

Michele has effectively coordinated and participated on multiple interdisciplinary teams and diverse stakeholder groups to assess and develop science-based fishery management strategies for marine fish and shellfish fisheries, including Dungeness crab, Pacific halibut, hake and other groundfish (e.g., sablefish, rockfish), highly migratory species (e.g., swordfish, albacore tuna), and coastal pelagic species (e.g., Pacific sardine, anchovy). Her work includes helping fishery managers consider ecosystem science in decision-making, address fisheries allocation and bycatch issues, assess management strategies, establish conservation areas, and manage protected species interactions. She also helped co-create the west coast Fishery Ecosystem Plan and Washington’s Coastal Marine Spatial Plan. More details about these initiatives and other collaborative efforts can be found under Projects.

Contact Michele