Rebecca Meuninck, Ph.D. is the Regional Executive Director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center. The regional office works with the National Wildlife Federation and other organizations in each of the Great Lakes states. The Great Lakes Regional Center partners with community stakeholders and fosters coalitions to further its major project and campaign goals, including: Great Lakes restoration; prevention of the introduction of aquatic invasive species; Great Lakes water management reform; protection of the Great Lakes from climate change; and working with houses of worship for climate resilience.
Rebecca came to the National Wildlife Federation in 2023 after working with the Ecology Center for over 20 years leading campaigns and coalitions focused on chemical policy reform, clean water, lead poisoning prevention, and sustainable procurement. Much of her work has been focused on the Great Lakes region. She helped found the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, the Great Lakes Lead Elimination Network, and led the Great Lakes Climate Adaptation Network Sustainable Procurement Workgroup. Rebecca prioritizes the concerns of community members disproportionately impacted by pollution and environmental degradation and has worked directly with PFAS-impacted residents and lead-impacted families across the region. Rebecca currently serves on the state of Michigan’s Child Lead Elimination Commission, as co-chair of the Healing Our Waters coalition, and as board president of the NEC Society.
Rebecca has a Ph.D. in Sociocultural Anthropology from Michigan State University. Her dissertation research explored the social, environmental, and economic impacts of fair trade and organic coffee production on small-scale farming families in Brazil. She holds a graduate specialization in Gender, Justice, and Environmental Change from Michigan State University and a BS in Environmental Anthropology with a focus on Environmental Justice from the School of Natural Resources and Environment at The University of Michigan. As a lifelong Michigander, she grew up on a small inland lake in southwest Michigan and now lives with her family in Ann Arbor.
