Employee Spotlight: Marie Schneider

Meet ORAU employee Marie Schneider! Marie is an ORAU contractor working under the National Student Services Contract (NSSC) at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As an Environmental Communications Liaison in Ada, OK, Marie supports EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD), the Immediate Office of the Assistant Administrator (IOAA), and Safe and Sustainable Water Resources (SSWR). Marie assists SSWR with the duties required to support and maintain a robust research program by focusing on administrative tasks required for the effective management of the program including science writing, editing, and communication.

Marie’s work with the ORD, IOAA, and the SSWR team includes keeping the Water Research webpages updated with current research, responding to relevant public comments and questions, developing, and maintaining workflows to keep partners informed of research progress and results, coordinating the Water Research and Small Drinking Water Systems webinar series, and assisting with the planning and coordination of the EPA’s annual Small Drinking Water Systems workshop. Marie enjoys working behind the scenes and seeing the results of her work as part of the big picture.

When asked what her favorite part of working at EPA has been so far, Marie said, “My favorite part of joining the EPA team has been the people I’ve been able to meet and learn from. I interact with program directors and assistant directors daily and have learned so much about what it takes to coordinate the research within EPA and ensure the results are the most effective and useful for partners. I also communicate with researchers and policy experts regularly and have had the opportunity to learn about water issues and many different areas of research that I never knew existed before. This has been a horizon-broadening experience, and I’m grateful to be working with amazing people who are always willing to help and share their knowledge.”

Background

Marie earned a Bachelor of Science in Geological Sciences from the University of Idaho in 2016. For a few years, Marie took a break to raise her children and determine where her future lies. She was eventually drawn to the field of environmental science and earned a Master of Science in Environmental and Resource Management from Arizona State University in 2020. Over the next couple of years, Marie hopes to begin work on either a second master’s or a Ph.D., possibly focused on hydrology, water law and policy, or social science.

Outside of work Marie enjoys sewing clothes, basic carpentry, crocheting, cooking, baking, and fun crafts with her kids. She also loves to read, mostly mystery, fantasy, and science fiction novels but enjoys historical nonfiction as well. She has also begun running in the past year as a stress reliever and is currently training for a half-marathon in the future, then a full marathon after that!

Fun Facts:  Marie adores animals! She and her family have a small farm/zoo composed of Great Pyrenees, a pit mix, 3 cats, 4 snakes (2 egg eaters, 1 rosy boa, 1 Children’s python), 2 tarantulas (Chilean rose hair and Nicaraguan curly hair), 8 ducks, 11 chickens, and 10 button quails; she also occasionally raises meat rabbits. Marie is considering beekeeping in the future if she has the time and space. At some point, her husband plans to add pigeons and a raptor or two to the collection.