Rebecca Meuninck, Ph.D., leads NWF's Eastern water programs and conservation campaigns. Meuninck, who has led NWF's Great Lakes region since 2023, joined the organization after working with the Ecology Center for over 20 years, leading campaigns and coalitions focused on chemical policy reform, clean water, and lead poisoning prevention. Much of her work has centered around building and supporting broad coalitions to protect water resources, including the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network, the Healing our Waters Coalition for the Great Lakes, and the Healthy Waters Coalition for the Ohio River. At NWF, she has deeper partnerships with Tribal Nations and affiliates through initiatives such as protecting the Great Northern Hardwood forests and Great Lakes Fisheries, and led her team in their groundbreaking work to safeguard people and wildlife from the threats of climate change, PFAS, and Line 5.
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.
