Autumn McGowan is working on Great Lakes collaboration and management of aquatic invasive species.

Autumn is an EHS alum who went on to attend the University of Illinois at Chicago and earned a Bachelor's in Public Policy with concentrations in environmental policy and social policy, and minors in Sociology and Civic Analytics. She has always been passionate about the environment and spent her time in school focusing on the interactions between communities and the environment, particularly access to resources and nature. Her internship during school was spent working with nonprofits on the Water-for-All Campaign in Chicago advocating for affordable access to safe drinking water. After graduating she completed a two-year fellowship with The Nature Conservancy supporting projects that work to conserve the lands and waters across the Midwest. Now, at the Great Lakes Commission, Autumn supports region-wide projects in the Great Lakes to manage aquatic invasive species. This presentation will cover some of the different invasive species in the Great Lakes, how they get here, and what's being done to stop them.

Outside of work Autumn enjoys hanging with her cat, Gru, reading, trying out various crafts, or visiting a museum.