Megan Dunn advocates for pesticide alternatives and district elections

Megan Dunn (’13, Policy Studies) is Program Director for Healthier People and Communities with Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides where she leads efforts to advocate and educate for pesticide alternatives within Washington schools, public spaces, and low income housing. For example, Dunn has worked with Northshore School District to adopt an Integrated Pest Management policy that protects children, staff, and families from exposure to pesticides by stopping harmful pesticide approaches and advancing ecologically sound alternatives. Dunn has enjoyed partnering with UW Bothell Grounds Supervisor, Tyson Kemper, on this initiative.

Dunn is also the chair of Everett Districts Now, a nonpartisan, grassroots coalition seeking the creation of districts to enable fair and equitable representation on Everett City Council. Currently, Everett relies on a voting system that elects council members at-large, whereas districted elections would address disparities in representation and give marginalized communities greater participation in the democratic process. If the group gathers enough signatures, the 5 district and 2 at-large proposal could be on the ballot in November 2018.

Dunn is energized by local activism and says the MA in Policy Studies helped her better understand quality of life issues and the role of public policy. “The Policy Studies program taught me about long-term solutions and structural change. Structural change can remove barriers and create lasting and measurable results.”