With a strong background in teaching and communications, and time spent on the water as the editor of Work Boat Magazine, Marilyn Barrett-O’Leary was a fitting addition to Louisiana State University’s Sea Grant Communications Department back in the 1990s.  It was there that her expertise and experiences in the aquatic resources arena developed and grew.  Hired initially to start a magazine focused on Sea Grant activities, regional and marine issues, her skills and talents soon lent themselves to teaching ecological tourism to groups conducting swamp tours in Louisiana and developing programs focused on exotic invasive species.  At the height of the zebra mussel invasion in the Great Lakes, Sea Grant asked Marilyn to assist in the efforts to determine when zebra mussels might arrive in Louisiana.  Her research and analysis of the zebra mussel invasion in the southeast led to work with the Gulf of Mexico Program, where she helped to start a regional invasive species program (the Gulf of Mexico Regional ANS Panel), and later joined a similar program developed in the Mississippi River Basin.  Along the way, she helped Louisiana develop the first state ANS management plan in the region.  In recognition of this work, Marilyn was awarded one of the early Gulf Guardian Awards.  The Gulf of Mexico Program Partnership developed the Gulf Guardian awards as a way to recognize and honor the businesses, community groups, individuals, and agencies that are taking positive steps to keep the Gulf healthy, beautiful and productive.  During this time, her experience with exotic invasive species also extended to educating non-traditional audiences, such as garden retail stores like WalMart and Home Depot about the dangers of selling invasive species, and working with ports to do surveys of imports, waters and vessels that may be harboring and introducing invasive species. She also developed signage and educational programs on aquatic nuisance species (ANS) and studied biodiversity and its effects on aquatic species, habitats and the water, and human environment.

Following the success of this work, Marilyn was recommended when SARP was facilitating the development of state ANS management plans.  She was funded by SARP in 2005 as a principal investigator to collaborate with SARP's 14 states to develop, accept and adopt ANS plans, Louisiana being the first to achieve this significant goal.  “I was impressed with the whole concept SARP had of the state agencies coming together,” Marilyn expresses.  The ANS project included a conference to introduce the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Planning (HACCPP) method to state hatchery personnel. HACCPP provides preventative practices for inadvertently getting non-native species of fingerling stocking populations.  As a result, some SARP states introduced parts of the program into their hatcheries procedures.  Later, she volunteered to help write the Southeast Aquatic Habitat Plan (SAHP) and was integral in bringing all of the committee's objectives and thoughts together into one voice.  In 2007, Marilyn retired from LSU and went to work for SARP full time as Project Manager.  "I wanted to be a part of this unique organization," she says.  "I remain proud of SARP's accomplishments."  Over the years, both Marilyn and SARP benefited from the fact that several of the state and regional contacts that she made through her ANS work also served on the SARP Steering Committee.  Marilyn continued to serve as the ANS Coordinator until 2010. 

In addition to her ANS work, Marilyn has made considerable contributions to SARP and aquatic resources management as a whole.  In 2007, SARP launched its SARP/NOAA Community-based Restoration Program with Marilyn at the helm.  Under her project management, this program has successfully facilitated the implementation of 18 restoration projects focused primarily on coastal areas and NOAA trust resources in the region to date, with new projects starting in 2012.  In 2007, she helped SARP to initiate the Southern Instream Flow Network (SIFN).  Following the model for success that she pioneered when working on ANS, Marilyn, Mary Davis and Scott Robinson assisted agencies associated with freshwater and flow issues from each state to form SIFN committees.  Using her communications and coordination skills, she helped SIFN through weekly messaging to help facilitate communications within state teams and the Network and with the development of key instream flow messages, an informational brand design, and instream flow fact sheet that are available for use region-wide.  Marilyn was also instrumental in developing SARP’s current website, a valuable and effective communications tool.   

This December Marilyn will retire from her full-time position at SARP.  In her retirement, she is looking forward to spending time with her family, especially her husband Mike, gardening, traveling, and volunteering in her home state.  "I have learned from every challenge that SARP sent my way," Marilyn said.  "SARP members showed me that value for aquatic resources and a willingness to work as a team can make a difference."  Her SARP colleagues thank her for sharing her many talents and years of dedication to preserving, protecting and restoring aquatic resources in the southeast.  We will miss you and wish you all the best in your future endeavors, Marilyn!