Melanie McCandless Klym

About Melanie McCandless Klym

I\'m driven by a profound commitment to healing our watersheds. For me, leadership isn\'t a title; it\'s a practice rooted in compassion and selflessness, creating a space where my colleagues feel supported and empowered to do their best work. My expertise is focused on tackling significant challenges in the Pacific Northwest, specifically designing and implementing dam removals and river restoration projects, drawing on my unique blend of environmental science, geology, hydrogeology, and engineering. I firmly believe that impactful restoration only happens when we move beyond silos—by actively engaging the community and fostering true collaboration among varied professionals. I value my unique position as an engineer who can translate complex science into actionable, shared understanding.

Experience

1. Northwest River Restoration Director

   American Rivers

   Dec 2024 — Present · Corvallis, OR, US

   Lead dam removal and related river restoration efforts in the Northwest Region. Work with Tribes, agencies, practitioners, and communities to assess enabling conditions for removing dams and develop strategies to overcome existing barriers likely to include funding and policy bottlenecks, workforce development, and other community of practice support needs. Support dam removal trainings for project managers. Regularly respond to requests for technical and strategic project planning assistance to advance multi-benefit dam removals and river restoration in the region. Serve as a subject matter expert to advocate for and advance multi-benefit dam removal projects and associated river restoration policy. Effectively communicate dam removal approaches and benefits to a wide array of audiences including Tribes, scientists, community-based organizations, landowners, and the public, using a variety of media, including but not limited to public and professional conference presentations, and potentially through published reports or papers. Represent American Rivers at conferences and other events. Advocate for and incorporate the perspectives and solutions presented by frontline BIPOC communities and Tribal Nations into regional strategies and project plans. Develop funding applications and manage grant awards for the Program. Be an active teammate with the American Rivers’ Northwest Region Team and the National Dam Removal Community of Practice, engaging in team meetings, collaborating with colleagues on project ideas and approaches, and developing, refining, and implementing effective restoration strategies.

Education

• Portland State University

  MS, Environmental Engineering: Water Resources

  2010 — 2011

• Tufts University

  BS (dual), Geological Sciences and Environmental Studies: Policy & Economics

  2002 — 2006

• The Ohio State University

  Graduate Coursework, Earth Sciences

  2006 — 2008

Skills

• Data Analysis
• Volunteer Leadership
• Rfp Preparation
• Earth Science
• Environmental Issues
• Watershed Management
• Geographic Information Systems (Gis)
• Environmental Management
• Environmental Monitoring
• Hydrology
• Data Presentation
• Environmental Management Systems
• Hydrologic Modeling
• Geology
• Hydraulic Modeling
• Water Resource Management
• Autocad
• Soil
• Stream Restoration
• Schedule Planning
• Hydraulics
• Environmental Science
• Gps
• Public Speaking
• Arcgis
• Subcontracting
• Project Coordination
• Fluid Mechanics
• Spatial Analysis
• Microsoft Office
• Gis
• Technical Training
• Technical Presentations
• Sediment Transport
• Databases
• Gis Analysis
• Hydrogeology
• Water Resources
• Water
• Environmental Engineering