Nora (Ferm) Nickum MPP 2009 is vice president of conservation programs and partnerships at the Seattle Aquarium, where she leads efforts to protect and restore ocean health for wildlife and human communities alike. In her free time, she writes books for children and young adults, including her picture book that’s all about holes—sinkholes and whale blowholes to Wiffle Balls, waffles, and more. She shares some of her inspirations and policy work, as well as ways the HKS community continues to shape her journey.
What inspires you?
I feel at home being back here in the Pacific Northwest, where the surrounding water, shorelines, forests, and wildlife inspire my books and my work in conservation. I am humbled by the Indigenous stewardship of these lands and waters now and since time immemorial, and committed to upholding Tribal treaty rights in my policy work. I am inspired by the passionate high schoolers who volunteer as Youth Ocean Advocates at the Seattle Aquarium, who are full of creative ideas and drive for change. And of course my hobby of writing books for kids is inspired by my fourth-grade daughter, who is a voracious reader.
Tell us about your work at the Seattle Aquarium.
We aim to protect and restore ocean health to benefit wildlife, ecosystems, and human communities. For example, we helped pass bills in Washington state that eliminate many kinds of single-use plastics, protect endangered whales from vessel noise and disturbance, ban seabed mining in state waters, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, the research team is monitoring sea otter and rockfish populations and bull kelp forests, and giving agencies information to help manage resources for long-term sustainability. And we’re part of bigger Seattle Aquarium goals of having a regenerative impact on the ocean, creating moments of wonder, and inspiring visitors to take action for ocean health.
How did your time at HKS influence you?
I worked in nonprofits before attending HKS, and found that very rewarding, but my peers at HKS inspired me to consider going into government service. My class’s Spring Exercise was all about climate change, which was a strong motivator for me to pursue a career working on it—it crystallized how much climate change impacted all of the other issues I cared about, and how urgent it was to take serious and also equitable action.
After graduating, I was fortunate to secure a Presidential Management Fellowship at the U.S. Agency for International Development, where I worked on climate resilience efforts in Latin America and East Africa for five years and served as a negotiator to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. I leaned on the practical tools from HKS negotiations and communications classes in that position, and continue to do so today with a job that involves lobbying, management, and frequent public speaking.
What does the HKS community mean to you?
The HKS community is invaluable. HKS–and my fellow alums–have helped me question my assumptions and stay on a learning path, which today includes examining how I can better center equity and justice in conservation work. And the persistence, leadership, and camaraderie of other alums in their diverse public service positions energizes me to keep thinking big and working collaboratively for change.