Having grown up around the world from Egypt to Sri Lanka to Nepal, Olivia found herself drawn to the social dynamics of landscapes and environmental change. Pursuing these interests she embarked on her academic career as a geographer, working on issues of environmental access, climate change, water infrastructure, and community-based development in South Asia and the Pacific Northwest. With support from a Fulbright-Hays fellowship, Olivia’s doctoral project examined water insecurity in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley. Following completion of her Ph.D., Olivia found herself placing roots here in the South Sound and at Earth Economics as a Project Director, where she supports work for advancing community-scale environmental solutions to challenges like climate change, displacement, and falling salmon populations. With such a background, it’s no surprise that Olivia places community at the center of her ambitions.
When she’s not building access to economic knowledge and resources for others, she’s most likely cooking or hiking with her family.
RECENT WORK
“The Benefits of Community-Driven Green Infrastructure,” Earth Economics and Water Wise Gulf South (2023)
“The Collaborative Advantage: Principles for the Next Generation of Multi-Benefit Projects in Los Angeles,” Earth Economics and Accelerate Resilience Los Angeles (2023)
“The Next Generation of Schoolyards: Lessons from the Watershed Discovery Campus,” Earth Economics and Amigos de los Rios (2023)
“The Sociocultural Significance of Pacific Salmon to Tribes and First Nations: Special Report to the Pacific Salmon Commission,” Earth Economics (2021)
“The Pain of Water: A Household Perspective of Water Insecurity and Inequity in the Kathmandu Valley.” Water Policy (2019)
“Human Right to Water.” The Kathmandu Post (2017)
“Beyond localism: The micropolitics of local legitimacy in a community-based organization.” Journal of Rural Studies (2017)
“Impacts of Glacier Recession and Declining Meltwater on Mountain Societies.” Annals of the American Association of Geographers (2016)
Machhapuchchhre
Mardi Himal | Nepal
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Geography
University of Oregon | Eugene, Oregon
M.A. Geography
University of Oregon | Eugene, Oregon
B.A. Environmental Studies and Sociology
Whitman College | Walla Walla, Washington