Marilyn E. Livingood is an Environmental Scientist, International Affairs Specialist, and Environmental Consultant, and was formerly a Senior Program Manager at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (now retired). Her focus has been on long-range transboundary transport of pollutants, initially deep-sea marine radioactivity, and then on global transport of mercury. She also managed the EPA/US contribution to the United Nations Regional Seas Program to shape an international protocol for land-based sources of marine pollution for the Wider Caribbean; contributed to the North American Environmental Control Area (ECA) efforts for air pollution for ports and shipping; and worked on climate adaptation planning for cities.

Ms. Livingood co-led deep-sea (down to 4,000 meters) environmental surveys off both US coasts to locate and conduct risk assessments for dumped nuclear waste containers using submersibles (e.g., the Alvin); was the US representative to the OECD/Nuclear Energy Agency coordinated program helping European countries evaluate deep-sea nuclear waste disposal in the NE Atlantic; and co-led the Office of Naval Research Arctic Nuclear Waste Assessment Program addressing nuclear waste dumped into the Arctic Ocean by Russia. She conducted the risk assessment examining potential impact to Alaska.

For atmospheric issues, Ms. Livingood co-led the First International Conference on Trans-Pacific Transport of Atmospheric Contaminants, involving countries from both sides of the Pacific, resulting in an international consensus statement, and a publication in the journal Science. She initiated and co-led the EPA agency-wide International Transport of Atmospheric Pollutants (ITAP) Program. She then initiated the international EPA focus on mercury, and was a contributing author of EPA’s Global Mercury Research Strategy and co-authored EPA’s Mercury Roadmap. She conducted leading technical research for the international identification of sources, and transport and fate of mercury, including discovery of new Polar transport and fate phenomena. She coordinated EPA’s input to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Global Mercury Assessment and served on the US delegation negotiating for and resulting in a UNEP Global Mercury Program and Global Mercury Partnerships, followed by a global treaty on mercury.

Ms. Livingood received her BA in Zoology and Anthropology from Duke University and her Master’s Degree in Special Studies (Environmental Science/Public Health) from George Washington University. She has numerous publications, and her awards include EPA gold, silver and bronze medals, and the EPA Office of International and Tribal Affairs Global Mission Award.