Vice President of Section Affairs - Dr. Alicia M. Mahon

Dr. Alicia M. Mahon serves as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's wind energy program manager and Operational Systems Engineering Group Leader in the Earth System Sciences Division. Dr. Mahon manages an offshore renewable energy portfolio of approximately $30M annually, which includes a number of complex, high risk projects, international subcontracts, and significant stakeholder outreach and engagement efforts. As group leader, she manages a group of approximately 70 scientists, engineers, and project support staff and stewards group capabilities in waterpower systems science and engineering, systems engineering, and integrated project support. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in ocean engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). Dr. Mahon serves as the editor of the Marine Technology Society Journal. 

Indicate one or two key goals that you hope to accomplish in this position over the next 3 years:
(1) Effectively coordinate and communicate virtual networking and professional development activities for members who do not live close to an MTS Section and cannot attend in-person and (2) engage Section MTS members to gather feedback on Section Affairs (including ideas for activities, events, MTS improvements, etc.) and develop action plan for implementing feedback within relevant Sections. 

Discuss the qualities and experience you possess that make you a strong candidate for the position for which you are running:
"Social styles" are a way of describing how other people perceive how you communicate. I've taken this assessment twice over the last 10 years, and my results have been the same....I'm considered an "expressive driver." Driver - Ever since I was a child, I've been able to visualize and imagine myself accomplishing goals... whether they are individual, personal goals or project and team goals. I visualize the achievement, internalize the feeling of accomplishment, and use that feeling as motivation to get things done and do better. Expressive - I love people. I enjoy forming teams based on style, collaborating, leveraging capabilities and expertise to execute impactful projects, and developing and fostering meaningful relationships. I love mentoring and coaching staff and providing them with information and tools they need to be successful. I love working with people, developing relationships, and finding creative, collaborative solutions to problems. I believe the combination of driver and expressive will help me, and ultimately MTS, ensure that the organization has a strong leader who gets things done and supports Section affairs in a collaborative and inclusive manner. 

I serve as the Wind Energy Program Manager at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), managing the Laboratory's $25M+ portfolio of land-based, distributed, and offshore wind projects sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office. I also serve as the Group Leader of the Operational Systems Engineering group at PNNL, investing time in the growth and development of a team of scientists, engineers, and project support staff. I hold a Ph.D. in Ocean Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). I was a PNNL Project Manager of the Year finalist in 2019, received an EED Core Values Award and Publication of the Year Award in 2020, and was an EED Innovation in Research finalist in 2022. In 2022, I had the honor of briefing the Secretary of Energy, the Honorable Jennifer Granholm, on the impact of PNNL's offshore wind energy research. My publication record includes 40+ peer-reviewed journal articles, conference papers, and high-impact technical reports. 

I currently serve as General Editor of the Marine Technology Society (MTS) Journal. In 2021, I was recognized by my alma mater, Stevens Institute of Technology, as one of 40 promising alumni under the age of 40 making a difference in their respective fields. In addition, I was selected as a PNNL representative for the DOE "Women @ Energy: Stem Rising" initiative in 2019, which recognizes talented, innovative, inspiring women who work in science, technology, engineering, and math fields at DOE. I was selected as one of ten New Faces of Civil Engineering by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2015, who recognize "young, diverse, and talented engineers who demonstrate a clear vision, good managerial and technical skills, and who possess inspirational leadership qualities and a desire and willingness to change the world for the better." 

Learn more about Alicia Mahon on LinkedIn.