Haley McKinnon (they/she) is an environmental writer, conservationist, and whale lover. After receiving a BA in Creative Writing from Pacific University, they turned their academic focus toward storytelling as a tool for uniting people under a common goal of maintaining a healthy planet. She joined the Environmental Arts and Humanities Initiative at Oregon State University for an MA in Environmental Writing and Rhetoric and a Certificate in Wildlife Management, with a special interest in marine mammals, completing her studies in 2023. In the past, Haley has worked as a Development and Communications intern for Marine Conservation Institute, and is currently an educator at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Special areas of interest include marine resource management, including whaling and fishing practices and marine protected areas, cetacean behavioral ecology as related to anthropogenic influences and climate change, and creative communications of environmental issues.