BE-Ex welcomes a new staff member to the team: Director of Operations, Megan Nyhan!
Megan Nyhan
Megan brings extensive experience in nonprofit operations, finance, fundraising, and program management to her role as Director of Operations at BE-Ex. Her background includes supporting organizations focused on climate resilience, environmental education, workforce training, arts and STEM education, and community-centered programming.
Megan’s commitment to nonprofit work is rooted in her experience helping organizations grow thoughtfully while staying aligned with their values and goals. Before joining BE-Ex, Megan served as Director of Operations and Finance at RETI Center, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit focused on climate resilience, clean energy workforce training, and community sustainability. At RETI, she helped build and strengthen the organization’s operational systems, financial infrastructure, and internal processes to support program delivery, strategic planning, and sustainable growth.
Deeply connected to coastal communities—from her upbringing in Florida, two decades in New York City, and summers in Casco Bay, Maine—Megan has seen firsthand how extreme weather has affected coastal communities and is committed to supporting organizations working to build a more sustainable, resilient future.
1. Share your favorite environmental factoid.
Farmed seaweed production increased nearly 30-fold in the US from about 69,000 pounds in 2017 to 2.1 million pounds in 2022 (NOAA). In Maine alone, farmed kelp production grew from about 14,500 pounds in 2015 to over 1 million pounds in 2022 — nearly a 70-fold increase (Maine DMR). I love how multifaceted kelp is. It can improve water quality, support habitat, buffer shorelines, create local jobs and be harvested for food and emerging products like kelpcrete, bioplastics, and fabrics. Another fun fact: the first Indigenous-owned kelp farm on the East Coast is run by Shinnecock women in Shinnecock Bay on Long Island’s South Shore. They are reviving a practice rooted in generations of knowledge while helping restore the health of the bay and creating local jobs at the same time.
2. What is the last book you read or are currently reading?
I’m currently reading Evicted by Matthew Desmond and I also just started Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez.
3. What are some ways you reduce your carbon footprint at home?
I try to keep my carbon footprint small through practical habits. Between composting through the city’s program and a backyard worm bin, not much food waste goes into the trash. I try to buy vintage and thrift over buying new and prioritize shopping locally whenever I can. We maintain a partial green roof on our building and have zoned heating and cooling and I’m following the progress on balcony solar in New York and would love to explore it as an option.