BTNEP Welcomes Michelle Felterman as Program Deputy Director
We are pleased to announce that Michelle Felterman has been named the new deputy director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP).
Michelle holds a Master’s Degree in Marine and Environmental Biology from Nicholls State University and a Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School. In 2018, she was a Sea Grant Knauss Fellow with the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environment).
Before joining BTNEP, Michelle served as a National Environmental Policy Act Project Manager with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Region Southeast in Jacksonville, Florida. Most recently, she held the position of Senior Scientist at the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), where she managed the Atchafalaya Basin Program and led CPRA’s collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on the USACE’s first home elevation project in the country. Additionally, Michelle has intimate knowledge and experience with BTNEP, as she’s served as a Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary Foundation board member since 2021.
“We’re excited to welcome Michelle to the BTNEP team. She brings invaluable knowledge, skills, and experience to the table,” said Bren Haase, BTNEP Director. “Her dedication to her work is undeniable and will undoubtedly strengthen our program. We look forward to Michelle helping us fulfill our mission of protecting and restoring the estuary.”
Michelle was raised in south Louisiana and has a deep-seated appreciation of the land she grew up in. From fishing along local bayous to spending time at her family’s hunting camp, Michelle is an avid outdoors woman with a strong passion for protecting her home’s natural resources and beauty.
Michelle shared, “Joining BTNEP feels like a homecoming. I’m incredibly proud to be from south Louisiana and honored to have been selected to serve this region as BTNEP Deputy Director. Let’s get to work!”
