FWS Behind the Lens: Melissa Gonzalez
Melissa Gonzalez is a true islander and grew up in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico with the Caribbean coast and tropical rain forests as her playground. She spent most of her childhood following her father around in the garden, on hikes, and working on trails.
As a kid, she felt like she lived in her own little kingdom, with everything around her growing, green and lush. She explored nearby caves and mountains, watching the wildlife around her, catching lizards and listening for the song of the Coquí frogs.
Melissa earned a Bachelor’s of Art in TV and Radio Communications at the University of Puerto Rico in Arecibo and her Master’s in Communications with a specialization in Advertising at the University of the Sacred Heart in San Juan. She’s passionate about using the power of integrated marketing communications to protect wildlife and natural resources. She is a proud public servant with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), where she develops communication strategies and visual productions supporting the missions of both the agency and its National Conservation Training Center.
Melissa has over ten years of experience in the communications field, specifically working on digital media production and public affairs roles. She’s proud to be working for an agency that aligns with her personal values and whose mission benefits the natural world and future generations. Most of her experience has been with federal agencies, some of which include the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Institutes of Health.
Before joining the Service as a permanent employee, Melissa participated in the agency’s Directorate Fellows Program at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Utah. Her project was focused on community engagement. Melissa established valuable relationships with local Latin communities and educated them on conservation and their surrounding environment.
Currently, Melissa works as a Audiovisual Production Specialist in the Creative Imagery Branch at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
“Each day is different and I love that,” exclaims Melissa. “I like being the glue, bringing people together and engaging them in storytelling in a compelling way.”
You can find her in the classroom, behind her computer, with a camera in hand, in the field filming, or in the studio. She fills many roles within her position consulting or collaborating internally, producing, editing, planning and analyzing content to engage various audiences.
One of Melissa’s memorable moments in her career and as leader of the National Conservation Training Center’s social media team was this viral bald eagle post below! There was a team of folks that made this post a reality. It’s a video of a Bald eagle incubating its eggs in the midst of being covered with a blanket of snow. The caption reads, “Parenting takes determination. Watch how as the eagle incubates its eggs in the midst of being covered with a blanket of snow, it stands up without letting any snow fall on the precious eggs. The eagle turns the eggs and carefully sits back down to ensure continuous and even heating.” Video taken by C. McBride/USFWS
Photography is also a big part of Melissa’s job and she enjoys it. Connecting with the natural world and capturing moments for the world to experience is powerful. Apart from work, Melissa enjoys taking her dog on walks, hiking and dancing.
You can view and download Melissa Gonzalez’s images in the FWS Media Library here. Through this blog, the FWS National Digital Library aims to highlight different people in the field who have contributed spectacular photography, with an eye toward reflecting the full mission of the Service. Visit us at: images.fws.gov. Brought to you by the USFWS Library. #FWSBehindTheLens
