News Release

Dr. G. Melodie Naja named Director of the National Park Service’s South Florida Natural Resources Center

Date: January 25, 2021
Contact: Allyson Gantt, 786-610-8023

Dr. G. Melodie Naja is the new Director of the National Park Service's South Florida Natural Resources Center.

Photo courtesy of Melodie Naja

HOMESTEAD, Fla — Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks Superintendent Pedro Ramos announces the selection of G. Melodie Naja, PhD, as the new director of the South Florida Natural Resources Center in southern Florida. Dr. Naja began her new position on January 19. The position was previously held by Robert “Bob” Johnson, who served as Director of the Center for 25 years.

“We are very excited to have Dr. Naja join the South Florida National Parks and Preserve team,” said Superintendent Pedro Ramos. “She brings with her a deep knowledge of and passion for the Everglades ecosystem. I am confident she will use that to achieve the Center’s goals and lead the team forward in Everglades restoration and management.”

Dr. Naja has been working on Everglades-related issues since 2008. Most recently, she served as Director of Science at the Everglades Foundation, where she led a team of interdisciplinary scientists, modelers and engineers working on Everglades ecosystem restoration projects. She was also responsible for maintaining high standards of scientific integrity and communicating the Foundation’s technical work to diverse stakeholders.

“I am honored to serve as Director of the South Florida Natural Resources Center,” Dr. Naja said. “I look forward to learning from the staff at the Center and working together to deliver the science needed to move the needle towards a more restored Everglades.”

The South Florida Natural Resources Center, a division of Everglades National Park, was established in 1978 to serve four National Park Service units: Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, Biscayne National Park, and Big Cypress National Preserve. The Center was also given the unprecedented mandate to work in partnership with other federal agencies, state agencies and sovereign tribal nations to conduct science that informs the restoration efforts throughout the entire Everglades ecosystem.  

As Director of the Center, Dr. Naja will oversee a team of scientists and managers who work on projects to understand, preserve and restore the natural resources of the South Florida National Park Service units. These projects often take on a broader perspective of the Everglades ecosystem, with the goal of preserving and enjoying these protected areas for future generations.

Prior to joining the Everglades Foundation, Dr. Naja was a researcher at the National Research Council of Canada and a visiting professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. She has also served as an expert consultant for government institutions, non-governmental organizations and the corporate sector.

Dr. Naja is a resident of South Miami with her two young children. A native of Lebanon, she has also lived and worked in several countries including France and Canada. She settled in Florida after falling in love with the Everglades ecosystem while doing research on heavy metal removal using Sargassum (brown seaweed). She hasn’t looked back since.

Learn more about the South Florida Natural Resources Center: https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/sfnrcaboutus.htm