PNNL

Melissa O’Neil Perdue joined PNNL in July 2014 as a senior communications advisor. She provides support for PNNL's Environmental Management, Nuclear Energy, and Carbon Management & Fossil Energy research missions; the Center for the Remediation of Complex Sites (RemPlex); the IDREAM Energy Frontier Research Center; the CUSSP Energy Earthshot Research Center; and is part of the team providing executive and internal communications for PNNL's Energy and Environment Directorate.

Ms. Perdue previously worked at Washington State University Tri-Cities, where she was the Marketing and Communications Manager for seven years. In that role, she supported fund-raising and outreach efforts on behalf of the Office of Advancement and Development and the Office of the Chancellor. She was responsible for media relations, public affairs, social media, branding, advertising, development of marketing materials for student recruitment, and supervising the graphic and web designers for the WSU Tri-Cities campus during a time of growth and expansion.

She started her career at the Tri-City Herald in Kennewick, Wash., a daily newspaper. As a reporter for nine years, she covered city government, K-12 education, and business. She then transferred to the Tri-City Herald’s marketing department, where she handled the newspaper’s community relations, event logistics, and advertising promotions.

Ms. Perdue grew up in Portland, Ore., and graduated magna cum laude from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash., earning a BA in communications (print journalism) and a BA in business administration. She is a graduate of Leadership Tri-Cities Class IX and served as president of the Leadership Tri-Cities board of directors in 2009-2010 for Class XV. Her community involvement has included serving on the boards of the Children’s Reading Foundation of the Mid-Columbia, Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton & Franklin Counties.

• BA, Communications, Pacific Lutheran University
• BA, Business Administration, Pacific Lutheran University

Public Relations Society of America, Mid-Columbia Chapter