Mary Michael Zahed

Program Specialist

mary.lipfordzahed@ag.tamu.edu 804-350-5594

As a program specialist for the Texas Water Resources Institute, Mary Michael leads projects related to watershed planning and implementation, emphasizing stakeholder engagement, educational outreach, and building strong community partnerships.

Prior to working for TWRI, Mary Michael received her Bachelor of Science in Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences with a concentration in International Agriculture in 2021. Upon completing her B.S., she worked as an agricultural extension agent, 4-H advisor, and middle school agriculture science teacher in Ayeldu, Ghana, through the Texas A&M Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture. Mary Michael also earned her Master of Science degree from Virginia Tech in 2024. Her master's thesis focused on improving cover crop implementation and biomass production for the mitigation of nitrogen leaching in the Mid-Atlantic through innovative technology. She also piloted an exchange program between Virginia Tech and the University of Cape Coast in Ghana to introduce community gardens into Ghana's urban settings to address food insecurity.

In her free time, Mary Michael enjoys spending time with her husband Malek and their husky, nearly any outdoor sport (from the mountains to the water and anything in between), doing CrossFit, growing plants, exploring new places, and dancing.