In this episode, host Brett Cyphers sits down with Mary Szafraniec, a Florida-based scientist whose professional journey is shaped by an extraordinary personal history. Mary shares how her grandparents survived Nazi work camps during World War II and how her parents later escaped communism in Europe to begin a new life in the United States.
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The conversation traces a chance encounter at a music festival that redirected her career toward environmental work with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, her transition into the Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program at the Southwest Florida Water Management District, and the critical role mentorship played in her growth there. Mary also reflects on how her experience in government translated into value in the private sector and discusses her current role at Resource Environmental Solutions (RES), where she is driven to do good by building accountability into her work and measuring long-term outcomes for Florida’s natural systems.
