Her research interests center on valuing benefits provided by nature, understanding and advancing the Blue Economy, and the intersection of climate change, risk and coastal community resilience. Currently, much of her time is focused on her partnership with the Stimson Center as the lead researcher in developing the Coastal and Ocean Risk and Vulnerability Index (CORVI), which assesses 96 indicators across 10 categories of social, economic and ecological risks connected to oceans and a changing climate. A CORVI assessment includes conducting surveys and semistructured interviews with as many as 60 local government officials, business leaders and researchers. CORVI has been implemented in 11 cities in the Caribbean, Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, Micronesia and Eastern Africa.

She is an expert on assessing and evaluating the Blue Economy and valuing ecosystem services, which are the benefits that nature provides to humans. During her tenure as Deputy Chief Economist at NOAA, Ms. Rouleau was the Agency’s central point of contact for the valuation of ecosystem services and worked with NOAA’s chief scientist to advance the practice and assessment of the “New Blue Economy” focusing on emerging blue tech industries. She also established an interagency working group on the Value of Observations and Information and led the Department of Commerce’s Natural Capital Business Roundtables initiative.

She has served on/advised committees and subcommittees for the Council for Environmental Quality, Office of Science and Technology Policy, National Ocean Council, and other interagency bodies. Tracy established and chaired NOAA’s Social Science Committee and NOAA’s Ecosystem Services team, and won awards for work in the Arctic, the Gulf of Mexico and on NOAA’s Social Science Needs Assessment. She holds a master’s degree in Environmental Studies/Coastal Resource Economics from San Jose State University and completed her Ph.D. coursework and exams in Marine Policy/Fisheries Economics at the University of Delaware.