In 2022 she was invited to address the twenty-second meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea, at United Nations Headquarters in New York to discuss how ocean observations can be used in decision-making. Dr Heupel is a current member of the UN Ocean Decade Advisory Board and is considered a national and international leader in the application of ocean data to support policy and decision-making. She is passionate about improving our understanding of ocean conditions to support connections across communities and support a range of applications from management to recreation and culture.