Background

Ocean expert and enthusiast with over 8 years of experience in earth & environmental research, education, and outreach, seeking to address high priority issues at the intersection of science and society. Have successfully developed and implemented federal agency strategy, conservation, and partnership initiatives. Enjoys working with others to design and evaluate responses to complex global challenges in a warming world, and to gather, track and present scientific information for diverse audiences. Demonstrated leadership, adaptability, teamwork, and organization in supporting effective collaboration with stakeholder groups and developing strategies to address intricate processes shaping coastal resilience - from sea-level rise to reef health.

Job experience

• March 2022 - present
  Science Associate
  Schmidt Futures
  

  New York, NY, USA

  science philanthropy
  member of the science team advising leadership on new programs and development of existing ones; supporting development of the ocean and climate portfolio, scoping new programs in oceans and climate

• February 2021 - February 2022
  Associate Program Officer, Ocean Studies Board
  The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
  

  Washington D.C., DC, USA

  •Facilitated, organized, & wrote consensus based research and policy studies, sponsored by federal science agencies, which bring together a volunteer committee of experts to address a statement of task.
  •Served as study director of the study on Wind Turbine Generator Impacts to Marine Vessel Radar, sponsored by BOEM
  •Led the the congressionally-mandated study on Data and Management Strategies for Recreational Fisheries with Annual Catch Limits, sponsored by NOAA Fisheries, and oversaw the release of their consensus study reports.
  •Supported the development, planning, initiation, and information-gathering for the study on U.S. Coast Guard Authorities.
  •Supported the Committee on Identifying New Community-Driven Science Themes for NSF’s Support of Paleo Perspectives on Climate Change (P2C2): A Workshop.
  •Co-led the the standing Committee on Offshore Science and Assessment, providing informal guidance to BOEM through public meetings.
  •Developed communications materials and products translating technical information for non-technical audiences, and engaged relevant stakeholders.
  •Managed multiple projects on public policy issues of national significance concurrently, with competing deadlines.

• February 2020 - February 2021
  Policy Analyst John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow
  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  

  Washington, D.C., USA

  Office of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere (ASOA)/Deputy Administrator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
  • Writing & leading the development of a partnership agreement between Indo-Pacific, signed by both parties in 09/2020.
  Marine Protected Areas to strengthen management & align with national strategies • Drafting a NOAA strategy to prevent the spread of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease
  and support reef health in Atlantic and Indo-Pacific U.S. coral jurisdictions
  • Managing the NOAA Blue Economy Executive Committee, facilitating meetings,
  writing the terms of reference, and drafting agendas as the Executive Secretariat
  • Supported the ASOA in representing NOAA at the Pacific Risk Management ‘Ohana
  coastal resiliency conference, and site visits to NOAA facilities in Hawaii

• August 2016 - September 2019
  National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellow
  University of Florida
  

  Gainesville, FL, USA

  Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
  • Managed 5 integrated projects to assimilate geologic evidence preserved in ancient
  Caribbean coral reefs for responses of sea level & ice sheets to a past warm climate
  • Organized and presented research in 3 scientific publications, 3 manuscripts, 5
  conference presentations, and 3 invited talks as lead author
  • Designed, implemented and improved outreach activities to support evidence-based
  discussions on coastal resilience for museum events attended by ~2,500 visitors
  • Collaborated with teams for international fieldwork & research, integrating datasets, & promoting research strategies to improve predictions of future sea-level changes

• August 2014 - May 2016
  Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant
  University of Florida
  

  Gainesville, FL, USA

  • Planned laboratory assignments, organized materials, & prioritized objectives for 3 Physical Geology laboratory sections and 1 section of Geochemical Oceanography
  • Developed strategic plans and applied for grants to facilitate 3 field expeditions

• September 2013 - April 2014
  Museum Docent & Intern
  University of Michigan
  

  Ann Arbor, MI, USA

  University of Michigan Museum of Natural History, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Updated the Rocks and Fossils program, designing interactive posters and revising
  docent manual information to engage students with geology and paleontology,
  • Conducted tours, engaging with students and teachers to meet educational goals

• September 2012 - June 2014
  Undergraduate Research Technician
  University of Michigan
  

  Ann Arbor, MI, USA

  Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Developed a new protocol for sampling and comparison of fish scales with other
  paleoclimate records preserved in marine sediments in a lead-author publication
  • Conducted and co-authored publication of paleoclimate research into a large carbon dioxide emission from the Southern Ocean to assess causes of past climate changes

• May 2012 - August 2012
  Research Intern (NSF Ocean Sciences REU Sites Program)
  Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
  

  New York, NY, USA

  Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY
  • Analyzed paleoclimate records to reconstruct past sea surface temperatures, and
  presented results in a report and presentation

Education

• University of Florida
  PhD in Geology
  

  2014 - 2019

  Dissertation: Inferences of interglacial sea-level variability from circum- Caribbean Last Interglacial coral reefs
  GPA: 4.00/4.00
• University of Michigan
  BS Earth & Environmental Sciences
  

  2011 - 2014

  BS Earth & Environmental Sciences with minors in Museum Studies and Oceanography
  GPA 3.67/4.00