Leadership and Advisors

Advisory Council

Oregon Sea Grant's Advisory Council helps the program by communicating about the ongoing and emerging needs and interests of Oregon's ocean and coastal communities, businesses, natural resource managers, Tribes, and policymakers. Council members are drawn from throughout the state from a broad range of coastal interests: private sector, community groups, local government, resource management agencies, and others with an interest in Oregon's ocean and coast. The Council engages with Oregon Sea Grant’s Director and employees to enhance the capacity, relevance, and effectiveness of the program by: 

• Applying technical, professional, and experiential knowledge to help shape programmatic direction and advise on potential new or existing initiatives; 
• Providing input on the societal relevance of various program activities, which may include research pre-proposals and full proposals under consideration for funding awards, program development activities, and fellowship applications, as well as program events; 
• Suggesting and providing input on external funding opportunities; 
• Interacting with key community and policy leaders to increase awareness of Oregon Sea Grant and its activities, and communicating about the challenges, needs, and interests of coastal communities and policymakers with the program; 
• Actively promoting the value and impact of the program within Oregon’s institutions of higher education, on the coast, and within the state as well as regionally and nationally, including participating in periodic federal program reviews (e.g., site review team visits); and 
• Identifying emerging opportunities and assisting in the formation of strategic partnerships. 

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Members:

• Hugh Ahnatook is the tribal lands and waters steward for the Necanicum Watershed Council. Hugh maintains extensive connections within Indian Country and serves as a custodian of ceremonies and traditions for the communities he assists. His professional background includes serving as a Fire Chief focused on wildfire suppression, leading community emergency preparedness initiatives, and operating his own Indigenous fish-canning business. Hugh brings substantial expertise and experience to the collaborative efforts between the Necanicum Watershed Council and the Chinook Indian Nation. He has been a member of the advisory council since 2026. 
• Anne Berblinger owns and operates a small farm in Gales Creek Valley, OR. Until she retired in 2007, Anne served as the Oregon representative for the U.S. Economic Development Administration, starting in 1983. She also organized seven multi-county Economic Development Districts serving nineteen rural counties and the Portland-Vancouver Metropolitan region, while maintaining and strengthening five previously organized ones. She assisted more than ten Tribal governments and Tribal Associations to become EDA Partnership Planning grantees and to prepare Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies. She has been a member of the advisory council since 1993. 
• Caren Braby is a senior program manager with Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission in Newport, Oregon. She has her PhD in marine biology and biological oceanography from Stanford. Her work is grounded in both fishery and ecosystem issues and is directed at facilitating and inspiring stewardship of ocean resources from the estuaries to the high seas. Changing oceans and ocean acidification have been focal points for Caren’s work in recent years. She has been a member of the advisory council since 2014.  
• Deanna Caracciolo is the chief operating officer and co-founder of Sea & Shores Solutions. Deanna has a MS in marine resource management, with a minor in risk and uncertainty quantification in marine science from OSU, and a BS in environmental sciences from State University of New York at Oneonta. Her expertise is in coastal management policy and implementation. Prior to launching Sea & Shore Solutions, Deanna implemented the State of Oregon's Federal Consistency authority as State-Federal Relations Coordinator with the Oregon Coastal Management Program.  She has been a member of the advisory council since 2019. 
• Jeremy Childress is the CEO and owner of The Sexton Corporation in Salem, Oregon. His company specializes in marine technology product development and serves government, research, and education/entertainment customers. Jeremy has an MS in marine resource management from OSU. He has been a member of the advisory council since 2019. 
• Michael Graybill has expertise in coastal ecosystem management. Prior to retirement, he dedicated 28 years to managing the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. Mike has holds MS in marine biology from the University of Oregon. He has been a member of the advisory council since 2018. 
• Trish Mace is the director of the University of Oregon’s Charleston Marine Life Center, a public aquarium and museum that highlights the diversity of marine life off the Oregon coast.  From 2011-2016, Trish was manager of Ocean Education and Partnerships at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. Prior to that, she managed the National Science Foundation funded Graduates in K-12 Education program at UO’s Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB).  Trish has served on the Federal Interagency Working Group on Ocean Education and the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence council. Trice holds a dual MA in international studies and environmental studies from the University of Washington and BA in biology from Trinity University.  She is currently a member of Oregon Sea Grant’s Advisory Council, the Oregon Coast STEM Hub’s Leadership Council, and the Elakha Alliance’s Advisory Council. She has been a member of the advisory council since 2021.
• Paula J. Miranda is the executive director of the Port of Newport. Paula began working at the Port of Newport in May 2019. Before that, she spent 12 years as deputy executive director and manager of real estate and business development at what was once the Port of St. Helens, now called the Port of Columbia County after its 2018 rebranding. During her time there, Paula twice took on the role of interim director. Earlier in her career, Miranda worked five years at the Port of Portland, focusing on contract administration, property management, tenant negotiations, and assisting across various port development projects. She has been a member of the advisory council since 2026. 
• Lisa Phipps is the program manager for the Oregon Coastal Management Program at the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. She has broad experience in Oregon coastal policy and communities and has worked for the Department of Land Conservation and Development since 2018. Lisa’s previous roles include executive director of the Tillamook Watershed Council, mayor of the City of Rockaway Beach, and community development and coastal resource planning for Tillamook County. She also has a BS in fisheries and a MS in environmental law studies. She has been a member of the advisory council since 2026.
• Christine Moffitt is professor emerita at University of Idaho and is an aquatic biologist with a concentration in fisheries. Her interests include fish physiological ecology, managing aquatic species in human-altered environments, ecosystem services, and sustainable aquaculture. Current research includes studies of invasive invertebrates and pathogens, steelhead physiology, fish ecology, and estuarine functions.   Christine holds a BA in biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz, a MA in biology from Smith College and a PhD in fisheries from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  Christine is an advocate for the liberal arts, especially the musical and visual arts in communication and education. She is a fellow of the American Fisheries Society, AAAS, and American Institute of Fishery Research Biologists.  She has been a member of the advisory council since 2018. 
• Charlie Plybon is the Oregon policy manager at the Surfrider Foundation and a founding member of the Newport chapter. He’s led a critical role in ocean protection through strategic engagement of our Oregon chapter network in policy initiatives, grassroots campaigns, and community-based projects. He has a BS in marine biology. He has been a member of the advisory council since 2015.