Natural Resource Policy Fellowship

Amanda Gannon (2024)

Assignment: Amanda will be taking on the role of Adaptive Management Fellow and working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Marine Reserves Program to help prepare an adaptive management plan that meets the requirements outlined by Oregon’s legislature in HB 4132. Her work will focus on establishing clear decision-making criteria to respond to dynamic coastal conditions and developing networks of community outreach and engagement.

Education: Amanda received her B.S. in Marine Biology from UC San Diego/ Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2018. She completed her Master of Environmental Management degree at Portland State University in 2024. Working with her advisor Dr. Elise Granek, Amanda’s thesis project focused on Oregonians’ perceptions of microplastics and the potential implications these attitudes may have for downstream policy implementation.

Professional and Research Interests: Amanda’s past work with the Benthic Invertebrate Collection at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has focused on deep sea invertebrates. Her interest in marine policy, conservation, and pollution reduction–especially relating to emerging contaminants such as microplastics– stemmed from this work on delicate marine ecosystems. She hopes that her future professional work will serve to further bridge the gap between science and coastal policy.

Monica Zapata Villegas (2024)

Assignment: As the Rural Water Quality Infrastructure Analyst Fellow with the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, I will focus on expanding a septic system inventory database, prioritizing areas at risk of failure, and connecting water quality data to infrastructure improvements. I anticipate contributing to policy recommendations for Oregon’s State Revolving Fund program, helping to secure funding for septic replacements in underserved communities.

Education: I hold a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and am currently pursuing a Master's degree in Environmental Science and Management, with a focus on environmental resources and snow hydrology. My studies have covered key topics such as water quality, environmental policy, and GIS, alongside practical research in black carbon deposition on snow. Additionally, I have developed strong skills in data analysis, coding, and lab work through my roles as a research and teaching assistant.

Professional and Research Interests: My professional and research interests lie in the intersection of water resources, environmental sustainability, and hydrology. I am particularly passionate about understanding the impacts of wildfire on snowpack dynamics and black carbon deposition, as well as improving water quality in rural communities. I am driven by opportunities to apply data analysis, GIS, and environmental policy to real-world challenges, with the goal of contributing to sustainable water management and ecosystem restoration.

Sarah Wolf Godinet (2024)

Assignment:  At the Surfrider Foundation, Sarah will focus on evaluating and addressing marine debris issues in Yaquina Bay associated with oyster aquaculture. Her role involves assessing the scale of debris from oyster farms, driving initiatives to mitigate plastic pollution, and partnering with NGOs, resource managers, industry professionals, and academic collaborators to develop and implement effective, innovative solutions.

Education: Sarah completed her Ph.D. in Microbiology at Oregon State University in 2023, where her dissertation research focused on microbial response to hypoxia on the Oregon Coast. She has holds a B.S. in Microbiology with a minor in Political Science from California State University Los Angeles.

Professional and Research Interests: Sarah’s research has consistently investigated how environmental conditions impact microbial dynamics, from spacecraft cleanroom facilities to coastal ocean deoxygenation. While maintaining a deep fascination with how microscopic processes significantly impact ecosystems, she is excited to expand her focus to address broader environmental challenges. The fellowship offers a valuable opportunity to advance her career in marine science, policy, and conservation, with a strong emphasis on developing and implementing effective solutions to enhance ocean health.

Kristen McAlpine (2024)

Assignment: Working with the Ocean Shores team at Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Kristen will help improve the decision-making efficiency regarding ocean shore permitting by providing up-to-date information on permitted activities, permit compliance, and information necessary for understanding cumulative impacts to the ocean shore. She will also evaluate the extent of unpermitted activities on a sampling of the ocean shore and create resources that contain updated statistics and decision support tools for use in future planning efforts.

Education: Kristen completed her M.S. in Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University in 2023. Her thesis research investigated the perceptions of Oregonians regarding the state’s marine reserves. She has a B.S. in Food Science and Technology from Oregon State University.

Professional and Research Interests: Kristen is interested in the human dimensions of natural resource management and the relationships between policy and communities. She is particularly interested in engaging Oregon communities in protecting their local environment. She hopes the fellowship will broaden her perspective of how citizens interface with environmental policy at a regional level, as well as how state agencies and partner activities advocate for the protection of natural areas.

Alyssa Purslow (2024)

Assignment: Alyssa will be working with the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP), a non-profit organization located in Garibaldi, Oregon. Alyssa will be contributing to the restoration project impact summaries, writing an executive summary for all impact projects, and producing content for TEP’s 30th Anniversary outreach.

Education: In 2019, Alyssa completed her undergraduate studies, earning a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a minor in Oceanography from Oregon State University. Currently enrolled at OSU again, she is actively working towards obtaining a Professional Science Master’s degree in Environmental Science with a focus on Water Resources. She expects to graduate in June 2024.

Professional and Research Interests: Alyssa’s research interests include ocean plastic pollution, marine mammal conservation, coastal management, and marine policy. She is especially interested in bridging gaps between science and sustainable business practices within an environmental policy framework. Professionally, she aspires to become a marine policy specialist, ensuring the protection and conservation of the world's oceans and resources.

Sam Cheplick (2023)

Assignment: Sam will work with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Marine Reserve Programs. His role will involve analyzing spatial fisheries economics models on existing and proposed marine reserves across the Oregon coast. The primary objectives include delivering various products ranging from publication(s), outreach and extension materials and technical memorandums for stakeholders in state and public agencies.

Education: Sam completed his master’s degree in environmental science from Clemson University, where his thesis focused on the underlying factors limiting the aquaculture production of fish and shellfish products in South Carolina. His work was funded through a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant investigating novel research in grow-out methods and market evaluation for coastal U.S. shellfish mariculture production. His master's culminated in two publications and a statewide report on the economic impact of shellfish mariculture in coastal South Carolina.

Professional and Research Interests: In 2022, Sam worked with Washington Sea Grant as the socioeconomic environmental outreach coordinator, where his work supported shellfish growers and harvesters in mitigating the socioeconomic impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs) through the SoundToxins program, a phytoplankton monitoring network. Sam has also spent time as a research associate at the University of California, Davis, where he studied larval ecology and physiological stressors of abalone in northern and southern California.

Madeleine Foley (2023)

Assignment:  Madeleine is working with Oregon Sea Grant as a Seafood education Fellow. Her role includes promoting Oregon seafood and furthering local engagement with their local fishermen and seafood retailers to empower the local consumer to feel competent and assured in being able to make educated choices in purchasing their seafood. Madeleine will also be working towards expanding the shop at the dock program – a guided dockside tour of local fishing vessels – to new ports, to further engage and educate the community on their local and fresh seafood options.

Education: Madeleine started her marine education in the Fisheries and Wildlife program at Oregon State University, where she concentrated on marine life and conservation. Madeleine then obtained her master’s degree from Stony Brook University in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in New York. Her degree is in Biological Oceanography, and her thesis focused on the impact of habitat type on herring gull and great black-back gull foraging movements.

Professional and Research Interests: Madeleine developed an interest in pursuing a career in the marine environment during her undergraduate degree, where an internship at International Bird Rescue in Fairfield California allowed up close and personal interactions with seabirds, shorebirds, and waterfowl. From there, she assisted in seabird surveys aimed towards developing an idea of the impact offshore wind farms may have on East Coast species. Madeleine is interested in understanding how marine policy and science interact and impact marine habitats and communities.  

Kayla Stevenson (2023)

Assignment: As a 2023 Natural Resource Policy Fellow, Kayla will serve as a Tribal Climate Adaptation Specialist with the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI). This work will focus on drafting a Climate Change Vulnerability Analysis in collaboration with Tribal staff and stakeholders, centering the merging of western science and indigenous knowledge for the benefit of Tribal members and future generations.

Education: Kayla received her B.A. in Politics and Government and Environmental Policy and Decision Making at the University of Puget Sound. She completed her Master's in Marine Affairs and Master's of Arts in International Studies at the University of Washington.

Professional and Research Interests: Kayla's research includes a human-centered approach to climate change, specifically the way Indigenous knowledge systems play a role in climate change assessment and autonomous adaptation to changes. She hopes that through her role at CTCLUSI she will work to ensure the needs and desires of the tribe are represented in policy documents, and she hopes to work with tribal governments in the future to develop climate adaptation strategies.

Kendall Smith (2023)

Assignment: As a 2023 Natural Resource Policy Fellow, Kendall will be working with the Oregon Department of Fisheries and Wildlife (ODFW) Marine Reserves Program as their Science Communications Fellow. Kendall will be working to increase connections with communities and stakeholders affected by policy changes and to disseminate research findings from the recently completed synthesis report.

Education: Kendall has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology from the University of Oregon, and a master’s degree in Biology from the University of Oregon. Prior to her work with Oregon’s Marine Reserves, Kendall investigated the biological and ecological factors influencing the red abalone population in Oregon, performing genetic analysis, larval behavior synthesis and a management techniques evaluation to complete a conservation and fishery management plan for the historically important recreational fishery.

Elissa Connolly-Randazzo (2022)

Assignment: Elissa will be working with the Oregon Coastal Management Program (OCMP) of the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) for her assignment as a 2022-2023 Natural Resource Policy Fellow. Elissa’s primary responsibilities will focus on coastal communications in relation to the ecology, culture, and history of Oregon’s beaches and dunes. Throughout this fellowship, Elissa aims to develop various tools and products to engage diverse communities in learning about the changes occurring along the state’s unique coastline.

Education: Elissa graduated from Rider University with a B.S. in Marine Science and achieved an M.S. in Environmental Science and Management from Portland State University. Her graduate work consisted of two parts focusing on invasive green crabs. Elissa assessed the biotic resistance of green crabs to native crab species across a temperature gradient in addition to investigating their habitat preference in the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (SSNERR) using long-term data.

Professional and Research Interests: Elissa has a deep interest in coastal environments and ecology. Particularly, she is intrigued by interactions between coastal resources and people as well as assessing their influence on each other. With this experience, Elissa aims to be great contributor to coastal science and help translate the processes and patterns to not only aid in community education but also in policy and management decisions. Connect with Elissa on LinkedIn.

Sarah Hardisty (2022)

Assignment: As a 2022 Natural Resource Policy Fellow, Sarah will be working with The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians (CTCLUSI) as a Tribal Resource Support Specialist. This work will focus on updating the 2018 Tribal Estuary Response Plan to meet the regulations and agreements of the CTCLUSI, federal and state agencies. In addition to the policies of legal authorities associated with estuaries and tribal waters, the TERP covers a spill response plan, uses and activities related to cultural heritage, and risk assessment of industrial development.

Education: Sarah received a B.A. in Biology (with an emphasis in Marine Biology) at Occidental College. She is currently completing her M.S. degree in Integrative Biology at Oregon State University. Her project involved species distribution modeling, morphology, and microbial ecology of an estuarine burrowing shrimp that was discovered offshore. 

Professional and Research Interests: In her research, Sarah is interested in shifts in species distributions and ecological communities with the changing climate. Estuaries play a key role in the economic and ecological well-being of coastal communities, and Sarah is passionate about equitable estuarine and coastal management decisions. She hopes to apply her research experience and support the work of the CTCLUSI and learn about tribal resource management. 

Alexandria Avila (2022)

Assignment: Alexandra (Alex), will be working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Marine Resources Program (MRP) as an offshore wind energy, fisheries, and natural resources impact analyst. Alex will primarily support staff in developing Department positions and comments on offshore wind (OSW) planning, with a focus on expressing Department concerns and recommendations about the potential impacts of OSW on Oregon’s ocean fisheries.  Alex will be assisting with the articulation of fisheries concerns and potential conflicts with OSW development and researching/drafting comments and recommendations relating to potential impacts of development on fish and wildlife species and habitats.

Education: Alexandra M. Avila recently defended her Ph.D. in Fisheries at Oregon State University’s Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences. Her dissertation research examined the effects of nearshore currents and downwelling patterns, on the dispersal of China Rockfish (Sebastes nebulosus) along the coast of Oregon and Washington Coast. Alex Avila graduated with a B.A. in Biology from Hood College in Maryland, with two minors: Coastal Studies and Environmental Science and Policy.  She obtained her M.Sc. in Ecology at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) in Ecuador.

Professional and Research Interests: Alex has always loved anything and everything having to do with water, whether it’s the ocean, rivers or lakes. This has led her to work in many coastal areas in the United States and in Ecuador. She has studied the genetic diversity and conservation of the misty grouper (Hyporthodus mytacinus) in the Galapagos Islands, conducted environmental impact research in the Amazon, researched the oyster (Crassostera virginica) and blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) populations in the Chesapeake Bay with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), and helped in assessing the salmon habitat in Oregon with the U.S. Forest Service. Alex’s background combines quantitative research skills, and softer skills such as conflict resolution, communication in international affairs, and global/local marine policy and has a great enthusiasm for science communication especially related to ocean issues. Alex is really excited to be here for it has been a dream of hers to work in an environment that uses all of her skills, experience, and interests in combining science and policy, and passion for outreach and science communication.

Kyle Byers

Assignment: Kyle will be working with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development’s Oregon Coastal Management Program to seek consultation with representatives of Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribal nations to create procedures and policies to facilitate meaningful and transparent coordination and consultation with Tribal Nations during federal consistency reviews.

Education: Kyle graduated with a B.S. in Zoology from Texas A&M University at College Station and recently earned her M.S. in Conflict and Dispute Resolution from the University of Oregon. Her graduate research focused on the use of collaborative governance processes to manage environmental resource conflicts, with a focus on the marine sector.

Professional and Research Interests: Kyle’s interests in natural resource policy primarily stem from the 13 years she served as a commissioned officer in the NOAA Corps, supporting the collection of scientific and stock assessment data to inform marine resource management. Her graduate studies have shifted her interests into how to best integrate the human dimensions of resource conflict into management strategies through the design of effective collaborative processes and public participation opportunities. Through this fellowship, Kyle looks forward to gaining hands-on experience in policy analysis, policy implementation, and community engagement.

Joanna Lyle (2021)

Assignment: Joanna will be working with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to explore the opportunities and obstacles for pursuing blue carbon projects in the Pacific Northwest. Blue carbon utilizes processes within coastal and marine ecosystems to capture carbon from the atmosphere. So far, carbon projects in Oregon have been focused on terrestrial systems, and TNC aims to include blue carbon in regional climate solution policies.

Education: Joanna graduated from University of Oregon with a B.S. in Biology in 2019 and earned a M.S. from the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology in 2020. Her graduate work involved oceanographic research cruises, underwater imaging, and environmental sensing to study vertical distributions and migrations of pyrosomes off Oregon and northern California.

Professional and Research Interests: Joanna is interested in the complex interactions between marine life and their environment. She has particular interest in the pelagic ecosystems and understanding shifts in community structure and distributions due to climate change. Joanna is excited to leverage her experience in research to contribute to the development of climate solutions.

Kendall Smith (2021)

Assignment: Kendall will be working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) for her assignment as a 2021-2022 Natural Resource Policy Fellow. The primary objective of this position will be to work with members of the Marine Resource Program within ODFW to develop and write a Conservation and Fishery Management Plan for red abalone in Oregon. As changes in the marine environment continue to be difficult to predict, the importance of having a plan in place to protect, manage and conserve this imperiled species is high.  

Education: Kendall graduated with a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Oregon and is currently in her second year of her M.S. in Marine Biology at the University of Oregon. Her master’s research project is a collaboration between ODFW and the UO to determine biological background information of red abalone populations in Oregon to inform management decisions.  

Professional and Research Interests: Kendall has a particular passion for utilizing biological and ecological population level information for application in industry and management. She believes that effective and sustainable management includes community involvement and dynamic solutions. Kendall is passionate about invertebrates and has focused on the ecological and biological issues facing the subtidal environment in Oregon for her master’s project. She hopes to continue to find unique and effective ways to study and manage Oregon’s marine resources in her future career.

Hailey Bond (2020)

Assignment: In her time as a 2020-2021 Natural Resource Policy Fellow, Hailey will be working with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development’s Oregon Coastal Management Program to create an erosion control guidebook for the Oregon coast. The guidebook will provide stakeholders with an organized resource on typical erosion control treatments for the Oregon coast and will cover the treatments’ permitting and regulation, the best available science on their performance and impacts, and their resilience to sea level rise impacts, along with other topics as needed.

Education: Hailey graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a M.S. in Coastal Engineering from Oregon State University. Her graduate research focused on the physics of scarp formation in beach dunes and involved a large-scale dune experiment in the OH Hinsdale Wave Research Lab.

Professional & Research Interests: Although her degrees are in engineering, Hailey believes that using engineering solutions alone to respond sea level rise, erosion, and natural coastal change will not solve long-term coastal challenges. Her professional interest is in using a combination of engineering, research, and policy to address coastal issues in a more sustainable manner. Through this fellowship, she hopes to learn more about the field of coastal policy while contributing a technical perspective to the conversation around erosion control treatments on the Oregon coast.