2020 NMEA Elections - Candidates
PRESIDENT-ELECT CANDIDATE
David Christopher, Delaware
David Christopher is currently the Marine Education Specialist at Delaware Sea Grant where he conducts teacher and student programs as well as works with researchers to communicate science to schools and the public. David recently moved to Sea Grant from the National Aquarium, Baltimore where he was Formal Education Manager in charge of school and teacher programs.
David grew up crabbing and boating on the Chesapeake Bay and has always had a deep connection to water ever since. David holds a degree in Biology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland where he focused on wetland ecology. In 2004, David received a Master’s in Education from Goucher College.
David has been a long time active member in both NMEA and MAMEA. He has served as the Secretary and President of the Mid-Atlantic Marine Education Association. He has also served as the MAMEA representative to the NMEA Board. David is currently the MAMEA Secretary Chair. David has previously served as a Director on NMEA board and is currently the NMEA Bylaws Chair. David was the recipient of the 2017 NMEA President’s Award.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS CANDIDATES
Bailey Dawson, Georgia
Bailey H. Dawson, Jr. serves as the Manager of Education Programs at Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia. Bailey brings with him over 10 years of educational experience in formal and informal institutions. Prior to becoming the Education Manager, Bailey also served as the Curriculum Specialist for Education Programs at Georgia Aquarium.
Bailey joined the Aquarium Team in 2019 after serving 10 years with the Georgia Public School System. He spent his entire 10-year career in the school system teaching and supporting students in Title 1 schools. Bailey served the school system in many capacities including teacher, mentor, coach, as well as in leadership. Bailey had educational experiences that span the entire K-12 platform and include all subject areas. Bailey currently serves as the Chairman of the School Governance Team at Dobbs Elementary in Atlanta, Georgia.
Bailey has been integral in transforming Georgia Aquarium’s Educational Curriculum. He has worked tirelessly to align Georgia Aquarium’s Education Programs with National and State Standards. During his time at Georgia Aquarium, Bailey has been able to revitalize the department Educational Outreach Program which in include Georgia Aquarium’s new Education Outreach Traveling Bus. Bailey has maintained a focus on providing the opportunity to explore STEM and STEAM based careers to youth in underrepresented communities, such as minority females, through the use of STEAM-related camps at Georgia Aquarium.
Laura Diederick, Washington DC
Laura has always been a collaborator and an organizer with a life-long passion for sharing her fascination of the natural world with others. As the lead for national partnerships, events, and external affairs for NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Communications, she works with a varied group of stakeholders to support the stewardship of our ocean resources and their habit. Prior to moving to DC in 2017, Laura spent 12 years at the Smithsonian Marine Station on the east coast of Florida where she led communications efforts, built strategic community partnerships, and collaborated with researchers on outreach and engagement. She was an active member of the Florida Marine Science Educators Association for 12 years, serving the organization for 10 years in various board roles.
A member of NMEA since 2006, Laura first joined organizational leadership in 2012 as the chair of the newly formed Social Media Committee. She went on to lead the Communications Super Committee, co-chair of the 2016 annual conference in Orlando, and has most recently served as a member of the Executive Committee for the past several years.
Alyssa Irizarry, Massachusetts
Alyssa Irizarry is the Senior Vice President of Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs, a nonprofit that engages teens in ocean conservation and advocacy through the arts. Alyssa holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Art History from Tufts University. Prior to Bow Seat, Alyssa was an educator at The Science Barge, The Florida Aquarium, and The Island School, and managed marketing and communications for The School for Field Studies. Alyssa's award-winning research on using murals as a tool to educate and engage communities in ocean conservation efforts is published in Ocean and Coastal Management and featured at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Alyssa has spoken about using art as a tool for environmental conservation at numerous symposia, conferences, and events, and has organized educational youth programming for ocean-focused public art initiatives worldwide. In 2018, Alyssa was presented with Project Green Schools’ Outstanding Green Education/Program Director, Honorable Mention, and was selected as a finalist for the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network’s Nonprofit Excellence Awards in the Young Professional category. An artist, gardener, and climate activist, Alyssa is passionate about helping students of all ages discover and creatively explore their relationship with the natural world.
Sandra Huynh, MIssissippi
Sandra Huynh is the Director’s Assistant at the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Mississippi. She performs organizational, planning and time management skills that helps keep daily operations at the Reserve functioning. She also assists with the Reserve’s field and sampling work, outreach events, and education programming. She leads Grand Bay NERR's social science efforts and education program evaluations. Sandra holds a Master of Science degree in Marine Resource Management with a Marine Education and Engagement focus from Oregon State University and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with minors in Geology and Related Sciences from the University of South Alabama. Prior to working at Grand Bay NERR, she was an Aquarium Educator and Programs Evaluator at the Oregon Coast Aquarium (Newport, OR), a technician at the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (Ocean Springs, MS), and Museum Explainer at the History Museum of Mobile (Mobile, AL). Her science interests include plankton studies and geologic history of biological sites, as well as education research and visitor studies. She attributes her passion for marine science from the amazing formal and informal marine educators she's encountered in her life. Her favorite pastimes include visual arts in various media, including nature and wedding photography, and visiting all the museums and science institutions while traveling. You've probably seen her with a camera at past NMEA conferences. Sandra has been a member of NMEA since 2016 and has been a member of NMEA’s Education Research and Evaluation Committee since 2017. Sandra is currently the President-Elect of the Southern Association of Marine Educators (SAME).
Jaime Thom, South Carolina
Jaime Thom was raised in a small town of southern Indiana over 650 miles from the ocean. Her love of everything marine grew from spending a week on the beach every summer with her family. That love turned into a career after graduating from the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC with a BS in Marine Biology. She furthered her education with her master’s work in secondary science education. She is the School Programs Manager at the South Carolina Aquarium and is in charge of school programs, outreach, sleepovers, curriculum, teacher workshops and anything related to schools. She is the NMEA Chapter Representative for SCMEA (South Carolina Marine Educators Association) and the SCMEA Chapter Representative for NMEA. She also holds a position of Conference Committee Chair on the NMEA Board of Directors. She was one of the three co-chairs for the NMEA National Conference in Charleston, SC in 2017. She recently won the 2019 South Carolina Marine Educator of the Year and was selected as the December 2019 ABC News 4 STEM Educator of the Month. Her passion for spreading ocean conservation awareness through education drives her to network with other marine enthusiasts and provide engaging programs to all ocean lovers. If elected as a NMEA Director, she would continue to lead the Conference Committee and represent South Carolina while also providing valuable insight and passion to better the NMEA organization.
Lynn Tran, California
Lynn Uyen Tran is Research Director in the Learning and Teaching Group at University of California, Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science. Her work focuses on supporting the teaching practice of STEM educators informal learning environments and universities. She investigates the knowledge underlying their practice, and the sense of identity and professionalism they develop around teaching. Dr. Tran designs professional learning programs, online communities, undergraduate courses, and educational resources to deepen educators’ knowledge of the science of learning and reflective practice. Her work aims to develop shared language and build learning communities. Currently, she directs Reflecting on Practice, a professional learning program for informal science educators and co-directs the Transforming STEM Teaching Faculty Learning Program for STEM faculty in colleges and universities. She also teaches two undergraduate courses at UC Berkeley about learning and how to effectively communicate their science knowledge with the public in informal environments.She has a Ph.D. in science education from North Carolina State University, and has done her post-doctoral work with the Center for Informal Learning and Schools at King’s College London.
The general membership of the organization is encouraged to submit other nominees for elected positions on the Board. Deadline for submissions is April 17th and each submission from the membership must include signatures of at least five (5) members of the organization in addition to the signature of the nominee. Submissions should be sent to Meghan Marrero at mmarrero3@mercy.edu. The election will open on Monday April 20, 2020.