Board of Directors 

2024-2025 Board of Directors at NMEA 2025 in Lafayette, Louisiana

Officers

President: Tami Lunsford (2025-2026)
Newark, DE

President-elect: Sean Russell (2025-2026)
Inverness, FL

Past President: Tara Hicks-Johnson (2025-2026)
Durham, NH

 

Treasurer: Don Pinkerton (2024-2027)
Swampscott, MA

Secretary: Sonia Ahrabi-Nejad, (2025-2028)
Northboro, MA

 

Directors

Trey Broadhurst (2025-2028)
Conroe, TX

Frances Lang (2025 - 2028)
San Diego, CA

Rae Quadara, (2025 - 2028)
Ocean Springs, MS

Yolanda Sanchez (2025-2028)
Sevilla, Spain

 
Bailey Dawson (2021-2024) Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA

Bailey Dawson (2024-2027)
Atlanta, GA

Kathy Fuller (2021-2024) William S. Schmidt Outdoor Education Ctr, Brandywine, MD

Kathy Fuller (2024-2027)
Brandywine, MD

Maria Madrigal (2024 - 2027)
Los Angeles, CA

Cassie Stymiest (2024-2027)
Northwood, NH

 

Maggie Allen (2023-2026)
Silver Spring, MD

Sandra Bilbo (2023-2026)
Moss Point, MS

Valerie Cournoyer (2023-2026)
Seymour, CT

Joanna Philippoff (2023-2026)
Honolulu, HI

 
 

Committee Chairs

Operations Pod

Bylaws: David Christopher, Chair
Chapters: Sean Russell, Chair; Maile Sullivan, Vice Chair
Executive: Tami Lunsford, Chair
Finance: Don Pinkerton, Chair
Grants and Development: Charlene Mauro, Chair
History: Sarah Richards, Chair
Equity and Belonging: Rae Quadara & Symone Barkley, Co-Chairs
Strategic Partnerships: Tara Hicks Johnson, Chair; Rochelle Strauss, Vice Chair - Endorsements; Larrisa Zip, Vice Chair - Ocean Technology

Communications Pod

Outreach: Cassie Stymiest, Chair
Current: Meg Marrero, Chair
Social Media: Vacant
Technology: Sandra Bilbo, Chair

Stakeholders Pod

International: Géraldine Fauville & Susan Haynes, Co-Chairs
Membership: David Christopher
Student Engagement: Kacey Gaylord-Opalewski & Kathy Fuller, Co-Chairs

Issues and Trends Pod

Conservation: Frances Lang, Chair
Education Research and Evaluation: Jennifer Cook, Chair
Ocean Literacy: Diana Payne, Chair; Sarah Schoedinger & Catherine Halversen, Vice Chairs
Traditional Knowledge: Linda Chilton & George Matsumoto, Co-Chairs
USA Blue Schools: Meg Marrero, Chair

Events Pod

Awards: David Wehunt, Chair; Nikita S. Lacour-Dukes, Vice-Chair
Conference: Robert Rocha, Chair
Scholarship: Courtney Gerstenmaier Felton, Chair

Ad Hoc

Past Presidents: Mike Spranger, Chair
Strategic Planning: Emily Yam, Chair


National Office

National Office Executive AdministratorJackie Lewis

Contracted Staff

Social Media Community ManagerJennifer Magnusson
Current Editor: Zach Greenberg

Chapter Representatives

Florida Marine Science Educators Association (FMSEA):
Heather Seaman, West Palm Beach, FL

Georgia Association of Marine Education (GAME): 
Beth Palmer, Tybee Island, GA

Great Lakes Educators of Aquatic and Marine Science (GLEAMS):
Mandi Young, Traverse City, MI

Gulf of Maine Marine Education Association (GOMMEA): 
Jennifer Kennedy, Portsmouth, NH

Mid-Atlantic Marine Educators Association (MAMEA): 
Dawn Sherwood, Highland Springs, VA

Massachusetts Marine Educators (MME): 
Emily Duwan, Boston, MA

Northwest Aquatic and Marine Educators (NAME): 
Maile Sullivan, Seattle, WA

New Jersey Marine Educators Association (NJMEA): 
Diana Burich, Fort Hancock, NJ

New York State Marine Educators Association (NYSMEA):
Leann Winn, New York, NY

Oceania (Hawai'i and Pacific Islands):
Madeleine Sherman, Coral Resilience Lab, Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology, Kāne‘ohe, HI

Southern Association of Marine Educators (SAME): 
Alma Robichaux, Thibodaux, LA
Angie Dixon, Dauphin Island, AL

South Carolina Marine Educators Association (SCMEA):
Jaime Thom, Charleston, SC

Southeastern New England Marine Educators (SENEME): 
Amy Ferland, Groton, CT

Southwest Marine Educators Association (SWMEA):
Jennifer Runyan, Long Beach, CA

Tennessee Educators of Aquatic and Marine Science (TEAMS): 
David Wehunt, Soddy Daisy, TN

Texas Marine Educators Association (TMEA):
Vacant


For a full listing with contact information, please contact nmea@marine-ed.org.