SEA GRANT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Coastal Outreach Specialist
Amber Stilwell, Coastal Outreach Specialist working in the Lake Erie Region, joined Pennsylvania Sea Grant in August 2021. She is responsible for planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating regional outreach programs with a focus on healthy ecosystems and watershed restoration. Her main focus areas include aquatic invasive species and water quality in the Lake Erie and Ohio River watersheds. Amber also coordinates and co-hosts the Pennsylvania Lake Erie Environmental Forum meetings alongside the PA DEP and works with local, regional, and statewide partners to implement creative methods of invasive species outreach and education. Additionally, Amber is responsible for coordinating the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward program in Erie, Crawford, and Warren Counties. The program launched in August of 2021 and continues to grow in popularity with volunteers and partnering organizations at the center. The focus areas of the Erie, Crawford, Warren program include invasive species outreach, native tree and shrub plantings, water quality monitoring, coordination with local watershed associations, and much more.
Prior to joining Pennsylvania Sea Grant, Amber was a Research Coordinator at the Regional Science Consortium in Erie, PA where she coordinated water quality research, restoration projects, and citizen science programs. Amber earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Mercyhurst University and Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from Gannon University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director, Penn State Water Initiative
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of American
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Science Director, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Supervisor, Monitoring and Assessment, Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director of Applied Climate Science, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Retired, Strong Vincent High School
Job Titles:
- Natural History Museum Curator
Mark Lethaby joined Pennsylvania Sea Grant in 2007 and serves as the Natural History Museum Curator, at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center (TREC). In this half-time position, Mark is involved with a wide variety of conservation, research, and educational activities in association with Pennsylvania state agencies including the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Protection, the Fish and Boat Commission, as well as local universities, and conservation organizations.
Mark also works in fisheries research for the PA Fish & Boat Commission, which he has been doing since 1990. His specific area of expertise is herpetology, and he has been involved with a number of herpetological projects including the six-year Pennsylvania Herpetological Atlas Project, in which he served as regional coordinator. He received his bachelor's degree in Biology from Penn State Behrend.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Director, Penn State Behrend School of Science
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Park Operations Manager, Presque Isle State Park, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Michelle Niedermeier joined Pennsylvania Sea Grant in July 2021 as education lead. She is responsible for funding, planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating youth and adult educational programs with a focus on ocean, river, and Great Lakes literacy; civic action and stewardship; coastal resilience and resources; and watershed and environmental sustainability topics across Pennsylvania. Additionally, she builds partnerships and nurtures relationships with educators, state and local agency staff, workforce development specialists, industry, researchers, and the other experts to provide lifelong formal and informal educational opportunities for the Commonwealth's diverse coastal communities from the Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic regions.
Prior to joining Pennsylvania Sea Grant, Michelle was the Program Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program in the Department of Entomology at Penn State University where she worked with schools and childcares, community groups, agencies, and organizations to build partnerships and provide education and engagement for safer pest management practices resulting in healthier homes, families, and communities.
Michelle earned a Bachelor of Education from The University of Toledo, and a Master of Science in Fisheries & Wildlife from Michigan State University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Environmental Program Director, Inner - City Neighborhood Art House
Job Titles:
- Trustee for the Middletown Area Historical Society
Robin Pellegrini, a trustee for the Middletown Area Historical Society, watched last July as Clark and two students took measurements. She said she was excited that Penn State Harrisburg received the grant, noting that understanding prior history can help prevent future problems.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Water Resource Scientist, Delaware River Basin Commission
Sarah Whitney was named Director for Pennsylvania Sea Grant's statewide program in July 2017. Sarah joined Pennsylvania Sea Grant in 2004, leading extension projects focused on aquatic invasive species prevention and watershed planning. In 2008, she became the associate director for the Susquehanna River office, which focuses on improving water quality in the Susquehanna River Basin, Pennsylvania's largest watershed, and in 2016 she became the extension leader for Pennsylvania Sea Grant. Prior to joining Pennsylvania Sea Grant, Sarah worked for the Great Lakes Commission in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association in Concord, New Hampshire.
Sarah has more than twenty years of experience in the policy, research, and outreach aspects of natural resource management. She earned a Master of Forestry degree with a focus on protected area management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a bachelor's degree in Biology from Bates College.
Sean Rafferty, Ph.D., joined Pennsylvania Sea Grant in 2001, and currently serves as research director. Sean is responsible for directing and overseeing the Research and Fellowship Program; directing, overseeing, and conducting ecological-based research and extension projects; serving on the leadership team responsible for planning, management, and administration of the program; and managing and overseeing staff.
Sean provides expertise and leadership in several key areas, including nonpoint source pollution, land use and water quality, ecosystem health, aquatic biology, fisheries science, geographic information systems, and watershed health.
During his career, Sean has authored/co-authored seven peer-reviewed publications, delivered more than 30 professional presentations, and has helped leverage more than $4.4 million in grants. In 2012, Rafferty received the Great Lakes Network Mid-Career Individual Achievement Award in recognition of his enthusiasm, performance, and accomplishments during his career.
Sean holds a bachelor's degree from the Penn State Behrend in Biology, a master's degree from Gannon University in Environmental Health and Engineering, and a Ph.D. from Penn State University in Wildlife and Fisheries Science.
Job Titles:
- Featured Researcher
- Professor of Environmental Engineering at Penn State Harrisburg
Shirley Clark, professor of environmental engineering at Penn State Harrisburg, talks with a news reporter about work to examine the cause and impact of flooding in the Middletown community.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Advisory Committee
- Chief, Office of the Great Lakes, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
Job Titles:
- Coastal Outreach Specialist
Job Titles:
- Coastal Outreach Specialist