Sea Grant Staff Earn National Awards

Michael P. Voiland, N.C. Sea Grant executive director, received a Sea Grant Association President’s Award at a recent conference in New Orleans. Voiland, chair of the association’s external relations committee, was honored for speaking out on the value of Sea Grant programs and for building relationships with federal agencies and Congress.

Several other Sea Grant members have earned national awards recently.

Jack Thigpen, N.C. Sea Grant extension director, was cited by the Assembly of Sea Grant Extension Program Leaders for serving as assembly chairman and leading the networks advisory council, which brings together national leaders of Sea Grant’s extension, research, communications, education, fiscal and legal networks.

Jessica Whitehead, climate extension specialist for North Carolina and South Carolina Sea Grant, and Chris Conger of Hawaii Sea Grant were honored for increasing collaboration in climate science and outreach across coastal and Great Lakes states.

North Carolina Sea Grant’s Local Catch efforts were selected to represent the South Atlantic region for superior outreach programming.
Current team members participating in the research, extension and communications projects are fisheries specialists Scott Baker in Wilmington and Sara Mirabilio in Manteo; seafood specialist Barry Nash and enterprise specialist Brian Efland, both in Morehead City; and communications director Katie Mosher and writer/editor E-Ching Lee, both in Raleigh.