By Beach Watcher Dave Fluharty

What is this? We are experimenting with ways to engage with our alumni and to inspire current students with their accomplishments. This section is a random walk through what we’ve recently observed about or heard from alumni. Please keep Graduate Program Advisor, Tiffany L. Dion up to date with your accomplishments and changes in location or employment.

Jack Cheney (‘15) just got a new job as Procurement Officer for DNI Fisheries, a Japanese fish-importing company based in the San Fransico Bay area.

Kanae Komaki, Ph.D. (‘18) underwent training in AI and recently accepted a new job doing AI for a unit at Hokkaido University applying AI to fisheries and natural resources.

Chris Woodley (‘00) Executive Director Groundfish Forum ED, was quoted in reference to a new FISH Foundation report on fishing safety.

Members of the first class to graduate with the MMA degree (1979) held a mini post-Thanksgiving reunion brunch – Eulalie Sullivan, Eric Laschever, Doug (Dover) Humes, Stacy and Guillermo-Hall.

Kristin Hoelting (‘11) received her PhD in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources from Colorado State University with a dissertation titled,  Towards Value Pluralism, Knowledge Pluralism, and Recognitional Justice: Improving Integration of Cultural Benefits of Ecosystem Services in Environmental Decision-Making. She is now consulting for FAO and the United States Geological Survey.

Lucy Bowser (‘23) is currently serving as a Consultant at FAO Fisheries in Rome addressing implementation of the Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECD) in fisheries.

Jean Flemma (‘93), the founding Director, Ocean Defense Initiative has coalesced a network of 66 environmental organizations to sign on to a report “Turning U.S. Ocean Climate Policy Into Action”.

Laura Geselbracht (‘86), a Senior Marine Scientist for The Nature Conservancy in Florida, was featured in the TNC magazine for her work with local partners to restore historical oyster habitat using experimental reefs.

Lastly, we are saddened to share that Terry Johnson (1984), a longtime Alaska Sea Grant fisheries advisor/agent and author passed away in May 2023.  His many publications on how to run a fishing business are standard references for many and his reporting on Russian fisheries in transition to a market-based economy is classic.