Eight recent SMEA graduates, Elise Adams, Jessica Clemens, Nika Hoffman, Jess Lechtenberg, Allison Morgan, Rondi Nordal, Katalin Plummer, and Jack Winterhalter have been selected as Washington Sea Grant Hershman Fellows for 2024-2025. This fellowship places highly motivated, qualified individuals with marine and coastal host offices throughout Washington, providing fellows with a unique perspective on building marine policy and allowing them to share their academic expertise with the host offices.

This year’s host offices include the Makah Tribe, NOAA Fisheries, West Coast Regional Office, Port of Seattle, Puget Sound Institute, Puget Sound Partnership, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, The Nature Conservancy, and WA Department of Natural Resources.

ELISE ADAMS

Born and raised among the foothills of the Cascades, Elise spent much of her childhood exploring and caring for Washington’s great outdoors. Enchanted by the acrobatic leaps of the Hawaiian humpback, Elise was enthralled by the ocean’s biology from an early age and aspired for a career to not only learn about Big Blue, but protect the many critters who call it home. After receiving her communication degree from the University of Washington in 2014, Elise worked in the public relations world for six years before returning to UW to earn her master’s degree from the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. While engaging in her graduate studies, Elise worked to hone her science communication and education skills as a Washington Sea Grant education coordinator, while working and traveling with her capstone team to understand the expansion and regulatory processes of Alaska’s five hardrock mines. Elise hopes to continue learning throughout her career as she explores the nexus of science communication, coastal management, and marine mammal protection. Outside of her work, Elise enjoys cooking, lap swimming, hiking around Seattle’s neighborhoods, and relaxing with her cat, Moony. As a WSG Hershman Fellow, Elise is thrilled to work in collaboration with NOAA’s West Coast Regional Office on projects surrounding the marine protected species management of West Coast species like the Southern Resident Killer Whales.

JESSICA CLEMENS

Jessica’s fascination with marine ecosystems began like many, with a childhood dream of becoming a marine biologist. This dream became more tangible during a high school visit to Hog Island Oyster Company in San Francisco, where she was captivated by the potential of bivalves to benefit the environment. This initial curiosity led her to pursue an undergraduate course of study combining biological anthropology, political science, and environmental science, reflecting her deep interest in human interactions with ecosystems. After a few years in the corporate world, Jessica realized her true passion lay in sustainability and marine ecology. This epiphany guided her to the University of Washington’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA), where she has recently completed her Master’s degree. Her thesis work integrates environmental justice principles into kelp restoration in Puget Sound, focusing on incorporating cultural and social values into restoration siting decisions. Jessica looks forward to bridging science and community engagement to support nearshore recovery and resilience, building on her comprehensive understanding of shellfish biology, ecological drivers, and community involvement.

NIKA HOFFMAN

Growing up in landlocked Boise, Idaho always made coastal areas more special for Nika. After receiving her undergraduate degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, she was on the government affairs team for a park district in Oakland, California working to connect people to parks, balance conservation and recreation, and create active transportation trails for Bay Area residents. After a brief detour during the pandemic, she wanted to return to the environmental field to focus on climate change mitigation and adaptation in coastal areas. This led Nika to the University of Washington School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. She completed her capstone focusing on public engagement during the regulatory process of hardrock mine expansions, and when not in school, worked in the Science Policy Unit at Seattle City Light. She is thrilled to have matched with the Makah Tribe as a WSG Hershman Fellow, where she will work on environmental policy, water quality, and climate resilience in their Office of Marine Affairs.

JESS LECHTENBERG

Jess grew up in landlocked Iowa and fell in love with marine life through the help of her local library. She has fond memories of fishing for trout with her grandpa and catching crawfish in her local creek. She studied sociology and public health during undergrad and moved to Seattle to be closer to the water. After moving to Seattle and spending some time working in qualitative research, she attended the University of Washington’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and received her master’s degree. At UW, she worked part time as a teaching assistant for the Program on the Environment and enjoyed opportunities leading undergrad student workshops on the use of improv comedy as a tool for science communication. She also spent twelve months as a NOAA Pathways Intern on the West Coast Region’s Aquaculture Team where she wrote quarterly newsletters and helped finalize a guide to the shellfish permitting process in Washington. Jess is thrilled to join The Nature Conservancy as a Hershman Fellow working on building capacity and climate resilience in fishing and aquaculture communities.

ALLISON MORGAN

Allison is originally from California, but after high school, she traveled and wound up living in Washington, where she has been for approximately seven years. She is a dedicated mother of two girls and the wife of a commercial fisherman. Allison holds an undergraduate degree with a double major in Society, Ethics, and Human Behavior & Environmental Studies. During her undergraduate studies, she contributed to a published research paper focusing on antiracism. She furthered her education with a Master’s degree in Marine and Environmental Affairs, where her thesis centered on managing the impacts of passenger-only ferries on Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW). Allison is passionate about addressing environmental injustices, community engagement work, climate resilience, and fostering reciprocal relationships with the environment. As a WSG Hershman Fellow, Allison is very excited to continue her passion for research on marine and environmental issues with the Puget Sound Institute.

RONDI NORDAL

Rondi is a lifelong Puget Sound resident who grew up on beaches, boats, and streams where she developed a strong sense of place and love of the outdoors. This passion is what drives her career and volunteer work in the environmental field. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Western Washington University in 2020 and a Master’s of Marine Affairs from the University of Washington in 2024. In her master’s thesis, Rondi documented Dungeness crab area closures in Southeast Alaska to understand the social and ecological dynamics surrounding the fishery. Through this process, she developed qualitative analysis and social science skills that complement her natural science background as well as gained a deeper appreciation for the value of community engagement in policy and resource management. Between academic pursuits, she served two terms as an AmeriCorps with RE Sources, an environmental nonprofit, supporting nearshore and marine conservation. Outside of work, she can be found volunteering  with local conservation projects, tidepooling at local beaches, and crafting. Rondi looks forward to spending a year as a Hershman Fellow with Puget Sound Partnership working on supporting the social and ecological well-being of Puget Sound.

KATALIN PLUMMER

A recent Washington transplant, Katalin hails from the desert steppes of eastern Oregon. After earning dual bachelor’s degrees in marine biology and Spanish from the University of Oregon, Katalin moved to beautiful Chile, where she worked as a field marine biologist studying intertidal invertebrates and a marine science instructor to young Chilean students. Her desire to dive into where science meets policy brought her back to eastern Oregon, where she served as the head of communications at a small public lands conservation nonprofit, Friends of the Owyhee. Katalin has just graduated with her master’s of marine affairs from the University of Washington’s School of Environmental and Marine Affairs, where her capstone research with Dr. Anne Beaudreau focused on the regulatory processes surrounding Alaska hardrock mine expansions. Katalin is interested in conserving marine biodiversity and promoting coastal resilience in the context of climate change mitigation and adaptation. She is grateful to serve as the Hershman Fellow for the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

JACK WINTERHALTER

Jack grew up on the East Coast and always had an interest in the sciences and in sustainability. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Virginia, he moved out west for an AmeriCorps position in a remote corner of Nevada to work on watershed restoration projects. After a few years working in environmental restoration and outdoor recreation, he came to Washington to pursue his masters in Marine Affairs at the University of Washington. After falling in love with the mountains and waters of the Pacific Northwest, Jack is eager to continue working in this region as a Hershman Fellow. As a fellow in the Maritime Environmental and Sustainability Department at the Port of Seattle, he is excited to contribute to an array of decarbonization, sustainability, and habitat restoration projects at the Port.

Congratulations to all!