August 22, 2024

Congratulations to our new WSG Hershman Fellows!

We are pleased to announce that recent graduates Elise Adams, Jessica Clemens, Nika Hoffman, Heeju Jung, Jess Lechtenberg, Allison Morgan, Courtney Murphy, Rondi Nordal, Katalin Plummer and Jack Winterhalter have been awarded the Washington Sea Grant Hershman Fellowship 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 are NOAA Fisheries West Coast Regional Office, The Nature Conservancy, Puget Sound Partnership, the Makah Tribe, Puget Sound Institute, the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, the Washington Department of Natural Resources, and the Port of Seattle. The fellows will begin working in host offices in September.  

This year’s fellows are:

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.

HEEJU JUNG

Born and raised in Seoul, a metropolis in South Korea, Heeju discovered her passion for researching the dynamics of diverse interest groups and political participation in both urban and international settings. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and German Culture in South Korea, her interests solidified around community engagement and the policymaking process. To further her understanding of public policy, Heeju decided to pursue a Master of Public Administration at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the University of Washington, moving to Seattle in 2022. In Seattle, Heeju developed an appreciation for Washington’s natural beauty and became interested in environmental justice. For her capstone project, she collaborated with the Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazard Research Hub (CoPes) to research how to better incorporate Tribal priorities and worldviews into Hazard Mitigation Plans. In her free time, Heeju enjoys reading novels, swimming, and knitting. As a WSG Hershman Fellow, she is excited to work with the Puget Sound Partnership to enhance the accessibility of transportation and recovery funds for Tribes and local communities.

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.

COURTNEY MURPHY

Courtney grew up in Olympia, Washington, where she spent most of her free time exploring Western Washington’s forests, mountains, and coastlines on foot and on horseback. After graduating high school, she headed to the dry pine forests of Eastern Washington where she received a dual degree in English literature and creative writing with a minor in environmental studies from Whitworth University. Although she initially considered pursuing a doctoral degree in literature, a summer spent working on a USFS wilderness trail crew caused her to look toward career in the environmental field instead. She served an AmeriCorps term with the Nisqually Land Trust, where she worked to engage volunteers in salmon recovery and riparian restoration projects. She then spent three years as a stewardship technician for the land trust, planting trees, removing invasive species, and managing 8,000+ acres of riparian and upland forest habitat in the Nisqually Watershed. Courtney then attended The Evergreen State College, where she earned a master’s degree in environmental studies and worked as the butterfly program coordinator at Sustainability in Prisons Project, an organization which seeks to empower sustainable change by bringing nature, science, and environmental education into prisons. Her thesis focused on golden paintbrush, a native prairie forb which serves as a host plant for the endangered Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies she worked with. Courtney is excited to bring her experience with salmon recovery and environmental justice to WSG’s Hershman fellowship, where she will be working with the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission on climate resilience planning for tribal fish hatcheries.

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, fellows! We can’t wait to see what you accomplish.

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Washington Sea Grant, based at the University of Washington, helps people and marine life thrive through research, technical expertise and education supporting the responsible use and conservation of coastal ecosystems. Washington Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, education, outreach and technology transfer.

www.wsg.uw.edu

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