Meet the Steering Committee!

The SWMS Steering Committee (colloquially known as “Big SWMS”) coordinates professional development events and activities for SWMS members at the international level. The Steering Committee is made up of volunteer early-career scientists from across the US.

Interested in joining the Steering Committee? We hold elections for open positions every spring! Check out our Elections page to learn more!

  • Associate Professor, University of New England

    President

    Tricia is a biological oceanographer interested in understanding the effects of climate change on plankton populations. She received a PhD in Marine Science from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, and a BA in Earth and Oceanographic Science from Bowdoin College. Her research has enabled her to participate on five research cruises to the Western Antarctic Peninsula to identify the effects of long-term warming and sea ice loss on plankton communities as part of the Palmer Antarctica Long-Term Ecological Research program. During her PhD, she co-founded the SWMS chapter at VIMS and was the co-leader for two years. She is now an Assistant Professor at the University of New England in Maine (https://www.une.edu/people/patricia-thibodeau). In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her pug, Otto, cross-stitching, and going for walks with her partner, Josh. She has enjoyed being the President of SWMS for the past two years and getting to know everyone in this great organization! You can also find her on twitter @PattyPlankton.

  • University of Maryland Eastern Shore

    Chapter Co-Liaison

    Kayle is a Coastal Climate Specialist with the University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension Program and resides on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She received a PhD in Marine, estuarine and environmental science at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore where she focused on marine benthic macroinvertebrates community structure in the Maryland coastal bays. She received her M.S. in Natural Resources with a focus on fisheries conservation and management and her B.S. in Environmental Science with a focus in ecology, both from the University of Arizona. Before moving to Maryland for her PhD program, she was an Education and Outreach Specialist at the Biosphere 2, and she loves to share science with folks of all ages. Her research interests include community ecology within aquatic systems, food web ecology, marine ecotoxicology, equity in STEM and coastal impacts of climate change. Most recently, she is interested in behavior change in ocean conservation and environmental justice in coastal communities. She is excited to continue working with SWMS and expanding her water network and would love to connect with SWMS folks with similar research interests, avid readers and sci-moms!

  • Naval Research Laboratory

    Treasurer

    Although Ashley grew up in the bustling Brooklyn and New York City areas of NY, she was infatuated with natural history, the early evolution of microbial life, and the outdoors from a young age.  These interests lead to many fossil-hunting and geology-themed getaways during her public school years, and, eventually, to pursuing an undergraduate degree in Geology at the City University of New York while working at the American Museum of Natural History. She then continued to study the ancient earth at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, NY from an organic chemistry perspective to earn her Masters of Science degree and from a microbial ecology perspective to earn her Ph. D. During her graduate schooling, Ashley became increasingly interested in novel applications of bioinformatics and artificial intelligence for biotechnology and microbial ecology. To pursue these interests, Ashley began working at the U. S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D. C. as a National Research Council postdoctoral research fellow, where she is developing large language models for biofilm and biomanufacturing applications.

  • University of Delaware

    Mentorship Co-chair

    Tia is a Ph.D. student majoring in chemical oceanography at the University of Delaware (UD). Her research primarily focuses on identifying the sources and controlling factors of organic chemicals (including potential pollutant and contaminations) present in Delaware’s water bodies and aims to develop a conceptual model to predict organic chemical variations in estuarine and coastal water systems. She earned a B.S. degree with dual majors in Chemistry and Secondary Science Education from the University of Maryland – College Park, where she worked as research assistant to assessed biosolid standards of wastewater treatment plants and investigated the effects of saltwater intrusion on coastal agricultural soils. She began her involvement as a co-chair of UD SWMS chapter and now is excited to work with main SWMS chapter to further develop a dynamic and supportive society. To find out more about Tia, see her personal website: https://tianyinouyang.weebly.com!

  • Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System

    Clerk/Secretary

    Megan is a marine biologist and data scientist working with cetaceans in the Gulf of Mexico. She grew up with a fascination and love for all things to do with the ocean. Megan received a B.S in Marine Science and Biology from the University of Miami, where she worked in the Cnidarian Immunity Lab studying cell apoptosis and regeneration. She interned with the Namibian Dolphin Project, which solidified her love for cetaceans, before receiving an M.S in Marine Biology from Texas A&M Galveston where her research focused on using acoustics to identify cultural transmission in cetaceans. Megan researched dolphins and whales in California as well as working in science education. Currently, she is the marine mammal biologist and data scientist for the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) where she is working on the CETACEAN project to consolidate marine mammal data and identify the threats facing them after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In her spare time Megan enjoys traveling and spending time on the water. Megan is passionate about building connections and networks for women in science.


  • NOAA Ocean Exploration

    Vice President

    Growing up in South Florida, Trish spent her summers developing a love for the ocean while splashing around at the beach. She received a B.S. in Marine & Atmospheric Science from the University of Miami, where she conducted research in Miami and the Bahamas with the Shark Research and Conservation Program. Trish also holds an M.S. in Marine Ecosystems & Society from the University of Miami where her research focused on evaluating the efficacy of marine reserves for shark protection in South Africa. Currently, Trish is based in Washington D.C. and works at NOAA Ocean Exploration as an Expedition Coordinator, where she plans and executes deep ocean exploration missions in parts of the ocean we know very little about. In her free time, you can find Trish camping, traveling, or exploring on her paddleboard with her rescue pup, Mahi. Trish is passionate about mentorship and professional development for all career stages and is excited to bring that enthusiasm to SWMS as Vice President!


  • University of Central Florida

    Chapter Co-Liaison

    As an advocate for marine conservation and climate action, Mercedes Pinzón has embarked on a transformative journey shaped by hands-on research and impactful leadership roles. Beginning with her undergraduate studies in Coastal Environmental Sciences at Louisiana State University (LSU), Mercedes explored research projects investigating climate change's impact on coastal wetlands. During her master's studies in oceanography, Mercedes researched quantifying changes in nutrient loading rates in salt marshes ecosystems, contributing valuable insights to coastal restoration techniques. Mercedes's current pursuit of a PhD in Integrative and Conservation Biology at the University of Central Florida focuses on investigating the interaction of various climate change factors on mangrove migration patterns in northern Florida. Also, she participated as a Panamanian young negotiator at the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change following the adaptation to climate change agenda.  Combining rigorous research endeavors with proactive student leadership roles, Mercedes is dedicated to driving positive change in the fight against climate change and marine ecosystem degradation.


  • Stony Brook University

    Communications Lead

    Katie is a senior postdoctoral associate with a dual appointment in the Institute of Advanced Computational Sciences and the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University. Broadly, Katie is interested in impacts of physical oceanography on bio-physical interactions, food web ecology, and marine species biogeography. Her current work examines the role of physical oceanography and krill behavior on Antarctic krill distributions in the West Antarctic Peninsula, and the role of physical oceanographic features in baleen whale distributions in the New York Bight. Katie got her B.S. in Marine Science from Northeastern University in 2017 and her Ph.D. in Oceanography from University of Delaware in 2022. During her time at UD, she co-lead the UD SWMS chapter and coordinated the DelMarVa SWMS symposium with current president Tricia! She excited to work with SWMS on a larger scale to share the research and stories of our members! You can find her Twitter at @klgallagherphd and online on her website. 


  • NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System

    Mentorship Co-chair

    Breanna Vanderplow recently completed her Ph.D. in Oceanography at Nova Southeastern University, where her research focused on modeling sea spray at the air-sea interface under tropical cyclones. She earned a dual B.S. in Marine Biology and Biology, with a minor in English, as well as her M.S. in Marine Science, both from Nova Southeastern University. She also serves as the co-founder and president of the SWMS chapter at her alma mater. Breanna recently started a position as a physical scientist in support of the NOAA Integrated Ocean Observing System Office, where she is working to build relationships and foster collaboration between academic, industry, and government partners in the ocean modeling community. Beyond her love for ocean science, Breanna enjoys traveling, cooking, volunteering, and going on adventures with her dog Miso. Breanna is passionate about the importance of inclusion and communication in ocean sciences and can’t wait to be a part of the SWMS Steering Committee!

We are incredibly thankful to all of our former Steering Committee Members who have helped make SWMS what it is today!

Check out our former SC members here!