Water Quality for Fisheries Symposium

Presentation: From Estuary to Legislature: North Carolina’s Coastal Fisheries at a Crossroads

Joel Fodrie is an ecologist who studies the population dynamics of fishes and shellfish, as well as the community ecology of estuarine systems. He has contributed 100+ peer-reviewed papers that explore mechanisms of population and community variability within coastal ecosystems. These articles appear in journals such as Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Ecology, and BioScience. Over the last decade, he has become increasingly engaged in coastal resource management in North Carolina. At UNC-Chapel Hill, he serves as a Thomas Willis Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy and as Director of the Institute of Marine Sciences.

Monica Gibbs is an award-winning consultant with a journalism background and over a decade of community engagement and campaign consulting experience. She is the founder of Gibbs Consulting LLC, where she provides advocacy and media relations services to community-based projects and grassroots organizations.

She has worked with candidates for political office and lobbied elected officials at the state level. Her work includes managing municipal and federal campaigns, coordinating a reproductive justice and health education initiative, and a redistricting education project. Her roles have included work with the United States House of Representatives, Coastal Carolina Riverwatch, and the NAACP. Monica attended the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill and is a graduate of the William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations. She resides with her family in Eastern North Carolina.

Presentation: Ecosystem Interactions and Water Quality

Jim Morley leads a Fisheries Ecology lab at the Coastal Studies Institute on the Outer Banks. His lab is involved in a variety of field-based and modeling-intensive research, particularly in the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine ecosystem. Like many coastal U.S. regions, the Albemarle-Pamlico system is experiencing rapid change from climate, invasive species, novel pathogens, and increased human impacts. The magnitude and implications of these changes are being investigated to better inform coastal management.

Presentation: Impacts of PFAS on Saltwater Fish

Frannie Nilsen is the lead Environmental Toxicologist at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality with experience in a wide range of environmental disciplines and a passion for environmental stewardship. She has worked with several federal agencies throughout her career in toxicology, including NOAA’s environmental health programs, NASA’s ecological program, NIST’s environmental chemistry group, and EPA’s children’s health and sustainable communities initiative. She uses this experience to communicate environmental issues to policymakers and protect North Carolina.

Presentation: Communicating Cape Fear River Fish Consumption Risk in the Face of Environmental Health Uncertainty

Chiara has served as Program Coordinator for the Community Engagement Core of the Duke University Superfund Research Center since 2021. She engages deeply with communities to form relationships and coalitions that enable people to make informed decisions about their health and their environment. The Community Engagement Core works with diverse populations and methods, seeking to be informed by and responsive to community needs.

Chiara graduated from Duke University in 2021 with a Master of Environmental Management, focusing on Ecosystem Science and Conservation, and a certificate in Community-Based Environmental Management. Previously, she worked in environmental education, climate activism, and faith-based environmental advocacy. Originally from New York, she graduated summa cum laude from Syracuse University with a BA in English and Textual Studies.

Presentation: Communicating Cape Fear River Fish Consumption Risk in the Face of Environmental Health Uncertainty

Megan Hoert Hughes, MEM, is Director for Research Translation at the Duke University Superfund Research Center. She has significant experience as a program manager, educator, and community advocate, and has led environmental programs and courses at the Center for Public Engagement with Science at the UNC Institute for the Environment, the Environmental Finance Center at the University of Maryland, and the Center for Environmental Programs at Bowling Green State University.

Megan has completed the Racial Equity Institute Phase I Racial Equity Workshop (2014), UNC Odum Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Research certificate (2021), Latinx Challenges Workshop (2023), CIMER Entering Mentoring facilitator training (2023), and Right Relationship training supporting Waccamaw Siouan communities in eastern NC (2024). She holds a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University with an emphasis on Resource Ecology and is a proud Detroiter.

Presentation: Understanding the Impact of Flooding on Water Quality: A Case Study of Hurricane Helene

As an analytical chemist, Dr. Walker-Franklin analyzes complex environmental and biological samples, including surface waters, wastewaters, sediment, and biological serums and tissues, to identify novel contaminants and metabolites. She uses gas and liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution accurate mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS and LC-HRMS) and non-target analysis workflows.

Her work includes characterizing emerging contaminants such as PFAS, microplastics, and wastewater tracers in the French Broad River following Hurricane Helene. She earned her PhD in environmental engineering from Duke University, investigating the fate, occurrence, and transformation of polymer-associated chemicals in aquatic environments. She has presented research on emerging contaminants and plastic pollution at national press conferences, panels, and lectures.

Presentation: Lessons from the Advocacy Working Group

Riley served as White Oak Waterkeeper with Coastal Carolina Riverwatch, protecting quality of water and quality of life through research, outreach, and advocacy. She hosted Advocacy Working Group meetings, coordinated research on agricultural impacts to fisheries and PFAS and heavy metals in North Carolina oysters, and supervised CCRW interns. Riley grew up in Maryland and spent the past decade in the Carolinas. She earned a BS in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina and an MS in Coastal and Ocean Policy from UNC Wilmington. Her research interests focus on water pollutants and their impacts on communities.

Presentation: Coastal Resiliency in Action: Best Practices and Emerging Concerns

Kasen Wally is a Coastal Resiliency Specialist with the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management in Morehead City. He helps manage the NC Resilient Coastal Communities Program, which provides technical and financial assistance to vulnerable communities seeking to increase resilience to coastal hazards. He holds a bachelor’s in environmental science from Western Carolina University and a master’s in Natural Resource Management from Auburn University, focusing on coastal ecosystems and adaptive governance.

Presentation: Coastal Resiliency in Action: Best Practices and Emerging Concerns

Jennifer Fickler is a Coastal Resiliency Specialist with the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management in Morehead City and has worked with the Resilient Coastal Communities Program since May 2025. Previously, she was a research specialist at East Carolina University, working in Dr. Rachel Gittman’s coastal ecology lab at UNC’s Institute of Marine Sciences. Earlier, Jennifer served as an Air Quality Specialist for Mecklenburg County, helping manage a grant program to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. She holds a BS in Environmental Studies and a master’s in Environmental Science from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Presentation: NC Plastics Coalition Update

Madison Haley is an advocate with the North Carolina Plastic Waste Reduction Coalition and a PhD student in Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University. Her work combines research, policy, and community engagement to reduce plastic pollution. At NC State, she researches how plastic debris moves through freshwater systems and works with a coalition to test and inform effective solutions.

Previously, Madison was the Climate and Plastics Advocacy Fellow at Haw River Assembly, where she managed community science trash-trap projects, advocated for waste reduction policies including bottle-deposit legislation, and published The Cost of Litter in North Carolina. She has also worked as a water resource engineer and contractor in EPA’s Office of Science Advisor, Policy, and Engagement. She holds an MSPH in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from UNC-Chapel Hill and a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from George Washington University.

Presentation: PFAS and Heavy Metals Research

Caroline Zuber is a PhD candidate at Duke University in Civil and Environmental Engineering and a doctoral trainee in the Duke Superfund Research Center. She earned a BS in Environmental Sciences and BA in Chemistry from NC State University.

Her research examines environmental chemistry, movement and transformation of legacy contaminants in soil and water, human exposure risk, and environmental health. In addition to monitoring PFAS and heavy metals in coastal waters and oysters, she investigates legacy heavy-metal contamination in Durham city park soils. A Western North Carolina native, Caroline is passionate about environmental justice, remediation, and environmental education.

Presentation: Landfill Leachate & DEQ Response

Sherri Stanley is Permitting Branch Head for the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Waste Management, Solid Waste Section. She has worked in environmental regulation for nearly 30 years. Her career has focused on non-hazardous solid waste management, ensuring proper siting, design, construction, operation, and closure of municipal solid waste transfer stations, municipal solid waste and construction-and-demolition landfills, and coal ash landfills to protect public health and the environment. She holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from NC State University.

Liz is an ecologist at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, focusing on connections between science and community. She works on plastic pollution education from marine-debris, stormwater, and microplastics perspectives. She has developed curricula on marine debris, community science, and microplastics and collaborated with NC State University researchers on how intergenerational learning can change perspectives on plastic pollution.

Presentation: Storm Impacts on Rural Wastewater Systems

Emma Dempsey is a PhD candidate and environmental microbiologist at UNC’s Institute of Marine Sciences. Her research uses a One Health approach to examine how antimicrobial resistance genes from human-associated sources, wastewater treatment plants, and animal feeding operations enter and persist in estuaries. She is especially interested in how precipitation and storms drive bacterial contamination and exposure risk.

Her research combines culture-based assays and molecular tools to build surveillance frameworks and advance quantitative microbial risk assessment for coastal waters. She earned an MSc from Pace University in 2020, studying urban runoff and dissolved oxygen in Long Island Sound. She previously worked in Washington, DC, as an environmental scientist supporting EPA NPDES permitting and wastewater operators’ federal compliance.

Presentation: Best Management Practices for Septic Health

Conner Twiddy serves as Environmental Planner for the Town of Nags Head, where he leads the Todd D. Krafft Septic Health Initiative. He oversees septic system maintenance, subsurface wastewater operations, and routine water sampling and helps manage groundwater-related monitoring and compliance. Conner also coordinates community education and outreach and facilitates the Town’s Septic Health Advisory Committee. His hands-on experience and public engagement efforts support adoption of effective septic-health programs in coastal communities.

Presentation: Best Management Practices for Septic Health

David M. Ryan, P.E., is Town Engineer for Nags Head, North Carolina, with more than 25 years of experience in coastal engineering in public and private sectors. His expertise includes water resources, shoreline and wastewater management, stormwater, and planning and implementation of capital infrastructure projects. A licensed North Carolina Professional Engineer, he holds a degree from SUNY Polytechnic Institute. His integrated infrastructure and coastal planning work has been recognized with the Orville T. Magoon Sustainable Coasts Award.

Presentation: Increasing Access of Communities Impacted by Chemical Contaminants in Wild-Caught Fish to Information and Policymaking Processes in North Carolina

Veronica Carter is a former international and U.S. civil servant and retired Army officer with more than 43 years of experience managing complex logistics operations. She served on boards for Cape Fear and Brunswick County Habitat for Humanity affiliates and the Town of Leland Parks and Recreation Board. She has worked to advance environmental justice through community empowerment, advocacy, and education in southeastern North Carolina. She was appointed to the inaugural NC DEQ Secretary’s Environmental Justice and Equity Board and has served on the North Carolina Coastal Federation board. She was elected to Leland Town Council in November 2019.

Presentation: Increasing Access of Communities Impacted by Chemical Contaminants in Wild-Caught Fish to Information and Policymaking Processes in North Carolina

Chiara has served as Program Coordinator for the Community Engagement Core of Duke University’s Superfund Research Center since 2021, building relationships and coalitions that help communities make informed choices about health and environment. The Center works with diverse populations and is responsive to community needs.

Chiara earned a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University in 2021, focusing on Ecosystem Science and Conservation, with a certificate in Community-Based Environmental Management. Before Duke, she worked in environmental education, climate activism, and faith-based environmental advocacy. Originally from New York, she graduated summa cum laude from Syracuse University with a BA in English and Textual Studies.

Glenn Skinner was born and raised in Morehead City, where his family has deep commercial fishing roots. He has worked in fisheries including clams, oysters, flounder, and crab. He enjoys recreational fishing and serves as Executive Director of the North Carolina Fisheries Association, advocating for the commercial fishing industry.

Thomas Newman is a full-time commercial fisherman and part-time employee of the North Carolina Fisheries Association. Raised in Hyde County in a family of commercial fishermen, he serves on multiple state and federal fisheries advisory panels and committees. He has witnessed how water quality, coastal development, and access affect fisheries and is particularly interested in inadequate sewage systems, hardened shorelines, insufficient riparian buffers, and coastal growth.

Chris began farming oysters full-time in 2013, establishing Chadwick Creek Oysters and Seed Nursery in Pamlico County. In 2019, he founded Siren’s Cove Shellfish, a second oyster farm and shellfish dealership in Carteret County. His nursery has supported the expansion of North Carolina’s shellfish industry, and he has advised many new growers as they establish their operations.

Chris became President of the North Carolina Shellfish Growers Association in 2018 and has served as Vice President and board member of the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association. He advocates for the shellfish industry in Raleigh and Washington, DC. In 2023 he received a Coastwide Pelican Award from the NC Coastal Federation. Before oyster farming, he worked in hedge funds and technology. He earned a BA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania and attended Phillips Exeter Academy.

Mackenzie Todd is a Coastal Resiliency Coordinator for the NC Division of Coastal Management, working on the Resilient Coastal Communities Program since 2020. Previously she was Town Planner for Morehead City, where she coordinated the Community Rating System within the National Flood Insurance Program. She earned a bachelor’s in Environmental Science and master’s in Coastal and Ocean Policy from UNC Wilmington and is a Certified Floodplain Manager.

Amin Davis is an environmental scientist with 25 years of experience in environmental assessment, water resource management, and watershed improvements. He earned a BS in Marine and Environmental Science from Hampton University and a master’s in Zoology from NC State University. He has worked at NC DEQ since 2008 and has managed Division of Water Resources grants since 2016. Previously he worked with consulting engineering firms in the Triangle. He supports green infrastructure and volunteers with environmental nonprofit organizations.

Jill serves as Eastern Field Representative for the NC Land and Water Fund, providing outreach and application guidance for local and state agencies and nonprofit organizations and assisting with grant evaluation and field review. She previously administered grants for the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund and Land and Water Conservation Fund within NC State Parks. Her background includes land stewardship and environmental education. She earned a BS in Zoology and graduate certificate in GIS from NC State University.

Zoe Gabrielson is an Associate Attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, working on environmental justice, land use, waste management, and water issues. She joined SELC in 2023 following a Stanback Legal Internship in 2022. She attended Duke University School of Law and earned a BS in Agricultural Economics and BBA in Marketing from the University of Kentucky.

Suzanne is a hydrogeologist with environmental consulting experience for organizations including Kodak, Xerox, and Bausch & Lomb. She also served as Director of Environmental Health and Safety for the Rochester, New York public schools. Suzanne serves on the Coastal Carolina Riverwatch board and co-founded the Sierra Club’s Plastic Free By The Sea committee with Harriet Altman in Beaufort. She volunteers with the North Carolina Aquarium and Cape Lookout National Seashore.

Liz is an ecologist at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment whose work connects science and community. She develops education about plastic pollution, marine debris, stormwater, and microplastics, and has written curricula on community science. She has collaborated with NC State University researchers to examine how intergenerational learning influences perspectives on plastic pollution.

Kasen Wally is a Coastal Resiliency Specialist with the NC Division of Coastal Management in Morehead City. He helps manage the NC Resilient Coastal Communities Program, providing technical and financial assistance to vulnerable communities responding to coastal hazards. He earned a bachelor’s in Environmental Science from Western Carolina University and master’s in Natural Resource Management from Auburn University with a focus on coastal ecosystems and adaptive governance.

Presentation: New River Oyster Highway

Pat Donovan-Brandenburg serves as Stormwater and Soil/Erosion Control Manager for the City of Jacksonville, North Carolina, where she has worked since 1988. A marine biologist, she has played an important role in New River water-quality and habitat restoration. Her work on the New River Oyster Highway includes creating artificial oyster reefs to improve water filtration and restore the estuarine ecosystem. She has also overseen stormwater, erosion, sediment control, post-hurricane recovery, and funding for environmental improvement projects.

Nick Green is a project manager at the North Carolina Coastal Federation. He joined the organization in 2023 and has worked on marine debris removal, oyster shell recycling, and water-quality projects. A Carteret County native, he grew up exploring and fishing Bogue Sound, the Newport River, and nearby waters. He graduated from NC State University with a degree in Crop and Soil Science and enjoys photography, surfing, and fishing.

Presentation: PFAS and Heavy Metals in Wild and Farm-Raised Oysters (with Riley Lewis)

At the time of the 2024 symposium, Caroline Zuber was a second-year PhD student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University. She earned a BS in Environmental Sciences and BA in Chemistry from NC State University in 2023. Her research focuses on trace-metal biogeochemistry and how emerging and legacy contaminants move and transform in soil and water. She is interested in environmental justice, remediation, education, and limiting pollution exposure.

Presentation: Plastic Pollution Advocacy Workshop

Grady was a Policy Associate at the North Carolina Conservation Network, advocating at the NC General Assembly and tracking relevant environmental legislation for member organizations. He facilitated the NC Plastic Waste Reduction Coalition and also worked on water quality and environmental regulation. He lives in Apex and enjoys basketball, music, novels, and political history.

Presentation: State of the Coastal Waters — Water Quality Panel

Samantha Krop is the Neuse Riverkeeper with Sound Rivers, advocating for the watershed from Falls Lake to Pamlico Sound. A Florida Gulf Coast native who spent summers in North Carolina, she has worked at the intersection of education and environmental activism using writing, public speaking, community organizing, and fieldwork. Before joining Sound Rivers, she spent ten years in Oregon working in forest conservation and teaching environmental justice to high school and university students.

Presentation: North Carolina Recreational Water Quality — Monitoring Coastal Waters for 26 Years

Erin C. Bryan-Millush is an Environmental Program Supervisor with the Shellfish Sanitation and Recreational Water Quality Section of the NC Division of Marine Fisheries. She earned a BS in Environmental Science from UNC Wilmington and began working for the state in 2003. Previously she researched constructed wetlands and bacteriological removal at NC State University. She now manages coastal recreational water-quality monitoring under the EPA BEACH Act and serves as Quality Assurance Laboratory Officer for the section’s three laboratories.

Presentation: State of the Coastal Waters — Water Quality Panel

Katey Zimmerman joined Sound Rivers as Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper in September 2023 and monitors and advocates for waters from Oxford to Washington, North Carolina. She graduated magna cum laude from Coastal Carolina University with a degree in Sustainability and Coastal Resilience, focusing on Science and Ecosystems. Previously she ran the Swim Guide program for the Waccamaw Riverkeeper and coordinated watershed outreach and public education.

Presentation: Food Web Transfer of Cyanobacterial Toxins in North Carolina Coastal Waters

Astrid Schnetzer is a professor, biological oceanographer, and plankton ecologist at NC State University and Director of the NC Center for Coastal Algae, People, and Environment. The center investigates, predicts, and works to reduce risks to human health from cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms. She earned an MS in Zoology/Ecology and PhD in Marine Biology from the University of Vienna. Her research examines how ocean pollution and other forces alter plankton and food-web processes in coastal North Carolina, the Gulf of Mexico, the Arctic, and other environments.

Presentation: Enhancing Resources to Grow Fisheries and Aquaculture Industries in Eastern North Carolina

David Cerino chairs Carteret Community College’s Aquaculture Technology Program in Morehead City. He focuses on education, training, and workforce development in aquaculture. The college conducts applied research to advance aquaculture productivity and sustainability and works with industry, academic partners, regulators, and nonprofits to provide experiential learning and help grow the industry.

Presentation: Fisheries Advocacy Panel

David Sneed served as Executive Director of Coastal Conservation Association North Carolina beginning in 2014. A native of Greenville, NC, and 1987 NC State University graduate, he works to promote responsible management of public-trust marine and estuarine resources. He has divided his time between Raleigh and the Pamlico River.

Presentation: State of the Coastal Waters — Water Quality Panel

Kemp Burdette has served as Cape Fear Riverkeeper with Cape Fear River Watch, protecting North Carolina’s largest and most diverse watershed. A Wilmington native, he explored local waterways growing up and later served as a US Navy search-and-rescue swimmer, Fulbright Scholar, and Peace Corps volunteer. He has been a board member of Waterkeeper Alliance. He earned degrees in geology and history from UNC Wilmington, an MPA from UNCW, and a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University.

Presentation: Fisheries Advocacy Panel

Carey Hamil enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1996 and served as an MV-22B aviation electrician, recruiting manager, and electronics instructor. He retired in 2021 as a Master Sergeant. He earned an associate’s degree in Professional Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle University in 2007 and a BS in Fish and Wildlife Management from American Military University in 2022.

He volunteered with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers as President of the Lejeune Armed Forces Initiative, organizing hunting and fishing education, sea-turtle nest protective-device construction, and reconstruction of the Hammocks Beach State Park fishing pier. He was involved in efforts supporting anglers’ access to coastal flounder fisheries.

Presentation: Stormwater Issues Along the Coastal Plain: Water Quality, Infrastructure, and Exposure

Rachel Noble is a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City. For more than 25 years, she has studied coastal water quality to help communities address stormwater amid rapid growth and development. Her laboratory develops molecular techniques to measure viral and bacterial pathogens in water and shellfish and collaborates on shellfish aquaculture, post-storm water quality, and coastal infrastructure performance.

Her research also assesses rural wastewater and antimicrobial resistance. She co-founded Adopt-A-Drain and participates in the Duke University Community Science Initiative, supporting public engagement in water-quality protection and reducing plastics pollution.

Presentation: PFAS and Heavy Metals in Wild and Farm-Raised Oysters; Pure Farms, Pure Waters; State of the Coastal Waters

Riley served as White Oak Waterkeeper with Coastal Carolina Riverwatch. She hosted Advocacy Working Group meetings, coordinated research on agricultural runoff and oyster contamination by PFAS and heavy metals, and supervised interns. She grew up in Maryland and earned a BS in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina and an MS in Coastal and Ocean Policy from UNC Wilmington. Her research interests connect pollutants, water quality, and community impacts.

Presentation: NC Marine Debris Action Plan Updates

Rachel Bisesi joined the North Carolina Coastal Federation as a Coastal Education Coordinator in 2013. She earned an MS in Coastal Marine and Wetland Studies from Coastal Carolina University and BA in Environmental Studies from UNC Wilmington. Previously she worked as an educator at coastal education centers, marine research technician, and state park naturalist. Her professional focus links coastal environments with public education and outreach.