Susan L. Williams National Coral Reef Management Fellowship

Originally from Maryland, Brooke Butterfield had an early love of the ocean. She received her Bachelor of Science in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina and her Master of Science in Marine Biology from Bangor University with a focus on coral.

As the American Samoa fellow, she will work to build local capacity by engaging communities in hands-on restoration activities, workshops, and training sessions. Butterfield will also support ongoing coral monitoring by collecting data, assessing restoration sites, and developing the Rapid Reef Response Plan in collaboration with the CRAG resilience coordinator.

Originally from Southern California, Tess Gauthier received her Bachelor of Science in Conservation and Resource Studies from the University of California—Berkeley and Master of Advanced Studies in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California—San Diego. 

As the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) fellow in Saipan, Gauthier will work with the CNMI’s Coral Reef Initiative (CRI) team to develop policy and regulations to advance action on their Coral Reef Protection Act. She will engage in community outreach to increase awareness of coral conservation and collaborate with government agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), federal partners, and local stakeholders to coordinate updated management priorities. The overall goal of the project is to increase awareness and capacity to enforce protections, strengthen adaptive comanagement, and improve stewardship of CNMI’s reefs. 

Originally born in Venezuela and raised in Miami, Florida, Dayana Castillo earned her Bachelor of Science in Applied Professional Studies from Nova Southeastern University and is currently completing her Master of Science in Environmental Science at Florida Atlantic University.

As the Florida fellow, she will assist with the coordination and management of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s funded projects within Florida’s Coral Reef. Her work will focus on coral restoration, permitting efforts, and applied reef management, including supporting initiatives aligned with the Coral Reef Conservation Program that aim to enhance reef resilience, respond to coral disease and bleaching events, and advance science-based management. In this role, she will collaborate with multiple municipalities as well as state and federal partners to support effective, coral reef management practices.

Hannah Maier holds a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources and the Environment from the University of Michigan and a Master of Arts in Sustainable Development Practice from the University of Florida. 

As the Guam fellow, Maier will coordinate stewardship partnerships to facilitate Guam’s Coral Reef Action Plan (C-RAP) development, cultivating and supporting collaborative work with nonprofits, government agencies, businesses, universities, and other organizations. She will also work with tourism-related businesses to reduce recreational impacts on corals.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Kamalani Oshiro received his Bachelor of Arts in Hawaiian Studies with an emphasis on marine resource management from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa.

As the Hawai’i fellow, Oshiro will work with the Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR) to engage with communities across the Hawaiian Islands and identify key environmental concerns affecting coral reef ecosystems. Grounded in Hawai’i’s deep tradition of ecological knowledge where the well-being of both land and sea is fundamental to healthy reefs, this project will integrate both environmental and anthropogenic impacts into its assessment. Additionally, Oshiro will develop an implementation plan for the nonregulatory components of an island-wide, community-based nearshore marine resource management plan, along with a stewardship funding allocation program in connection with DAR’s Ocean Stewardship User Fee fund.

Ajani Saldaña was born on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), and received his Bachelor of Science in Secondary Biology Education with a minor in marine biology from Nova Southeastern University. 

As the USVI coral fellow with the Division of Coastal Zone Management at the St. Croix East End Marine Park (EEMP), Saldaña supports coral reef restoration and community engagement efforts across St. Croix. He works closely with the Virgin Islands Restoration of Coral Squad to implement the USVI Coral Reef Restoration Plan and the Coral Reef Genetic Management Plan. These will be put into action by working on a publicly available restoration map, maintaining the small nursery at Sweepers Knoll, helping deploy coral rescue software, tracking progress toward restoration goals, and compiling annual summaries of coral rescue efforts.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Leysa A. López-González received her Bachelor of Science in Industrial Microbiology and her Master of Science in Biological Oceanography from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, where she specialized in fisheries management through the study of fisheries-independent methods.

As the fellow in Puerto Rico, she will be supporting the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources in the Coral Reef Conservation and Management Program. She will focus on consolidating diverse coral data sources to develop tools that make information more accessible to the public, improve existing data visualization dashboards, and facilitate scientific analysis that informs management and conservation decisions. She will also contribute to various coral reef conservation efforts, including boat grounding response, coral emergency response, and outreach initiatives.

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident. Applicants typically have a master's degree and two years of experience or a bachelor's degree and four years of experience. Jurisdictions may require additional or alternate skills, such as outreach and education experience. Jurisdictions may set other specific eligibility requirements which are provided when new fellows are being recruited, listed in individual job descriptions accessible via the NSU application portal.

The fellowship is a two-year position. After final applicants are selected, fellows relocate to their jurisdiction in mid-January of their start year, and then participate together with their jurisdictional supervisors and fellowship leadership team in a orientation training in February of their start year.

Fellows receive a non-negotiable yearly salary. The salary varies, depending upon location, and will remain the same for the duration of the fellowship.

There is a standard benefits package that includes paid NSU holidays, leave, and medical benefits. Funding is also provided to support professional development and training that is relevant to the fellowship. Relocation funds are allocated for this position.

Prospective applicants may apply for more than one jurisdictional position, but a separate application must be submitted for each position.

The U.S. Department of the Interior strengthens management of coral reef ecosystems, as a part of the Coral Reef Initiative Program in the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) through grants to the U.S. Insular Areas. On behalf of the secretary, the assistant secretary for Insular Areas coordinates federal policy and carries out administrative responsibilities through OIA whose mission is to foster economic opportunities, promote government efficiency, and improve the quality of life for the people of the insular areas.

Learn More About the DOI

The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program was established in 2000 by the Coral Reef Conservation Act to protect, conserve, and restore the nation's coral reefs by maintaining healthy ecosystem function. The NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program is an interdisciplinary effort of NOAA scientists and partners with state and territorial governments with coral reef resources, non-governmental organizations, academia, and local communities to inform effective coral reef resource management and best practice conservation science.

View NOAA's Fellow Page

Nova Southeastern University's Halmos College of Arts and Sciences has offered a marine science program to create new knowledge about the ocean. The waterfront campus near Port Everglades, Florida and state-of-the-art NSU Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center boasts a seawater system and outside experimentation facility. Research includes fisheries, oil spills, climate change, biodiversity, conservation genetics, coral reefs, and the deep sea. The NSU Halmos College partners with local, state, and federal agencies in natural resource management driven research.

The U.S. All Islands Coral Reef Committee is a unified voice for the effective management for coral reef ecosystems in the U.S. and freely associated states. The U.S. All Islands Coral Reef Committee (AIC) ensures coordination and cooperation within and among state, commonwealth, and territorial agencies, along with freely associated states. Working together with federal agencies and partners, we are able to better manage and protect coral reef ecosystems for present and future generations.

Learn More About the Committee