Dr. Shelley Brown Sailors for the SeaSailors for the Sea, a Newport, RI-based conservation organization that engages, educates, inspires and activates the sailing and boating community toward healing the ocean, has appointed Shelley M. Brown, Ph.D. as its new Education Director.

Dr. Shelley Brown doing research onboard F/V Mister G. The monitoring project in Rhode Island Sound collected and documented bottom dwelling marine species including the large skate pictured. © sailorsforthesea.org

“Shelley will be leading the growth of our marine education program, KELP (Kids Environmental Lesson Plans),” said R. Mark Davis, President of Sailors for the Sea. “With her strong background in science, she will bring a great deal of knowledge to the curriculum of our lesson plans for informal educators along with all of our other programs.”

A native Rhode Islander who has spent a lifetime sailing with family from Bar Harbor, ME to Long Island, NY, Brown earned her doctoral degree at the University of Rhode Island, with a focus on microbial ecology in coastal marine environments. She has gained experience in education as the Program Director of the Block Island Maritime Institute (BIMI). She was also previously a member of the education team at Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, and has served as a visiting scientist at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Atlantic Ecology Division.

“I am truly honored and excited to be part of such a passionate group of people working towards improving our ocean’s health,” said Brown. “I look forward to combining my passion for education and sailing in this exciting role.” To learn more about how Sailors for the Sea is working with boaters to become catalysts for change, visit sailorsforthesea.org.