Guardians of the Gulf
About Us
Kristen Kusek, Program Director
Kristen Kusek is Director of Strategic Communications at the USF College of Marine Science. She holds dual master’s degrees in marine science and journalism, and has nearly 25 years of experience on the communication and storytelling side of coastal resiliency and climate change. She has built several marine-focused engagement programs and spent nearly a decade managing communications and fundraising at Earthwatch Institute in Boston, a 50-year-old global citizen science group focused on conservation.
Sarah Grasty, Program Manager & Content Lead
Sarah Grasty holds a master’s in marine science with a concentration in marine resource assessment as well as almost 10 years of informal outreach/education experience. Ms. Grasty has spent the last six years as a project manager and scientist for a large seafloor mapping and imaging program in the Gulf of Mexico. She is now the education and outreach manager for a newly established NOAA-funded seafloor mapping Center at USF.
Contact us: Kristen Kusek (kkusek@usf.edu), Sarah Grasty (grastys@usf.edu)
Thanks to our Guardians of the Gulf advisors and advocates
From Left: Alison Barlow, Executive Director of the St. Pete Innovation District, Teresa Greely, PhD, Education and Outreach Director at USF’s College of Marine Science, and Jennifer Reed, Director of Grants at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Suncoast.