2023 is off to a strong start, with several new faces on the Michigan Sea Grant team. We welcome these new staff members:

Michael Shriberg started serving as interim director in late January 2023 and will stay on board while the permanent director search is finalized. Read more about Mike and the leadership transition in this feature article. Contact Mike at mshriber@umich.edu.

Joris Van Zeghbroeck (he/him) joined the Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System (GLANSIS) team in late 2022. He is GLANSIS’s education specialist, working with the database team to develop aquatic invasive species education programming for K-16 students and teachers. He develops and sustains educational partnerships and networks and also contributes to management of the GLANSIS database overall. Joris studied at Pitzer College and the University of Florida and most recently worked at Common Threads, a national nonprofit that provides cooking and nutrition education for children and families. Joris is primarily based at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab (GLERL) in Ann Arbor. Contact him at jorisvz@umich.edu.

Connor Shelly (he/him) is also fresh to the GLANSIS team. A GLANSIS data associate, Connor works to maintain and enhance the database, update species profiles, create story-maps, and other activities. He graduated from Oregon State University and is now based at NOAA GLERL in Ann Arbor. Connor enjoys kayaking, volunteering for river clean-ups, cooking, reading, and hanging out with his six-year-old. Contact Connor at csshelly@umich.edu.

Joseph Redinger is also a new GLANSIS data associate, based at NOAA GLERL in Ann Arbor. His primary responsibilities include extracting data from literature and updating the invasive species database. Joseph will also be supporting the program’s invasive species risk assessment strategy through data analysis, species profile updates, and story-mapping. He earned degrees from Case Western Reserve University and the University of Central Arkansas. Before joining the GLANSIS team, he was an invasive species technician at the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Contact him at jreding@umich.edu.

Hali Motley joined Michigan Sea Grant in January 2023 as an administrative project coordinator based at the Ann Arbor office. She supports the fiscal, administrative, and research arms of the program by preparing annual reports, maintaining the research database, helping manage fellowship and internship programs, and more. Hali enjoys traveling in her converted van, scuba diving, and listening to audiobooks. Contact Hali at hmotley@umich.edu.

In addition to these new faces, we extend our gratitude:

William Taylor has completed his service as a special advisor to the Michigan Sea Grant management team. Bill is a Michigan State University Distinguished Professor in Global Fisheries Systems and an expert in Great Lakes fisheries ecology, population dynamics, governance, and management. After serving as Michigan Sea Grant’s associate director from 1995 to March 2022, Bill continued in his special advisor role until January 31, 2023. We have appreciated his commitment to Michigan Sea Grant and the wealth of knowledge he has shared over the years. Thanks, Bill!