Maddie Kennedy is the Student Opportunities Coordinator for the National Sea Grant COllege Program. She facilitates the administration of the Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship and the NMFS-Sea Grant Marine Resources and Population Dynamics/Marine Resource Economics Fellowship. She is also an active leader in the Sea Grant Community Engaged Internship program, the NOAA Fellowships Community of Practice, and NOAA Education Council.

Through her work, Maddie strives to put students and early career professionals in positions to thrive and grow into leaders in their field. She firmly believes that there are many paths to success in the STEM/STEAM ecosystem and believes that through diverse and inclusive perspectives we can solve challenging problems.

Maddie holds a Master’s in Coastal Ecology from the University of South Alabama and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and a Bachelors in Environmental Studies with a minor in Human Health from Ithaca College. As a researcher she focused her studies on seagrass community relationships with specific interests on the impacts of changing climates on range expansion and herbivory patterns. Her Master’s thesis investigated the impacts of winter waterfowl herbivory (specifically Aythya Americana/Redhead Ducks) on the growth and reproduction of seagrass communities along the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, she was Knauss Fellow in 2017!

When Maddie is not working to break down barriers, she can be found outside, hiking and SUPing, with her puppies Pepper and Molly not far behind. She also enjoys growing her own vegetables and experimenting with new recipes. Unfortunately, Maddie is incapable of sitting still for long periods of time; however, when she does slow down she can be found reading a good book on the beach or expanding her bird list!

Email: maddie.kennedy@noaa.gov/oar.sg.fellows@noaa.gov