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OFFICERS
2025
PRESIDENT-- Amy Williams, PhD
Amy Williams, PhD is a marine science educator with research interests in coastal resiliency, living shorelines, natural and nature-based features, community outreach and stakeholder collaboration, public participation, ecological economics and GIS/LiDAR analysis. Since 2019, Amy has taught marine biology and aquatic ecology at the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES) in the Ocean County Vocational Technical School District. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Rowan College at South Jersey, and previously taught at both Ocean County College and Burlington County College. Amy has previously held a post-doctorate position at the Davidson Laboratory at Stevens Institute of Technology studying coastal ecology and simultaneously served as the Coastal Ecosystems extension agent at New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium. During her tenure at New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, Amy engaged coastal communities and built partnerships that helped her reach thousands of NJ’s citizens to increase stewardship of marine and coastal resources. She developed the popular Sharks vs. Rip Currents presentation and Jeopardy-style game that promoted safe ocean swimming practices while learning about a captivating marine species (sharks).
Amy is passionate about the ocean environment and serves on a number of community boards, including the New Jersey Marine Education Association and the New Jersey Resource Project. She is a volunteer for the New Jersey Organizing Project, a member of the science committee at Long Beach Island Foundation of Arts and Sciences and a past president of Alliance for a Living Ocean. She has also served as volunteer coordinator for American Shore & Beach Preservation Association’s annual Coastal Conference and secretary of Passport to LBI. When she is not working or donating her time and expertise, Amy can be found at the beach, scuba diving or on the water paddle boarding with her pooches Taylor Ham and Bodie and her soon-to-be-husband, Mike.
SECRETARY - Jenny Shinn
Rutgers University, Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory
Jenny Shinn earned a B.S. in Marine Science from Richard Stockton College and an M.S. in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University. She has been working at the Haskin Shellfish Research Lab (HSRL), Rutgers University in various capacities since 2009 and is currently a Field Researcher III. In that role, she coordinates field and community outreach K-12+ programs, leads habitat monitoring programs, assists with living shoreline projects, shellfish pathology research and promotes aquaculture literacy through workforce development projects.
Outside of work, Jenny can be found enjoying the outdoors with her family.
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TREASURER -- Diana Burich
New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium, Director of Education
Diana Burich has been a science educator for more than 28 years since leaving the corporate world and earning a B.S. in Biology from Rutgers University and M.S. in Wildlife Biology (ABT) from East Stroudsburg University. She began her teaching career in formal education, first in parochial school (Clifton, NJ) then in public school (Sleepy Hollow, NY) as a middle school science teacher. She transitioned to non-formal environmental education in 2006 at New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) as a field instructor and facilitated outdoor experiential learning for visiting K-12 school groups at Gateway National Recreation Area on Sandy Hook. In 2009 she became the K-12 Program Coordinator/Sea Grant Program Associate where she managed the field trip program, served as a lead instructor for the organization's marine and coastal science and ecology programs, and coordinated the biennial research competition for the state Sea Grant Program. Diana has been the Director of Education since 2019 where she runs The Education Program that promotes the wise use of coastal resources through environmental literacy and supports ocean-related workforce development in the state and beyond. By providing vision and guidance, she oversees The Education Program that engages more than 20,000 students annually with outdoor experiential learning opportunities, scout programs, off-site and place-based programs, summer camp and virtual programs, and reaches approximately 15,000 visitors each May with Ocean Fun Days. She oversees curriculum development and educator professional development in an effort to support NJ's educators as a resource for ocean and climate science education, and develops projects and partnerships to support NJSGC's mission of fostering an environmentally literate public and STEM-ready workforce.
Diana has been an NJMEA Board member since 2011 and has served in all of the Executive Board roles (Secretary 2015-2017, President-Elect 2017-2019, President 2019-2021), and now serves as Treasurer, finally relieving our beloved Joe Rozak after more than 16 years of his service as Treasurer. She is the chapter representative for National Marine Education Association, corporate member of the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE), and voting member in the Sea Grant Education Network. When not working she enjoys cooking and reading, and can be regularly found hiking with her Wheaton terrier, Griffin, terrain bike riding, and honing her fly-fishing skills.