Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab Directory
Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab staff and partners work hard to preserve, protect and understand the Lake Erie environment
Meet our people
Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab staff and partners work hard to preserve, protect and understand the Lake Erie environment.
Administration
Director Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Coordinates Ohio Sea Grant’s Great Lakes research with agencies and universities, as well as assists in research, curriculum development, and student recruitment at The Ohio State University’s Stone Laboratory. Earned his doctorate at Bowling Green State University, with research focusing on interaction between the native smallmouth bass and invasive round goby.
Associate Director Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Dr. Kristen Fussell manages Ohio Sea Grant’s research program, including grants funded or managed by Ohio Sea Grant as well as development of Ohio Sea Grant research proposals and programs to be funded by external sources.
Assistant Director of Stone Laboratory Stone Laboratory
Dr. Brian Alford is the Assistant Director for Stone Lab, Ohio Sea Grant’s research, education and outreach facility on Lake Erie. Alford oversees all aspects of the lab’s operation, along with ongoing strategic planning and representation on state and regional committees.
Business Office
Business Manager Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Bryan manages all aspects of fiscal and human resources functions, and performs a variety of operational/administrative functions for Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab.
Business Coordinator Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Erin works with Ohio Sea Grant’s Outreach and Education team to present the program to a variety of constituents and participates in Lake Erie research and field work. She also assists with administrative tasks and serves as advisor for Buckeye Friends of Stone Lab (BFOSL).
Communications
Assistant Director, Communications Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Jill Jentes Banicki is the Assistant Director and Communications Coordinator of Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory.
Stone Laboratory Admissions
Curriculum specialist Stone Laboratory
Curriculum Specialist for Stone Lab and serves as Academic Program Specialist for Ohio Sea Grant College Program and Stone Lab
Stone Laboratory Operations
Lab Manager Stone Laboratory
Kevin Hart is the Lab Manager for Stone Laboratory. Kevin oversees day-today operations and staff, recruits, hires and trains incoming seasonal and student employees and assists with the planning, coordination and logistics of Stone Lab programming as part of the management team.
Business Office Manager Stone Laboratory
Boat Captain, Operations Associate Stone Laboratory
Boat Captain Stone Laboratory
Facilities and Maintenance Lead Stone Laboratory
Stone Laboratory Outreach & Education
Education and Outreach Assistant Stone Laboratory
As an Education and Outreach Associate at Ohio State’s Stone Lab, Susan Bixler has presented at a variety of informal educational outreach events including EECO, Cleveland Clinic Earth Day, BGSU Elder College, and Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Group events.
Stone Laboratory Research
Senior Researcher, Research Coordinator Stone Laboratory
Justin Chaffin is the research coordinator at Stone Lab and conducts his own research on cyanobacterial blooms.
Extension Educators
Extension Specialist, Program Manager Ohio Sea Grant College Program
As Extension Program Leader for Ohio Sea Grant, Tory oversees a team of educators and also serves as Fisheries Educator. His programming focuses on sustainable Lake Erie fisheries including the charter boat industry, sport fishing, and aquatic invasive species prevention.
Clean Marinas, Program Manager Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Sarah oversees the Ohio Clean Marinas, Clean Boater, and Shrink Wrap Recycling Programs. She provides education and outreach to the marina and boating community on a variety of topics including stormwater, aquatic invasive species, marine debris, and coastal resiliency.
Extension Educator, Community Development Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Joe Lucente is an Associate Professor and Extension Educator in Community and Economic Development with The Ohio State University Extension/Ohio Sea Grant College Program. His main responsibilities include developing and conducting an outreach education program on community and economic development.
Extension Educator Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Dr. Scott Hardy is an Extension Educator with the Ohio Sea Grant College Program based in Cleveland. His work focuses on human dimensions of natural resources, including collaborative watershed management, coastal storm resiliency, and community-based response to ecological change.
Extension Educator, Aquaculture & LEARN Coordinator Ohio Sea Grant College Program
As Aquaculture Extension Educator, Nicole connects researchers, OSU Extension aquaculture specialists and industry professionals while assisting to build Sea Grant’s Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative (GLAC). She also manages the daily needs of the Lake Erie and Aquatic Research Network (LEARN), a regional research consortium of field stations and diverse researchers to address the grand challenges facing Lake Erie.
Community Outreach Specialist Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Abigail, Ohio Sea Grant Marine Debris Outreach Specialist, works with communities to raise awareness about marine debris in the Great Lakes and reduce its impact on Lake Erie.
Extension Educator, Harmful Algal Blooms and Water Quality Ohio Sea Grant College Program
As Harmful Algal Bloom and Water Quality Specialist for Ohio Sea Grant, Sara works with researchers and communities to share current information on Lake Erie issues. Her programming focuses on increasing environmental literacy, communicating risks associated with harmful algal blooms, identifying research gaps, and engaging the next generation of scientists.
Extension Educator Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Julie Kastanis is a Coastal Resiliency Extension Educator based in northeast Ohio. Her work is focused on connecting communities through education and outreach, bringing science-based information to the people and connecting them to Lake Erie. Her coastal resiliency work will focus on community engagement and collaboration with partners to combat critical issues facing Lake Erie.
Community Outreach Consultant, Emerging Contaminants Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Mark works on ecology and emerging contaminants including marine debris/plastics, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and PFAS to inform sound decision making across the Ohio shoreline on Lake Erie.
Information Technology
Systems Developer / Engineer Ohio Sea Grant College Program
Everything Web, Development, Data and Systems.