PAINESVILLE, OH Ohio Sea Grant Extension is pleased to announce the addition of Jill Bartolotta as the new agent representing the program east of Cleveland.

Sea Grant Extension Educator Bartolotta began working out of The Ohio State University Extension office in Painesville in Lake County on June 8. She provides expertise on ecology, nutrient loading, harmful algal blooms, limnology and coastal processes.

Bartolotta fills the vacancy left after longtime Extension Agent and Program Leader Frank Lichtkoppler retired in September 2014. Ohio Sea Grant Extension Fisheries Coordinator Tory Gabriel was named Extension program leader after Lichtkoppler’s retirement.

“It’s tough to see a seasoned extension agent retire, but we’re extremely excited and confident that Jill will be able to pick up where Frank left off,” said Ohio Sea Grant Interim Director Christopher Winslow.

Bartolotta, a Lake County native, has bachelor’s degrees in wildlife conservation biology and outdoor education and a master’s degree in integrated coastal ecosystem science, policy and management from the University of New Hampshire.

“I became really passionate about the water from kayaking and swimming in Lake Erie. I worked for many years teaching kayaking and I knew I wanted to do something science related,” Bartolotta said.

Bartolotta’s background in science education and social science give her the unique set of skills needed to promote sound analyses for policy and decision making related to healthy coastal ecosystems, sustainable coastal development, hazard resilience and safe and sustainable seafood.

Until her hire at Ohio Sea Grant, Bartolotta was an education and public outreach intern for New Hampshire Sea Grant and a naturalist at the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Discovery Center in New Hampshire.

“I’m looking forward to helping people realize what’s happening to their lake, rivers and land from a science perspective,” she said. “It’s not just about how a community can change its behavior, it’s how an individual can understand his or her impact on the environment and make changes in everyday living to accomplish sustainable use of natural resources.”

She can be reached at:

Ohio State University’s Ohio Sea Grant Program is part of NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 33 Sea Grant programs dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. For more information, visit ohioseagrant.osu.edu.

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