Initiative Technology Advisory Council

Technology Advisory Council public meetings

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Technology Advisory Council members

Technology Advisory Council Chair

Dr. Michael P. Crosby, Mote Marine Laboratory

Dr. Crosby has over 30 years of diverse research, teaching, science management and leadership endeavors. He has developed, managed and conducted major multi-disciplinary research project and partnerships with numerous universities, national and international science and resource management agencies, programs and committees. Many of these endeavors focused on improving the “synthesis, translation and transfer” of science and technical information between research, public policy and stakeholder communities. He has secured over $50 million in research funds, published over 50 science manuscripts, edited several books, and his past appointments include: Associate Vice President, Research and Economic Development, George Mason University; Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Hawai’i, Hilo; Executive Director, National Science Board of the National Science Foundation; and Senior Advisor for International Science Policy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  Dr. Crosby is also Past-President for Sigma Xi-The Scientific Research Society, past Chairman for the U.S.-Israeli Binational Science Foundation, and currently serves as Chair of the Florida Institute of Oceanography Council, Past-Chair of the Board for Southeast Coastal Ocean Observations Regional Association, on the Association of Marine Laboratories of the Caribbean Board of Directors (Past-President), the Pacific Congress on Marine Science and Technology Board of Directors (Past-President), and the Institute for Venture Science Board of Advisors.

Techology Advisory Council Members

Dr. Katherine Hubbard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

Dr. Kate Hubbard is a Research Scientist at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWC-FWRI). Since 2015, she has led their harmful algal bloom (HAB) monitoring and research program, which has strong ties to state aquaculture management.  Her research unites ecology, physiology, and oceanography – using laboratory, field, and modeling studies – to better understand HAB dynamics. She also focuses on developing and strengthening observation networks for HABs, including in situ detection capabilities. She is currently serving on the National HAB Committee and is a state lead for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance’s Water Resources team. She is also a Guest Investigator at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution as part of the Woods Hole Center for Oceans and Human Health. She received her B.A. in Biology from New College of Florida and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biological Oceanography from the University of Washington.

Dr. James “Buddy” Powell, Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Dr. James “Buddy” Powell is Vice President for Research and Conservation at Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) and has worked for over 40 years to conserve manatees and other endangered species around the world. His efforts have resulted in coastal protected areas in Florida, West Africa, Central America, and Cuba. At CMA, Dr. Powell is developing and managing a division that provides technical advice, conservation initiatives, and scientific information to protect marine species and habitats in the US and internationally. Dr. Powell’s research and conservation interests include marine mammal, particularly manatees, and sea turtle behavioral ecology and conservation biology. Dr. Powell received his BSc. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Florida, his Masters in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington, and his PhD in Zoology from the University of Cambridge in England. He was the recipient of the prestigious Pew Award in Marine Conservation in 2000, has been featured on “Champions of the Wild” and National Geographic’s “Wild Chronicles” documentaries, and has been honored with multiple awards and certificates. Dr. Powell has authored two books, numerous scientific publications and popular articles.

Dr. James SullivanDr. Sherry L. Larkin, University of Florida

Dr. Sherry L. Larkin is a natural resource and environmental economist tenured in the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida. She earned her Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics from Oregon State University in 1998 and has been a faculty member at UF/IFAS since 2000. In 2014 she moved into the Dean for Research Office within UF/IFAS. She served as the Associate Dean for Research and Associated Director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station (FAES) until March 2020. She currently serves as the director of the Florida Sea Grant College Program.

In the profession Dr. Larkin has served as an elected member of the executive committee for the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET) and the president of the North American Association of Fisheries Economics (NAAFE). She was also an associate editor of the journal Marine Resource Economics from 2000-2015. As a result of her fisheries-focused research portfolio, Dr. Larkin has been actively involved in fisheries management by serving on the Scientific and Statistical Committees (SSCs) for both the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Councils.

In addition to seafood and fisheries, Dr. Larkin’s research has studied the economic valuation of non-market benefits associated with alternative production techniques in farming and forestry, programs to improve water quality (including harmful algal blooms or HABs), and the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She currently serves as a Governor-appointed member of the HAB Task Force for the state of Florida (2019-present) and as a member of the Committee on the Use of LAPPs in Mixed-Use Fisheries managed by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Math (NAS) (2020 –2021).

David Whiting, Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Mr. David Whiting works for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) as the Deputy Director over the Laboratory and Water Quality Standards Programs within the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration. Mr. Whiting began his career with FDEP in 1994 as an Aquatic Toxicologist, having previously worked on Exxon Valdez Oil Spill research at the USEPA Laboratory in Gulf Breeze, Florida. In addition to administrating the laboratory and WQS programs, he is currently involved in FDEP’s Microbial Source Tracking efforts to identify fecal sources, FDEP’s Harmful Algal Bloom response activities, and the state’s efforts to understand the potential impacts of emerging contaminants of concern. Mr. Whiting has a B.A. degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Management and a M.A. in Ecology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. 

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Red Tide Initiative Administrator

Kevin Claridge, Mote Marine Laboratory

As Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, Associate Vice President for Sponsored Research & Coastal Policy Programs, Kevin Claridge serves as Administrator for the Florida Red Tide Mitigation and Technology Development Initiative and oversees Mote's Office of Research Grants, Contracts and Sponsored Programs, as well as the Mote Marine Policy Institute. Mr. Claridge has almost 20 years of public sector experience directing statewide coastal management, restoration, and resilience programs; managing state lands and conservation easements; administering Air, Waste, Water Facility, and Environmental Resource Regulatory Programs in Southeast Florida; leading large scale mine reclamation efforts in Central Florida; and guiding watershed scale projects associated with Deepwater Horizon and Everglades restoration.

He holds a Graduate Certificate in Public Management from the University of South Florida, a Master of Science in Biology from the University of Memphis and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of North Carolina Asheville.

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