People Type: Staff

Mike serves as the Director of the Coastal Zone Initiative which focuses on turning Manomet’s efforts on coastal habitat and species protection into a more comprehensive gray to green approach. Mike works to engage partners at multiple levels and help develop a community of practice focusing on holistic coastal management that benefits all the flora and fauna, including humans, in the face of a changing climate and landscape.

Before joining Manomet, Mike spent the better part of almost two decades working in the coastal zone management space. First as a Program Manager for the Indiana Lake Michigan Coastal Program and then in various capacities with Coastal States Organization. Additional past work for two state legislatures round out his past experience.

A native of the Great Lakes region, Mike is a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and Indiana University’s Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. He enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his wife and their rescue dog. Being an avid birder, and amateur photographer help enhance his appreciation of our shared natural world.

Nicolás joined Manomet’s Flyways team in 2021. As Ranching & Shorebird Conservation Specialist, he focuses on working with local communities in Uruguay to protect coastal lagoons that are of critical importance to shorebirds. He aims to build relationships and engage with ranchers, rancher organizations, and leading agricultural agencies that operate within the lagoon belt.

Nicolás has a PhD in environmental management from Lincoln University in New Zealand and over 15 years of professional experience bringing together ranching and conservation. He led the biodiversity component of a World Bank & GEF Project for Uruguay which set the foundations of natural resource and biodiversity incorporation in agricultural landscapes in Uruguay. He then joined BirdLife International to lead the Southern Cone’s Grasslands Alliance, bringing together ranchers and conservationists to join efforts for conservation ranching along the pampas. He now aims to strengthen Manomet’s Working Lands and Seas initiative, enhancing rancher connections and engagement for shorebird conservation as well as facilitating outreach opportunities throughout grasslands within WHSRN sites.

Having grown up in Maine, Jessie has long held a love for the ocean and is excited to continue her work to help build resilient and sustainable fisheries and ecosystems.

Jessie graduated from Colby College in 2017 with a B.A. in Environmental Science. While at Colby, Jessie dove into the scallop aquaculture world in Maine through an internship with the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership. She continued this work as the Aquaculture Manager at Hurricane for two years and later spent time working on commercial oyster farms in Washington State and midcoast Maine. Jessie also spent four winters pursuing her passion for skiing in Park City, UT as an alpine ski racing coach for the Park City Ski Team.

In her free time, Jessie loves sailing, kayaking, scuba diving, skiing, mountain and road biking, and eating local Maine seafood.

Emily joined Manomet’s Fisheries team in October 2021. She is focused on supporting local fisheries leaders and communities in diversifying fishing opportunities, strengthening adaptive management, and building collaborative networks.

Before joining Manomet, Emily worked for the NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation, where she collaborated with partners to integrate climate and ecosystem information into fisheries management. Previously, she worked with Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries researching fishery diversification. She has milked goats in Vermont, worked on seaweed and shellfish aquaculture research in Connecticut, and written about food policy for Edible magazine. Emily received a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment, and a Master in food systems from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy. 

Allie Hayser joined Manomet’s Georgia Bight Shorebird Conservation Initiative to support and expand ongoing shorebird programs in outreach, education, and conservation. She is focused on projects that work to manage disturbance of migrating shorebirds, understanding horseshoe crab populations, education for ecotourism, and developing stewardship programs.

Allie grew up on Tybee Island, Georgia. In her free time, she enjoys boating, surfing, reading, running, and taking adventures in nature. She attended Georgia Southern University with a B.S in Biology, a B.S in Geology, and minored in Geography. During college, Allie worked with a sea turtle program on Saint Catherine’s Island, where she also studied barrier island formation and horseshoe crab ecology. After college, she worked for several conservation, education, and research programs in California, North Carolina, and Georgia, as well as a surf instructor in Nicaragua.

Recently, Allie has worked with Georgia Department of Natural Resources in projects involving American Oystercatchers, Red Knots, Whimbrels, and other local species of shorebirds. Working with Manomet, she hopes to bring her knowledge in local beach communities and experience in conservation together to create lasting changes on the southeast coast.