Great Bay Reserve Staff
CORY RILEY
Manager
Cory oversees the Reserve’s education, research, stewardship, and coastal training programs. She works closely with partners to promote clean water and healthy coastal habitats in the region. Her favorite place at the Reserve is the high marsh field at Great Bay Farms Saltmarsh. She is particularly proud of her work with the Great Bay Stewards to bring more than 500,000 new dollars to Reserve projects and programs.
Before coming to Great Bay, Cory worked for NOAA as a federal liaison to East Coast Reserves and national training and funding programs. She received a Master’s degree in Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Science from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the College of William and Mary.
KELLE LOUGHLIN
Education Coordinator & Director, Great Bay Discovery Center
Kelle oversees the education programs and general operations of the Great Bay Discovery Center. She appreciates early mornings on the outer loop of the boardwalk. She is happy with the continued improvements to the Center’s buildings and grounds, and loves to hear visitors say, “This place is so well cared for, and every time I come, I see something new!”
Before her work at the Reserve, Kelle was the aquatic resources education coordinator within the Public Affairs Division of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. She received a Master’s degree in Education and a Secondary in Environmental Science from Plymouth State University and Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Outdoor Education from the University of New Hampshire.
CHRIS PETER
Research Coordinator
Chris leads the research and monitoring programs at the Great Bay Reserve. He also participates in regional and national efforts that advance estuarine science, monitoring and restoration, including a regional project that is studying how sea level rise will impact our salt marshes in the future. Chris appreciates Adams Point as the gateway to the Bay and enjoys paddling on the Lamprey.
Before coming to the Reserve, he was a marine and estuarine scientist at the University of New Hampshire’s Jackson Estuarine Lab. He earned a Master’s of Science in Natural Resources and a Bachelor’s of Science in Water Resource Management from the University of New Hampshire.
Contact Chris | 603-294-0146
LAUREN WHITE
Stewardship Coordinator
Lauren leads the stewardship program at the Great Bay Reserve, aiming to monitor, protect, and restore coastal habitats within the Reserve. Previously she was a member of the research staff at GBNERR, focused on the monitoring of salt marsh habitats and wildlife, including northern range expanding species. Before coming to the Reserve, she worked at Jackson Estuarine lab on a variety of salt marsh, eelgrass, and invertebrate research both in Great Bay and in local coastal communities. She completed a Master’s of Science in Natural Resources at the University of New Hampshire and earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Biology from Vassar College. Lauren enjoys hiking around local conservation lands and spending time on the water any way she can (boating, snorkeling, paddling, etc.!)
LYNN VACCARO
Coastal Training Program Coordinator
Lynn came to New Hampshire in 2021 after working for 12 years at Michigan Sea Grant and the University of Michigan Water Center facilitating and supporting stakeholder driven research and restoration. She has extensive training as an educator and a scientist and experience working with researchers, decision makers and local communities in the Great Lakes region. Just before coming to GBNERR, Lynn was the collaborative research manager for the NERRS Science Collaborative where she ran research competitions, facilitated sharing between projects, organized workshops and learning opportunities, lead communication efforts about the NERRS Science Collaborative, and dove into all things collaborative and stakeholder driven right alongside NOAA and the project teams from around the country.
BETH HECKMAN
Assistant Education Coordinator
Beth arranges school field trips to the Discovery Center in the spring and fall and works with other education staff to develop new curricula for Estuary Exploration field trips. She also leads the Bayventure children’s programs in the summer and winter. As the center’s aquarist, she takes care of the exploration tanks and animals that live in them. She enjoys exploring the mudflats at the Discovery Center, and is proud to have helped more than 75,000 elementary school children discover the Great Bay as part of a school field trip.
During her first year at the Discovery Center she also worked at the Great Bay National Wildlife Refuge, where she developed public programs and coordinated volunteers to maintain the trail system. She received a Bachelors of Science in Wildlife Management from the University of New Hampshire.
MELISSA BROGLE
Volunteer & Internship Coordinator
Melissa helps recruit, train, manage, and recognize our wonderful volunteers. She is particularly proud of how Reserve volunteerism has grown since she started in 2013. Her favorite places on Great Bay are Clements Point and the waterfront at the Great Bay Discovery Center at high tide during Horseshoe Crab spawning season.
Before coming to the Reserve, Melissa had internships with The Ocean Conservancy and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful that helped her realize that this was what she wanted to do full time. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Master’s degree in Environmental Policy from the University of South Florida, and a Master’s in Nonprofit Management from Northeastern University.
TESS VENNARD
Staff Naturalist
Tess works as a naturalist here at the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and looks forward to combining her interests in environmental science with public outreach every day. Tess is currently attending Great Bay Community College as an Environmental Science student and plans to transfer to UNH after graduating with her associate degree next spring. Tess’s first visit to the Great Bay Discovery Center was on a field trip with her second–grade class, making it even more special that she now gets to lead field trips for other students! She loves to be outdoors hiking, going for walks, and exploring, and her favorite place around Great Bay is the boardwalk early morning when there is plenty of wildlife to see. The creative environment that the education team provides has enabled her to be ambitious in developing craft programs, and Tess also enjoys Saturdays when she reads a stoop story and feeds the discovery tank animals a critter dinner.
NATASHA ANDERSON
Staff Naturalist
Natasha is part of the education staff at the Discovery Center. She is heading the Once Upon an Estuary preschool program series, as well as implementing a fee story hour and other early childhood education programs. She plans fun nature based activities to get visitors interested in, and excited about the outdoors. Her favorite part about the Reserve is walking the boardwalk with her family, foraging along the trails and wild-crafting. Natasha has a background in early education and Herbalism. Before her work at the Discovery Center she taught preschool and nature enrichment programs for parents and children
MIKE MAIN
Facilities Manager
Mike is our facilities manager and takes care of maintenance around Reserve properties. He is a retired fire fighter, retired police officer, and currently has a small farm with horses, bee hives, and more!