In 2022, REEF launched the Marine Conservation Fellow Program. The program replaces the Leadership Intern Program.
Current Marine Conservation Fellows
Kuba graduated UCSB with a double major in film and environmental studies. His love for the ocean was sparked at a young age during a snorkeling trip in Bermuda. Since then he’s dove around the world, worked on coral farms in Saba and in the Florida Keys, and he’s a certified rescue diver. He aspires to make a difference through his storytelling skills, combining film and environmental topics to produce media that can promote change and better our relationship with the natural world. He’s worked on award-winning documentaries, created videos for nonprofit organizations, and loves to bring his camera underwater. Some of his hobbies include scuba diving, photography, sports, watching movies, and traveling. He’s very excited to learn more about how nonprofits operate and to work with the REEF team!
John Bychok, Marine Conservation Fellow -- January - August 2025
John is from York Maine, however, just graduated this year from California Polytechnic State University with a B.S. in biology and a minor in biotechnology. He studied abroad during his junior year in Costa Rica, where he backpacked through the OSA Peninsula for 6 weeks studying environmental conservation and the policies put into protect/preserve the environment. John also worked closely with sustainable tourism and did some field research with nonprofits on coral restoration. John is greatly interested in the ecology aspect and understanding how environmental change can impact animals and natural processes within habitats and how to best counteract that with green solutions prioritizing sustainability within communities.
Diana Phillips - Marine Conservation Fellow -- August 2024 - August 2025
Diana grew up spending all her spare time in the ocean nursing a love for jellyfish. As a teenager she was a part of SCUBAnauts International participating in scientific research and conservation diving across the country and internationally. In May 2024, she graduated from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale Florida with a BS in Marine Biology, minoring in research, pre-health, and GIS. During her undergraduate years she researched deep sea jellyfish utilizing underwater robots. She won 2nd place forher research at the Life Sciences South Florida (LSSF) symposium and presented about the applications of GIS in deep sea research at 2024 American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Geospatial Workshop. She has a passion for engaging the public in citizen science and conservation. In her free time, she enjoys reading fiction, SCUBA diving, photography, hiking, spelunking, camping, and playing ice hockey.
Past Marine Conservation Fellows
Noa Parks - Marine Conservation Fellow -- January - December 2024
Noa Parks graduated from Mississippi College in May 2023 with a B.S. in biology. She grew up around Memphis, TN, and has always loved the outdoors and science. She developed an infatuation with the ocean early in her life, and knew from a young age she wanted to pursue a career researching, exploring, and conserving it and its inhabitants. Noa has been a member of the Memphis Archaeological Geological Society since she was a little girl, and had numerous opportunities to participate in geological field trips. She and her family also went camping, hiking, and traveled to the coast whenever possible. These experiences shaped her into the aspiring marine scientist she is today. Her passion grew during college when she took marine biology and zoology courses, which granted her lots of field and lab experiences, including participating in a marine research cruise off of the Mississippi coast. During her senior year, Noa was a part of Dr. Frank Hensley’s ecology research team, which focused on the social behaviors of reptiles. Noa loves to be challenged, and sports have always played a large role in her life. She played volleyball throughout high school and continued her athletic career at the collegiate level. After she retired her jersey, she took up running and completed her first full marathon in January 2023. Noa loves to travel, hike, read, draw, and watch Friends. She also volunteers at a local food pantry and has a passion for serving others, which is one of the many reasons why REEF stood out to her. She recently completed her SCUBA diving coursework and looks forward to advancing her dive skills in Key Largo. Noa is excited to start working at REEF where she hopes to improve her skill set, share her passion with others, and make lifelong friendships.
Carolyn Corley - Education and Outreach Fellow -- August 2023 - June 2024
Carolyn Corley graduated in May 2023 from the University of San Diego with a B.S. in environmental and ocean sciences on the marine ecology pathway, and minors in biology and environmental studies and policy. She grew up in Simi Valley, CA, and has always loved being around the ocean. As a scuba diver, competitive swimmer, lifeguard, swim instructor, and marine biology student, Carolyn's life has always revolved around being in the water. In July 2021, she traveled to Utila, Honduras to intern for the Whale Shark & Oceanic Research Center where she gained experience working for an NGO, learned to ID and monitor 250+ species of tropical fish and coral reefs, and helped with invasive lionfish removal and data collection. The following summer she returned to Utila to earn her PADI Divemaster certification at the Bay Islands College of Diving. Over the past two years, she completed and defended her Capstone and Honors Thesis Research on invasive lionfish populations in Utila and the community’s involvement in lionfish containment efforts. As the Outreach Coordinator and Co-President for the Surfrider Foundation USD Club, she has planned beach cleanups and education events to raise awareness of coastal preservation and efforts to reduce single-use plastics. Carolyn is passionate about marine conservation, community outreach, and education, and she is excited to continue to pursue these passions with REEF during her Fellowship.
Dylan Heppell - Conservation Science Fellow -- January - December 2023
Dylan graduated from Oregon State University in the spring of 2022 with an Honors B.S. in environmental sciences with a specialization in aquatic biology. He loves everything related to the ocean, and being in, on, or near the water. Dylan grew up with two marine biologists for parents so his love for the ocean was engrained at an early age. He is returning to Key Largo after having spent a month at REEF in 2019 working with Dr. Alli Candelmo on the Invasive Species Program. Dylan is thrilled to be able to now spend an entire year in the Keys as a Fellow at REEF. He became a certified diver during a family vacation in Hawaii in 2017, and since then he has completed his advanced open water, rescue diver, and nitrox certifications through OSU. In the summer of 2021, Dylan worked as an intern at Pacific Seafood Group on freshwater conservation projects in their shrimp processing operations. His ideas, presented to the heads of the company, have the potential to save 35 million gallons of water each year at the Pacific Shrimp processor in Newport, Oregon. In 2022, Dylan had the opportunity to join the REEF Grouper Moon team in the Cayman Islands, where he assisted with logistics like camera and equipment management, and data collection on the aggregation site. In his free time, Dylan enjoys hiking, sports (especially soccer), diving, and fishing. He is very excited to start his Fellowship at REEF and help to advance their conservation science work!
Katie Barnes - Communications and Engagement Fellow -- September 2022 - August 2023
Katie graduated from North Carolina State University in 2022 with a B.S. in Plant Biology and minors in Marine Science and Animal Science. She grew up in New Bern, North Carolina only 45 minutes from the Atlantic Ocean, and loves being out on the water, either swimming, snorkeling, or just relaxing on a boat. She attended a service-learning trip in Key West, FL in high school, where she aided the Reef Relief organization in coral restoration. This experience first ignited her passion for marine conservation. Following this, she attended a semester-long program at NCSU’s Center for Marine Science and Technology in her junior year of college. This program fully immersed her in coastal and marine ecosystems through classes and research. Here, she received funding until she graduated to conduct an independent project on the Crystal Skipper, an endangered species in NC. As a creative outlet, Katie owns an Etsy shop where she sells digital and physical artwork. Combining her skills in science and art, she created club logos at NCSU and created visual research posters. These experiences proved vital to her career development as they gave her affirmation that marine conservation needed to be in her future career. Katie is excited to share her creative skills and passion for science to help make a difference at REEF!
Alexis Kuh
re Haag - Education and Outreach Fellow -- January - August 2023
Alexis graduated from Ohio University in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in specialized studies, combining environmental studies and sociology, and a geography minor. She was raised in a family of avid environmental activists, and has carried that instilled love of the environment to marine conservation. She was a counselor for a summer camp serving kids ages 6-11, where she planned activities and field trips to help them learn about environmental issues facing Appalachia, such as acid mine drainage. She became more focused on marine conservation while visiting Forfar Field Station on Andros Island in The Bahamas on two occasions - a weeklong program in with her university, and the second a six-week program the following summer, where she earned certifications like Wilderness First Aid, Sea Kayaking, PADI Advanced Open Water, and Leave No Trace. In college, she served as the Ohio University Student Director for the Sugar Bush Foundation, an organization that helps the local community and Ohio University by funding projects to promote sustainable development in Southeastern Ohio and Appalachia. She has also worked with Zero Waste Event Productions, helping to divert waste at large festivals and events in the region. She also worked with Ohio University’s Office of Sustainability, where she shared information about how students can become involved with the Sustainability Ambassadors, a campus student organization. She was a Marine Conservation Intern at REEF during the Fall 2022 semester, and is so excited to continue her journey at REEF in 2023!
Summer Huber - Conservation Science Fellow -- May 2021-September 2022
Summer graduated from Purdue University in December 2020 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. While in college, she conducted research on the effects of microplastics on several zooplankton and fish species in the Hook Fish Ecology Lab. She attended a study abroad trip in Belize where she learned the principles of lionfish collection and dissection, explored ancient Mayan ruins, and conducted marine conservation projects. Summer started with REEF in January 2021 as a Marine Conservation Intern. During her internship she planned an ocean-themed paint and sip event, coordinated lionfish derby registration, and completed her PADI Rescue Diver certification. Summer has many roles as the Conservation Science Lead Intern: she works with other program leads to support to Invasive Species Program projects and events; she participates in conservation science research efforts; and she acts as an internship leader for current Marine Conservation Interns. In the future, Summer plans to attend graduate school and study marine biology and ecology. She is thankful for the opportunity to be a Fellow with REEF, and is ready to continue advocating for marine life, participating in outreach events, and coordinating the Lionfish Derby Series.
Maddie Brownfield - Education and Outreach Fellow -- September 2021 - August 2022
Maddie graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in May 2021 from the University of Missouri. In college, she developed a love for marine conservation and diving, even in the murky lakes of the midwest. After spending a few weeks in Thailand her junior year, assisting with the restoration of coral reefs and learning about marine ecology, she knew this was the field for her. Maddie joined the REEF intern team in May 2021. As a Marine Conservation Intern, Maddie mixed her love of videography with educational outreach and worked on developing a series of promotional videos for REEF. As the Education and Outreach Lead Intern, Maddie will be assisting in coordinating and teaching educational programs and workshops at the REEF campus, offsite, and virtually. She will also be working to promote REEF through outreach events such as Into The Blue Book Club and on various social media platforms. Maddie is thrilled to be stepping into this role and is excited to continue exploring her creative skills, love of working with people, and passion for marine conservation.