Organization’s waterkeeper also invited to mentor Harvard law students this October
SAN DIEGO, July 26, 2012 – This week, San Diego Coastkeeper announced two new staff members joining the organization to protect and restore swimmable, fishable and drinkable waters in San Diego County. Mallory Watson starts as a community engagement coordinator and Nia Gipson as education coordinator. Also, Waterkeeper Jill Witkowski accepted a special invitation to participate in Harvard’s Wasserstein Public Interest Fellows program.
Mallory Watson received her master of science in marine affairs and policy from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Working with commercial fishermen and Florida Sea Grant, her research focused on marine debris and recovering lost fishing gear along the Florida Keys Reef Tract.
Prior to graduate school, Watson’s career has taken her from coast to coast in marine science research, outreach and education. From studying Hawaiian monk seals to teaching students on Catalina, in San Diego and Miami, she developed a passion for motivating communities to become leaders in responsible environmental stewardship.
Nia Gipson joined San Diego Coastkeeper to oversee the implementation of education programs, especially Project SWELL (Stewardship: Water Education for Lifelong Leadership). In partnership with the City of San Diego and San Diego and Oceanside Unified School Districts, Project SWELL provides a comprehensive and hands-on water quality and pollution prevention curricula to students in the district.
In Gipson’s previous rolls, she was an instructor and program assistant at the Elementary Institute of Science, a science enrichment summer camp and afterschool program that promotes hands-on learning and scientific inquiry. She also served as the education coordinator at BIOCOM Institute where she coordinated speaking opportunities for local scientists in middle and high school classrooms.
Meanwhile, Jill Witkowski, the newly announced waterkeeper at San Diego Coastkeeper, was invited by Wasserstein Public Interest Fellows program of Harvard Law School as a speaker. The program invites about 20 advocate leaders from the United States each year. Witkowski says she’s honored to receive this special recognition and place San Diego Coastkeeper’s work in the national public interest arena.
At the fellowship two-day event, Witkowski aspires to encourage young graduates to pursue their passion in public interest legal careers despite the bleak job forecasts and attract students to pursue a law internship with Coastkeeper.For more information, please visit San Diego Coastkeeper’s official website at localhost/sdcoastkeeper.
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SAN DIEGO COASTKEEPER: Founded in 1995, San Diego Coastkeeper protects and restores fishable, swimmable and drinkable waters in San Diego County. Visit us online at https://www.sdcoastkeeper.org.
