I'm a marine community ecologist, biodiversity scientist, and ecological statistician interested in coastal conservation, management, and restoration. I test and employ ecological theory to inform nature-based solutions to mitigate response to climate change and other anthropogenic impacts. I have worked in a variety of ecosystems, from marine to terrestrial, but have an enduring affinity for seagrasses and other underwater grasses. To help with my research, I develop new statistical methods and approaches, principally structural equation modeling (SEM). I write and maintain an R package to conduct SEM and teach international courses on the applications of this method. Before coming to UMCES, I was the Tennenbaum Coordinating Scientist for the Smithsonian Institution’s MarineGEO program, and a post-doctoral researcher at Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in East Boothbay, ME and at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Gloucester Point, VA. I received my Ph.D. in Marine Science from The College of William & Mary in 2015.