Meet the Educators

Oregon Sea Grant's dynamic marine education staff is committed to developing innovative, hands-on marine science programs that educate and inspire young people to better understand the marine environment.

Our staff are college graduates with degrees in marine science and/or education. They bring their specific skills and passions to our program, and are trained to provide well-rounded classroom and field experiences while maintaining a safe and positive learning environment. All staff undergo background checks before they are hired, and are certified in First Aid and CPR.  Meet some of the team below:

OUR EDUCATION TEAM

TRACY CREWS
Marine Education Coordinator

Tracy has a B.S. in Marine Biology from Texas A & M University and a Master’s in Marine Science from the College of William & Mary in Virginia.  She has worked in public education, research and resource management for 18 years in organizations including Virginia Institute of Marine Science, National Marine Fisheries Service, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Round Rock Independent School District, SeaCamp and Newfound Harbor Marine Institute.  

As Marine Education Coordinator, Tracy oversees Oregon Sea Grant’s youth and family programs at Hatfield Marine Science Center, including k-12 school programs and summer day camps.  Her focus is coordination of marine educators and wet lab facilities, program development and evaluation, and professional development for educators.  You can reach Tracy by contacting her at tracy.crews@oregonstate.edu.

KATHRYN HAWES
Marine Education Assistant

If you are planning on bringing your youth or school group to the Visitor Center for a class, Kathyrn is the person to contact!  Her email is SeaGrantMarineEd@oregonstate.edu.

Kathryn Hawes has a B.S. in Forest Ecosystem Management from Iowa State University. After first moving to Oregon, Kathryn worked as a park ranger at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area and South Beach State Park. Then she became a Museum Assistant for the HMSC Visitor Center, interpreting exhibits, giving public animal feeding presentations, and working directly with museum volunteers, school groups, and the general public. Today, Kathryn is an instructor for our many marine education classes, and she is also in charge of program scheduling and accounts. 

ATHENA CRICHTON
Marine Educator

Athena has been working as a marine educator for Sea Grant at HMSC for nearly 11 years. She attended University of Hawaii at Hilo and studied human anatomy and physiology.  When she joined Oregon Sea Grant, it didn’t take her long to switch gears to learn and teach about the anatomy, physiology and behavior of fish and marine invertebrates. Athena’s current special interest is the exploration and study of marine ecosystems, particularly estuarine habitats.

FRANK FRANKLIN
Marine Educator

Mr. Franklin received his B.S. from Portland State and his Master's in Education degree from Western Oregon State University.  He then spent 20 years teaching math and science in the Estacada School District.  Frank joined the Sea Grant Marine Education team in 2009, and he teaches programs for visiting school groups.

CAIT GOODWIN
Marine Educator and Quests Coordinator

Cait has a B.A. in Zoology from Connecticut College, and a M.S. in Zoology from the University of Rhode Island. She has worked as an outdoor and informal science educator for more than 15 years. Before coming to Oregon, she was a Naturalist at the South Shore Natural Science Center in Massachusetts, and she served on the South Shore Quests committee. Cait joined Oregon Sea Grant as a marine educator in 2006, and she teaches and develops curricula for visiting school groups, teachers, and the general public. In 2007, she developed and launched the Oregon Coast Quests program at Sea Grant. You can reach Cait by contacting her at cait.goodwin@oregonstate.edu.

AMY PERNARELLI
Marine Educator

Amy is a student at Oregon State University working on her Bachelors Degree in Human Development and Family Sciences with a minor in Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences. While attending school she has been involved in many areas of informal education that have focused on marine science. Amy has taught ocean science camp for STEM Academy the past two summers, she’s been a co-instructor for Sea Grant’s summer camp programs, and she has worked at the Oregon Coast Aquarium for 3 years as a sleepover attendant.  Amy teaches marine programs at HMSC for visiting school groups and summer daycampers.

KATIE SARD
Marine Educator

Katie has a B.S. in Biology and her MAT in Science Education from the State University of New York at Fredonia.  She moved from western New York to Oregon in June of 2011, and has enjoyed immersing herself in the wonderful world of marine science and education found here in the Pacific Northwest. Currently, Katie also works for Lincoln County School District as a high school science teacher at Newport High School.  She teaches marine science programs at HMSC for visiting school groups and summer daycampers.