Speaker Biographies
Terrence Gray
Director - RI Department of Environmental Management
A lifelong Rhode Islander who grew up on the shores of Narragansett Bay in the Gaspee Plateau neighborhood of Warwick, Terrence Gray has worked at DEM for the whole of his 34-year career. He entered State service in 1987 as a hazardous waste program engineer and rose through the agency’s ranks becoming Chief of the Division of Site Remediation in 1993, Chief of the Office of Waste Management in 1996, Assistant Director for Air, Waste, and Compliance in 1999, Associate Director for Environmental Protection in 2012, and Deputy Director for Environmental Protection in 2018.
Along with his agency-wide responsibilities, Terry continues to oversee all major environmental regulatory programs in DEM and directs the implementation of the compliance, technical assistance, permitting, remediation, and enforcement programs.
Terry participated in the Leadership Rhode Island program and is a proud member of the Phi class of 2001. In 2016, he participated in the Harvard JFK School of Government Executive Education program on Strategic Management of Regulatory and Enforcement Agencies. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University, a Master of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Northeastern University, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Rhode Island. Gray is a registered professional engineer in Rhode Island.
Career highlights include helping to develop the highly successful RI Brownfields program to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites, and, since 2019, serving as the primary point person on the interagency team for the Transportation and Climate Initiative, which would substantially cut greenhouse gases in the transportation sector. Terry is an avid hiker and has explored many of the trails throughout DEM’s parks and management areas.
In Terry’s own words upon excepting his appointment as Direct of RI DEM, "I appreciate Governor McKee's appointment and will work to continue to deliver responsive, clear, and predictable customer service across DEM. DEM has a broad mission important to all Rhode Islanders. We have much work ahead of us and I look forward to working with DEM employees, our partners in other state and municipal agencies, and public stakeholders to accomplish it."
Stephanie Hussey
Senior Director, Government Engagement
Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation
Stephanie Hussey has 30 years experience working with state fish and wildlife agencies and is one of the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation’s (RBFF) veteran staff members. As Senior Director, Government Engagement, Stephanie serves as primary liaison with state and federal government natural resource agencies in recruitment, retention and reactivation (R3) efforts and leads RBFF’s R3 program development to help state and federal partners increase participation in fishing and boating. Stephanie joined RBFF in December 2000 and has led the development and implementation of many key products and programs with state agencies.
Prior to joining RBFF, Stephanie was the director of project development for Southwick Associates, where she marketed and promoted the company’s economic assessments of fish and wildlife-associated recreation. Stephanie started her career in fisheries and wildlife in 1993 as a research assistant for the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, assisting with various national fish and wildlife resource management projects.
Stephanie received a B.S. degree in biology from Michigan State University and went to Utah State University for a Master’s in fisheries and wildlife.
Catherine Rose Ruiz
State Program Manager
Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation
Catherine Rose Ruiz joined the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) in January of 2024 as State Program Manager, working closely with our state agency partners and supporting the development, implementation and evaluation our state R3 programs.
Catherine Rose moved to the DC area from Los Angeles, CA, where she worked for a number of non-profit organizations including Children’s Bureau and Operation HOPE. She has a decade of experience developing strategies and resources, as well as leading and managing outreach efforts and educational/empowerment programs for youth, women and multicultural families and communities. Catherine Rose has built and maintained several partnerships with diverse stakeholders on the community, government and corporate sides. She earned her B.S. in Sociology from Santa Clara University and M.S.W. in Community, Organization and Business Innovation from University of Southern California.
Catherine Rose loves being outdoors, especially on a boat or by the water, and participating in recreational activities, such as kayaking, paddleboarding, fly fishing, wakeboarding and surfing.
Ayana Melvan
Director of Conservation Action, Aquarium Conservation Partnership
Ayana Melvan is the Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships for Mission Programs at Mystic Aquarium. Ayana is responsible for cultivating strategic partnerships that will substantially grow Mission Programs reach, revenue, and impact with a strong focus on environmental justice and racial equity. Ayana Melvan came from the United Way of Rhode Island. Ayana has worked in the field of youth development and education for over 20 years in several capacities, including most recently heading up the Youth Development work at United Way, and leading the Rhode Island Afterschool Network, with a heavy focus on environmental justice with a racial equity lens.
Ayana has led work with local and statewide initiatives including the Rhode Island Working Cities Challenge from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston on ending racism and helping the City of Cranston create more equitable opportunities for youth and families. She has also led the work on eliminating the school to prison pipeline in Rhode Island for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) youth with national and local entities. Ayana has worked as a partner with Mystic Aquarium for over a decade in Connecticut and Rhode Island to help bring conservation-focused STEM education opportunities to lower income and BIPOC youth in out-of-school time. In her spare time, Ayana enjoys hanging out with her family at the beach, pool side, or outdoors and loves living in Westerly, RI. She spends most of her free time with her husband Mark, father Dwight, and two beautiful and amazing children Phoenix and Kingston along with Percy and Pippin’ the fur babies of the house.
Christina Milloy
National Lead for Wildlife/Sport Fish Restoration and Hunter/Aquatic Education Grant Programs
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Christina Milloy is a Fish and Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Office of Conservation Investment at Headquarters. She serves in the Programs Branch as National Lead for the Wildlife Restoration, Hunter Education, Sport Fish Restoration, and Aquatic Education programs. She also served as Chair of the Service’s Workforce Culture Transformation Team, which was awarded the Department of Interior Secretary’s Diversity Award.
She has worked with the Service since 2009 and was previously employed with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. Christina graduated with her Master Degree in Environmental Science from Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (FES) in 2006. She was awarded a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Graduate Scholarship in 2004, and named a Doris Duke Conservation Fellow in 2005. She has served as Northeast Chair and Connecticut Chapter Leader for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholar Association, and has mentored students through Yale FES’s Environmental Leadership Mentor Program as well as Yale University.
David Monti
Captain
Dave grew up on the water and has been shellfishing, fishing, and boating all his life. He held a scallop license on Nantucket for 15 years, where he scalloped during the fall and winter months. Dave holds a master captain’s license and works as a charter fishing captain, keeps his charter boat in Warwick, RI and fishes in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, and Block Island Sound.
Captain Monti is the fishing columnist for the Providence Journal (the major daily newspaper in RI) and writes for eleven other newspapers, blogs and magazines. He also is a regular contributor to the Marine Fish Conservation Network blog and a writer/editor of the Saltwater Anglers Association Magazine. Dave writes about the environment, fishing policy, regulations and ocean issues such as spatial planning, federal and state fishing law, offshore wind energy, climate change impacts on fish and fishing as well as fishing tactics and strategies.
Dave is a recreational fisheries communications consultant and advocate, is past vice chair of the RI Marine Fisheries Council, serves as an active member of the RI Saltwater Anglers Association (the largest recreational fishing association in the northeast with over 7,500 affiliated members), is a member of the Rhode Island Party & Charter Boat Association, is a founding board member of the American Saltwater Guides Association, and serves as vice chair on the steering committee for the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program. He formerly worked in the advertising and public relations industry, as partner and treasurer of the RDW Group marketing and digital communications firm. Dave also is an active volunteer with the RI ARE program. Learn more about Dave's charter at https://www.noflukefishing.com/sub4_CaptainAndBoat.html
Session Presenter Bios
Karen Byrne - Karen has been the Aquatic Resource Education Coordinator for NJ DEP Fish and Wildlife for over 15 years.
Adam Comer - Adam is the Aquatic Education Manager with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He earned a BS in Geography and M.Ed. in Secondary Education. His prior experience includes patrolling the Cascades in Washington, a formal educator in Alaska and Arizona and an educational non-profit program director.
Abbey Czarnecki - Abbey Czarnecki is a Las Vegas native with a love for the outdoors, especially water. She became the Angler Education Coordinator after 5 years of volunteering and volunteer coordinating outdoor education activities. Her love for aquatic education and fishing has lead to the push for new classes beginning in Nevada like Kayak Fishing.
Gus Elliott - Gus is a former teacher, curriculum specialist, and principal living in Iowa with his wife and two young children. Originally from a small dairy farm in Pennsylvania, Gus moved to Iowa during college and fell in love with his wife and the Midwest. Gus is all about education and conservation.
Keaton Fish - Keaton is the East Central Region Partnership Coordinator for the Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network in Lakeland, FL. He has a bachelor's degree in environmental studies from Florida State University and has worked for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for over 10 years.
Kyle Glencross - Kyle is the Let's Go Fishing Coordinator for New Hampshire Fish & Game.
BeBe Dalton Harrison - BeBe spent a lot of time in the salt marshes of the Lowcountry in South Carolina growing up. She decided she wanted a career in natural resources after attending Camp Wildwood and later worked at SCDNR where she led Becoming and Outdoors Woman and Project WILD/Aquatic WILD, as well as creating the first ever aquatic resources education program for the state. She has been recognized by the American Fisheries Society, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and Aquatic Resources Education Association for her programs. BeBe also worked with SC Seagrant Consortium to develop and launch a program to certify environmental educators across the state. She is passionate about advancing quality time spent in the outdoors by youth, women, and families. She enjoys fishing and kayaking with her family and friends.
Corey Hart - Corey is an Education Specialist at Vermont Fish & Wildlife.
Syd Hime - Syd has been with the Missouri Department of Conservation since 2001, working primarily with volunteer and education programs. In 2022 she launched the Discover Nature Fishing Schools program and is getting fishing poles in the hands of kids across the Show-Me State.
Thomas Lindsey Haskin - Thomas has written, produced and directed over 400 productions that include documentary films, educational films, television commercials, public service announcements and industrial films. Lindsey’s camera work has appeared on ABC Primetime Live, CBS 48 Hours, ABC World News and other venues. In 2020, Lindsey formed SkyhoundMedia, Inc.. In our increasingly tech driven world, it’s easy to overlook how our prosperity, health and happiness depend upon nature and the diverse cultures of the world. SkyhoundMedia, Inc. was formed to explore those links through engaging, entertaining, thought-provoking and visually stunning non-fiction television programs, documentary films, and other media.
Lauren A.C. Holbrook - Lauren is a communications associate for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, stationed at Hammond Bay Biological Station along the shore of Lake Huron, near Rogers City, Michigan.
Tom Lang - Tom has been an AREA member since 2006, has helped organize two AREA National conferences (Omaha and Phoenix), served as President, and received the Exceptional Support of AREA award in 2014.
Veronica Mangio - Veronica is the Education and Marketing Manager at Wildlife Forever, where she oversees the Art of Conservation program and leads various marketing initiatives. Veronica is passionate about working with youth and enjoys creating art inspired by nature, using a variety of mediums such as gouache, watercolor, oil pastels, colored pencils, and photography. In her free time, she enjoys fishing with friends and family.
Larry Pape - Larry has been with Nebraska Game and Parks Commission for 25 years and currently is the Aquatic Education Specialist for the Fisheries Division. His job involves helping people understand and enjoy fisheries natural resources.
Amanda Peavey - Amanda is the Education Director for the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council. She has been in Environmental Education for 10 years, working at Audubon Wildlife Refuges, zoos, and nature centers! Amanda loves to be creative through crochet and, more recently, woodburning. She also loves to watch the birds and butterflies in her pollinator garden.
Keira Quam - Retired from public and private education, Keira is an Aquatic Education Training Specialist with Texas Parks and Wildlife. She earned the AREA Steve Campbell Outstanding Educator award in 2022. She certifies instructors in the agency’s Conventional and Fly Fishing programs, teaches Kayak Fishing and Tenkara while supporting an endless list of partners across Texas.
Kimberly Sullivan - Kimberly is a Principal Fisheries Biologist with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's Division of Fish and Wildlife. She graduated from Roger Williams University in 1999 with a B.S. in Marine Biology, along with minors in Environmental Biology and Psychology. Kimberly joined RI DEM as a Fish Hatchery Supervisor at the Lafayette Trout Hatchery, where she raised trout as a Hatchery Supervisor, oversaw tour groups, and mentoring students. In 2003, she transitioned to a Senior Fisheries Biologist, leading Rhode Island’s Aquatic Resource Education program. She is the RI State Coordinator for Project WILD and Project WET, R3 Angling Representative for the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Aquatics Supervisor for the RI Envirothon, and President of the AREA. Currently, Kimberly is pursuing her Master’s in Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island, focusing on human dimensions research.
Beau Yeiser - Beau is the Southeast Region Partnership Coordinator for the Florida Youth Conservation Centers Network, whose mission is to “create the next generation that cares” about Florida’s natural resources and conservation. His fishing efforts mostly come from work-related experiences including long-lining, drum-lining and hook and line fishing for large coastal sharks and smalltooth sawfish, as well as years spent studying Florida’s popular gamefish the common snook, where hook and line fishing for reproductive studies was common practice. Beau enjoys reaching communities with healthy environmental messaging and generating excitement to recreate in Florida’s outdoors.