Our Team

Mike De Luca provides executive management and leadership for integrated programs of research, education and outreach, especially the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, Aquaculture Innovation Center, and the Coastal Exploration Center.  Other key duties include management of major external research, science education and service programs, government relations, marine and coastal science policy, program development, and partnerships.  He oversees operations of major field facilities and serves as Chair of the Rutgers Dive Control Board.  He has led efforts to capitalize on environmental sampling and sensing networks to inform coastal management and enrich K-12 science education. 

Most recently, he initiated Rutgers efforts to support the development, growth and prosperity of aquaculture in New Jersey and the Mid-Atlantic region. In this new key responsibility, he has led efforts to establish new research directions (such as development of nutraceuticals) and new candidate species for culture including the surf clam, bay scallop and ribbed mussel. He currently leads efforts to restore the ecological integrity of coastal systems and communities in the aftermath of extreme events, develops science-based strategies to enhance resilience of coastal communities and ecosystems, designs innovative approaches to science-based management of coastal systems, and participates in activities to advance management of marine protected areas.

His experience includes service as the President of the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association (NERRA), President of the National Association of Marine Laboratories, Chair of the Science and Technical Advisory Committee for the Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program and member of the Heinz Center Panel on Innovations in Coastal Zone Management. He is currently the President of the Northeast Association of Marine and Great Lakes Laboratories, and Chair of the Government Affairs Committee for NERRA.

Andrea Habeck is the Assistant Manager, and previously the GIS and Stewardship Coordinator, for the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (JC NERR). She leads program initiatives for the Jacques Cousteau NERR and implements habitat restoration, capacity building, and stewardship objectives. She manages projects with the CESU and Seamless Network programs between Rutgers University, the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, JC NERR, and other protected area networks. Andrea is a GIS specialist with expertise in project management, remote sensing, ESRI ArcGIS spatial analysis, and surveying. She coordinates the JC NERR long term monitoring efforts related to tracking habitat change, especially elevation change in salt marsh and beach-dune habitats in relationship to sea level rise. In the last 15 years, Andrea has worked extensively with survey grade GPS equipment to monitor geomorphological changes in coastal habitats. The majority of this work has been in partnership with the National Park Service and US Fish and Wildlife Inventory and Monitoring program.

Kaitlin has been the Education Coordinator for the JC NERR since 2016. Kaitlin conducts and coordinates science education and outreach programs for community members, students, and formal and informal educators. Kaitlin also assists with education efforts on research grants and manages part time education staff at the Reserve. Kaitlin is a board member of the New Jersey Marine Educators Association, co-chair for the Barnegat Bay Partnership Communication and Education Committee, and workgroup chair for the NERRS Conservation Action Education workgroup, which focuses on developing programs that foster sustainable behaviors and collective community action.

Amanda fell in love with the Mullica River-Great Bay estuary and pine barrens ecosystem after her move to southern New Jersey to attend Stockton University. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree from the environmental science program in 2018, with a concentration in wildlife management. Her career took off when she became a biological science technician for Edwin B. Forsythe NWR, working outdoors to collect scientific data from NJ saltmarshes, barrier islands, and lowland swamps. It was here she gained the experience and passion to address the world’s most prominent issue – climate change. Using the Coastal Training Program platform at the Jacques Cousteau NERR, she strives to shape the program around habitat restoration techniques for local decision-makers to use in climate resilience planning; assuring both humans and coastal ecosystems can thrive together into the future.

Amy was brought onto the JC NERR team in 2019, where she was tasked with creating and implementing a communications and public outreach program for the Reserve. She coordinates all digital and in-person initiatives, including: execution of social media platforms and campaigns, creation of bi-annual public newsletters, management of the JC NERR website, production of short films, creation of digital/print infographics and flyers, representation of the JC NERR at offsite public fairs and festivals, coordination of usage of the JC NERR Coastal Center, creation of self-guided and event-based public activities (in conjunction with Kaitlin Gannon), development of activities and content guides for programs, large and small scale event planning, and participation in ongoing grant projects. Some special projects she has created include: the JC NERR first podcast series (launched in January 2020), a public Backyard Bird Photo Contest (coming back spring ‘25!), Seasonal Trail Scavenger Hunts, and a virtual guide for the Grassle Marsh Trail (via the Flyover Country mobile app). In addition, she serves as the Manager of the Life on the Edge interpretive estuary exhibit located at the Tuckerton Seaport. 

Tom “Motz” Grothues promotes, tracks, reports on, and contributes to scientific research in the Reserve boundaries. Tom holds a faculty position as Research Associate Professor at Rutgers University Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences and advises students through the Graduate Program in Oceanography and Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources . Tom’s primary research interests revolve on the processes that govern the abundance and distribution of fishes, especially as responses to physical factors such as currents, climate, and habitat structure. This also led to interest in furthering technologies and strategies needed to study this,  given the challenges of depth, distance, turbidity, and complexity. The development is especially in eh use of autonomous underwater vehicles for fish tracking and imaging, and related processing algorithms for sonar image classification and decision making. These investigations are cross-disciplinary and involve collaborations with other biologists, physical and geological oceanographers, commercial fishers, and mechanical, electrical, computer, and acoustical engineers, as well as interaction with Federal, State, municipal, and private-sector resource managers.

Gregg Sakowicz began his time at JC NERR first as a Graduate Research Fellow in 2000 and has served in his current position since 2003.  Gregg coordinates the System Wide Monitoring Program, a network of stations and sensors that record water, weather, and nutrient parameters in the system.  This provides a  foundational environmental dataset to which other monitoring and research activities (both the JC NERR’s and partners’) can be referenced.  Gregg is also routinely involved in associated research, including NERRS vegetation and marsh platform surveys, NERRS Sentinel Site, Science Collaborative, as well as externally-funded studies of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in the Little Egg Harbor/Barnegat Bay Complex.  Gregg has also recently worked with MACAN (Mid-Atlantic Ocean Acidification Network) in proposing a Coastal Acidification Monitoring Network and is working towards coupling biological and eDNA surveys with SWMP monitoring and sampling.  Gregg also has a passion for outreach, mentoring students, presenting the JC NERR’s research and monitoring work to the public, and routinely serves as a technical expert, representative, and trainer within the NERRS network.

Patty joined the JCNERR team in 2021 as an Assistant System-Wide Monitoring Program (SWMP) Technician. This program highlights water quality, weather monitoring, and nutrient sampling, and Patty plays a role in each. She leads the nutrient sampling collection and weather monitoring efforts while also supporting the lead technician and researcher with water quality sonde maintenance. Patty contributes to NERR’s field operations and pilot projects by spearheading sampling efforts for a pilot eDNA study, conducting marsh vegetation monitoring, and recording Sediment Elevation Tables (SETs) for the Wetlands and Water Levels group. Patty is also currently one of two operators of the JCNERR’s new Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV), which plays a key role in expanding the reserve’s benthic mapping research efforts. When there’s a research project underway at the reserve, you can count on Patty to be out there collecting valuable data!

Rose works with the JC NERR Manager, Assistant Manager and Staff on program development, education and outreach projects, Teacher Development Workshops, community resilience projects, and all other special projects. Assists in field operations and is responsible for the operation and management of JC NERR’s research vessel, R/V Resilience.

After working many years in the medical diagnostics industry, Christine took the Barnegat Bay Master Naturalist Course and became a volunteer with JC NERR.  Her volunteer work with the Life on the Edge exhibit, bridgenetting and education programs led her to the position of Volunteer Coordinator in 2023.  In this capacity she registers new volunteers, matches people with jobs and records volunteer hours. She also manages volunteer recognition events throughout the year.  Christine assists the Education Coordinator with the 6 week children’s summer program held each year.

Chase Wunder graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from the University of Delaware in 2021, and is currently the Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellow at the JC NERR while pursuing a Master’s in Ecology and Evolution at Rutgers University. Chase’s primary research interests involve the processes that influence the movement ecology and migration patterns of ecologically and commercially important fishes that seasonally inhabit coastal estuaries. Through electronic tagging methods he is tagging and tracking summer flounder in the Great Bay – Mullica River Estuary and ocean to examine life history variation and its relation to environmental cues. This research is highly collaborative and involves local recreational and commercial fisherman, regional biologists, and partnering institutions.

Cameron graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Rowan University in 2020, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Environmental Science at LSU. Her academic and professional path has always been driven by a deep interest in ecology, conservation, and environmental management. With the AmeriCorps New Jersey Watershed Ambassadors Program she evaluates water quality in local streams, specifically assessing freshwater streams through the study of benthic macroinvertebrates. These organisms serve as bioindicators, offering insight into the health of aquatic ecosystems. She is also passionate about integrating fieldwork with research to better understand and protect our natural resources.