Reef Relief Announces Staffing Changes

Reef Relief is pleased to announce the promotion of two staff members, Dora DeMaria has been promoted to Assistant Executive Director, and Erin O’Brien- Bogashewicz to Education Director. This decision to promote staff members indicates Reef Relief’s continued growth in programs. Reef Relief is excited to continue making an impact worldwide.

Dora DeMaria has been with Reef Relief for six years. She was born and raised in the Florida Keys, having graduated from Key West High School. She then attended the Florida State University (FSU) and completed her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a focus on Oceanography. She has completed several environmental internships including with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the FSU Marine Turtle Research programs. Her other experience includes participating in the FSU Women in Math, Science, and Engineering program, and educational work with Netflix original movie Chasing Coral, and teaching local swim lessons for over 10 years. Dora began interning for Reef Relief in 2017 as the Stormwater Education Intern and Education Intern. From her experiences she realized how much she enjoyed teaching others, especially children, about marine life, and conservation. She took on a full-time position as Education Coordinator at Reef Relief, then Education Manager, followed by the Education Director, now currently Assistant Executive Director for Reef Relief. Since working for Reef Relief, she has taught over 20,000 students in classroom settings and helped successfully launch a virtual platform that has reached over 200,000 people around the world. She also serves as a board member for Last Stand of the Florida Keys and serves as the Education and Outreach alternate seat for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. Dora is incredibly excited to continue expanding the Reef Relief programs and give back to the Florida Keys ecosystems that she grew up in.

Erin O’Brien-Bogashewicz has been with Reef Relief for three years. Erin was born and raised right outside Buffalo, NY and received her Bachelor of Science in Marine Science with a minor in Environmental Studies from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook in 2018. Upon graduating she moved to the Florida Keys, where she discovered Reef Relief and was the Education Intern from January to August of 2019. It was here that she discovered her passion for marine and environmental education and outreach and decided that was the type of role she wished to pursue for her career. She has also participated in a variety of other marine science related roles including an internship with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, working with the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program as an Educator and volunteering with the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery and Aquarium and the Long Island Aquarium/New York Marine Rescue Center as an Education Docent and a member of the Rescue Team. In May 2021 she returned to Reef Relief as the Education Coordinator, and has progressed on to become the Education Manager, and now the Education Director where she is continuing her role as an educator and leader, supporting, and expanding Reef Relief’s educational programs. Since working for Reef Relief, she has taught over 12,000 students in classroom settings and over 8,000 students in virtual learning settings around the world.

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