Maia McGuire

Primary responsibilities include (1) planning and executing statewide Florida Sea Grant Extension and Education activities, (2) coordinating FSG Extension activities and programs within the UF/IFAS Extension framework, (3) seeking and maintaining liaison associations and partnerships with key stakeholders, and (4) assisting in the coordination of annual reporting, strategic planning and programmatic reviews.  Additional responsibilities include interaction with Florida Sea Grant research, finance, and communications personnel. 

Specialization

Dr. McGuire has been affiliated with Florida Sea Grant since 2001, first serving as a multi-county extension agent in northeast Florida. In this capacity she conducted informal education programs on topics including marine debris, climate change, invasive species and protecting coastal habitats. She has written three elementary curricula (on manatees, cetaceans–whales and dolphins, and sea turtles). In 2005, she was awarded the Marine Science Educator of the Year award by the Florida Marine Science Educators Association. In 2014 she was given the Don Sweat Award by Florida Sea Grant, and in 2015 she was named Conservation Educator of the Year by the Florida Wildlife Federation. She is a past-chair of the National Sea Grant Education Network. In 2015, McGuire was awarded a NOAA Marine Debris Outreach and Education grant to start the Florida Microplastic Awareness Project. This citizen science project’s goal is to raise awareness about the sources of and threats posed by microplastics in the coastal environment and to teach people how to reduce their contribution to the plastic problem.

Education

• PhD, Marine Biology and Fisheries, University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
• BS, Marine Biology, Florida Institute of Technology