Dr. Allison Roy and Dr. Stephen DeStefano both received individual Leadership Awards from the USGS Cooperative Research Unit Program for the great work they do for the scientific community and Unit cooperators

 

Dr. Allison Roy, AUL- Fish, MA Unit  – Leadership

 

Dr. Roy has been with the Massachusetts Unit since 2012 and has made remarkable inroads into building, strengthening and expanding the Unit’s relations with its cooperators. Relations among the Massachusetts Unit and its cooperators are both deeper and stronger, in part due to Dr. Roy’s efforts. Dr. Roy is incredibly well respected among cooperators who consistently turn to her to lead them in many different aspects of fisheries and aquatic ecology. 

Dr. Roy has built an impressive program of research, teaching mentorship, and service. In the past year and half along, she and her students have produced 6 scientific publications, presented 27 conference talks and invited seminars, and raised a million dollars in grant money. She currently has 6 active graduate projects and recently completed 4 others. She also has created opportunities for undergraduates and honor students to work with her graduate students – this mentorship has added to her research program and broadened relations with the university and host department. Dr. Roy has shown her leadership qualities displaying an ability to strengthen the program, engage and network with a large array of cooperators and stakeholders, and raise the status of the Massachusetts Unit. 

 

Dr. Stephen DeStefano, UL, MA Unit – Leadership 

Dr. DeStefano has truly exhibited outstanding leadership to the scientific community and to the Massachusetts Unit’s cooperators. His research, technical assistance, and administrative efforts have all been outstanding. After becoming Unit Leader in 1999, Dr. DeStefano immediately and effectively began working with cooperators to improve their relationship with the Unit. Dr. DeStefano continues to show strong leadership in dealing with numerous issues with University-State relations,  and continues to work in a strong capacity with changes in state leadership. One of his most recent efforts was to lead a session at the Coordinating Committee meeting where faculty at the university each presented a talk on their research interests for the benefit of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Under Dr. DeStefano’s leadership, the state cooperator network has been expanded to include additional agencies. Dr. DeStefano has worked with state cooperators to support their employees in gaining advanced degrees through the Unit while addressing actionable science needs, furthering enhancing Unit-Cooperator relations.