Passing the Baton
After nearly 16 years, Jacob Shalack is officially leaving UGAMI on July 1. Jacob is a Research Professional who has worked with many researchers as the lead technician of the GCE-LTER, and since 2013 has also served as the Assistant Director for Operations at UGAMI. He is moving to the Office of the VP for Research on the UGA main campus, where he’ll be a Facilities Professional. We plan to continue working with him in his new capacity.
In the meantime, we have hired two new Assistant Directors, both of whom started on June 1. Nick Macias, the new Assistant Director for Operations, is a freshwater ecologist with experience as a field site manager and research and education coordinator for Cal Poly’s Swanton Pacific Ranch. He hails most recently from Georgia Southern, where he was a visiting faculty member. Tom Hancock, the new Assistant Director for Academics, is a coastal ecologist who has worked in both private and public settings, including as Director of Conservation for the Bald Head Island Conservancy. Tom was a professor in the Biology Department of Middle Georgia State University, and in that capacity has been bringing marine biology classes and research students to Sapelo Island since 2016. We welcome them both to the team!