Phyllis Grifman

Biography
Phyllis Grifman is the Executive Director of the USC Sea Grant Program. Her background in marine and environmental policy informs her work administering the NOAA Sea Grant Program at the University of Southern California. As Executive Director of the USC Sea Grant program, she manages the program's research, outreach, and education portfolios, in addition to working with stakeholders at state, local, and federal levels. Her responsibilities include improving public awareness of Sea Grant mission and accomplishments and developing programs and partnerships to foster the connections between science and policy. Phyllis received her B.A. and M.A. (Political Science) from the University of California Santa Barbara. Her major interests include marine policy development and implementation, and public education.

Ms. Grifman manages Sea Grant's research initiatives, including soliciting and funding research projects and outreach efforts to local and regional authorities. She has interacted with managers and policy makers in local, regional, state and national government. Most recently, she has worked on issues pertaining to marine spatial planning, as part of the California Marine Life Protection Act South Coast Regional Stakeholders Group, charged with mapping a network of marine protected areas from Point Concepcion to the Mexican border. She has worked with Los Angeles and Orange County Sanitation authorities on research pertaining to impacts of disposal on coastal waters, and with the research community and municipalities on impacts of storm water runoff on nearshore coastal environments. She is working to expand the program on coastal natural hazards, including impacts on local communities of coastal erosion, storm impacts, and sea level rise. She is Vice Chair of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council and serves on the Board of Directors of the California Shore and Beach Preservation Association.

Curriculum Vitae

Links
California Shore and Beach Preservation Association
Channel Island National Marine Sanctuary

At right: Ms. Grifman is featured as The Nature Conservancy's 'Member of the Month'. Check out this brief video clip as Phyllis describes the outreach and impact of USC Sea Grant. Video Link