COA Welcomes Six Impressive Summer Interns!

Interns (L to R) John Chiarella, Josh Keller, Nicole Brennan, Maureen Sullivan, Melanie Daly, Val Taranto

Nicole Brennan is the Science Intern. She is a 2017 graduate of URI with a BS in Geology/Geological Oceanography with field experience as a “Research Intern in Ocean Sciences Fellowship” with Rutgers University in Chile, as well as experience in the Sea Level Research Lab at URI. At COA, Nicole is launching and staffing the implementation of the citizen water quality monitoring program, Rally for the Navesink, as well as other water quality initiatives.

John Chiarella, C.O.A.S.T. Intern (Clean Ocean Action Shore Tips), attends Fordham University as a History major with a Theatre/Communications minor. John has previous non-profit experience interning for Move for Hunger in Asbury Park and as a crew member of the Student Conservation Association at Sandy Hook.  He will focus on providing information to businesses and citizens about how they can make a difference in the quality of NJ’s coastal waters.

Melanie Daly, Policy Intern, is heading into her second year as a law student at New York Law School. She is ranked 7^th in her class, and has just been appointed to the Law Review. She is a graduate of UVM and was involved with COA’s Beach Sweeps and other initiatives during high school. This summer, Mel is working on stopping seismic testing and expansion of offshore oil and gas development, as well as watchdogging and researching proposals for potential threats to water quality.

Josh Keller is the Nonprofit Management Intern. He is a junior at Eckerd College, St Petersburg, FL as a Marine Science major and Computer Science minor. Josh is an avid boater and is passionate about protection of marine ecosystems. He is very familiar with COA, as he worked on many programs while attending MAST High School and his parents have been involved since the 1980’s. This summer Josh assists with development, communications, and general office management.

Maureen Sullivan, Marine Debris Intern, is a graduate of Bucknell University and will be attaining her Masters of Science from the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmosphere Science in December. Maureen’s focus at Rosenstiel is on Coastal Zone Management and she is writing her thesis on Marine Debris. At COA, Maureen assists with the Corporate Beach Sweeps and statewide Beach Sweeps programs, as well as corporate sustainability. 

Valerie Taranto joins the team part-time as the Nonprofit Intern assisting the Development Director with correspondence, data entry, and general office work. Val was also an intern during the school year while attending MAST and will attend the University of Southern California in LA with a major in Sustainable Architecture in the Fall.

All six interns bring many talents and skills, and they are individually already making a difference at COA.  Please attend COA events and activities this summer to meet them and dive into the summer with these energetic and enthusiastic students! Welcome to the COA Crew!