NH Sea Grant staff members, Gabriela Bradt (left) and Michelle Lemos (right), have been honored with awards by the University of New Hampshire in 2023. “We are thrilled to celebrate the accolades and accomplishments of members of our team as they receive well-deserved recognition for work that truly makes a difference,” said Erik Chapman, Director of NH Sea Grant. Congratulations, Gabby and Michelle!
Gabriela Bradt, UNH Sustainability Award
UNH Sustainability Awards celebrate and spotlight individuals and teams doing important sustainability research, curriculum development and teaching, campus initiatives and culture development, and external engagement work that best embody the principles and practices of sustainability across and beyond the university.
In May 2023, Dr. Gabriela Bradt, fisheries extension specialist for NH Sea Grant and UNH Extension, received a Faculty Sustainability Award in the ‘Campus & Community Engagement’ award category. The Campus & Community Engagement category recognizes efforts to integrate sustainability into campus culture and community, and/or to extend sustainability knowledge and practice at the community, state, regional, national, and/or international level.
Since 2015, Gabby has led the NH Green Crab Project, creatively engaging the community and fishing industry around the invasive European Green Crab in the Northeast. Her work with aquaculturists, students, researchers, fishermen, and even a distillery has helped to create a market for the invasive crabs, a sustainable way to both create an industry and protect the existing ecosystems.
Michelle Lemos, Excellence in Support Award
This year, UNH Extension’s Recognition Committee launched a new award which recognizes individuals and teams for their outstanding performance and service to UNH Extension with the Excellence in Support Award. Recipients of this award produce quality work and consistently display characteristics valued and appreciated by co-workers. Recipients' commitment to contributing to UNH Extension’s mission, purpose, vision, and values are displayed through dedication to identifying and meeting needs of the organization, developing and implementing innovative solutions, and producing high quality outputs, most often behind the scenes.
In October 2023 at the All-Extension Conference in Concord, NH, Michelle Lemos, Senior Program Support Assistant with NH Sea Grant, became the first individual to receive this new award. Michelle works tirelessly to meet the needs of the organization as she supports multiple groups within NH Sea Grant in addition to providing support to the Extension Volunteer Managers group and serving in leadership roles within the Extension Assistants Team. This year, Michelle took on the monumental task of coordinating a seamless move of the NH Sea Grant office from Lee, NH to its new campus location at the New England Center in Durham, NH. She steps in to address needs and contributes her skills and expertise to streamlining processes to improve the ease and efficiency of day-to-day operations across the organization. Michelle’s drive, motivation, and can-do attitude inspire staff, volunteers, and partners and move our programs forward.
