Class of 2025 Knauss Fellows Begin Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: John Fear, jmfear@ncsu.edu

The application period is open now until Feb. 19, 2025 for next year’s Knauss Fellowships.

NOAA and the National Sea Grant Office have announced placements for the 2025 class of the Sea Grant John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship program. The fellows include five graduate students from North Carolina: Everett Craddock, Robin Fail, Maylyn Hinson, Delaney McBride, and Hayden Rudd.

The highly competitive Knauss Fellowship is a year-long program for graduate students interested in national policy issues affecting ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. Since 1979, over 1,600 fellows have completed the program, becoming leaders in science, policy, and public administration.

Duke University, NC State University, and the University of North Carolina Wilmington have provided invaluable educational opportunities and training grounds for North Carolina’s 2025 Knauss Fellowship finalists.

Everett Craddock will serve in NOAA’s National Ocean Service’s Office of the Assistance Administrator.

Everett Craddock obtained his master’s degree last spring from Duke University, specializing in coastal environmental management. While at Duke, he researched development of a tool to prioritize historic structures and cultural resources for climate change adaptation in coastal national parks. His research interests include policy analysis, climate migration, disaster mitigation, and emergency preparedness.

“The Knauss Fellowship presents a unique opportunity to deepen my understanding of environmental policy and its practical application,” Craddock says. “I am excited to grow in my ability to support communities as they adapt to climate change.”

Robin Fail will serve in the Marine Mammal Commission.

Fail is a doctoral candidate in marine science and conservation at Duke University. Her interests and fields of study include marine policy, political ecology, socioecological systems, human geography, and environmental justice. Her concern for human-environment relations fueled her research at Duke, which focused on values, social conflict, and policy in Maine’s aquaculture development.

“I am thrilled about the opportunity to serve as a Knauss Fellow,” says Fail. “This fellowship offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore a career in public service and contribute to national marine policy. After years of studying marine policy in my research, I look forward to working in an applied policy setting and serving American coasts and communities.”

Maylyn Hinson will serve in NOAA Fisheries’s Office of Aquaculture.

Hinson earned her master’s in coastal and ocean policy from the University of North Carolina Wilmington earlier this year. Her research evaluated policy mechanisms facilitating state-level finfish mariculture development, specifically emphasizing the state’s blue economy growth and food security. Following this, the UNCW Center for Marine Science invited her to present her research to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Deb Haaland, and the Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Liz Klein.

“For me, the Knauss Fellowship represents far more than a career steppingstone,” says Hinson, who is a previous STEM Policy Fellow. “It is an unparalleled opportunity to actively participate in the national policy-making arena. I am excited to engage in the development of policies that thoughtfully integrate ecological considerations of our marine resources with the social and economic needs of coastal communities.”

Delaney McBride will serve as an International Engagement Fellow in the U.S. Department of Energy.

McBride is a graduate student in the Master of Public Administration and Environmental Studies dual degree program at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is concentrating on policy analysis and environmental conservation and management. Her previous research has centered on the SeaHawk/HawkEye nanosatellite project and water quality monitoring.

“The Knauss Fellowship presents an incredible opportunity to tackle today’s most urgent marine challenges,” says McBride. “I’m excited to work at the intersection of science and policy, advancing the responsible and sustainable management of our marine resources.”

Hayden Rudd will serve in the Senate Committee on Commerce’s Coast Guard, Maritime, and Fisheries subcommittee.

Rudd is a doctoral student at NC State University studying forestry and environmental resources with a minor in water resources. Her research interests include coastal hydrology, extreme weather, water resource management, climate change adaptation, and groundwater quality. She is passionate about environmental issues and protecting our state’s water resources.

“I’m excited to work on the Hill, where I’ll have a unique opportunity to gain a better understanding of the relationship between scientific research and environmental policymaking,” says Rudd. “This experience will advance my ability to contribute to informed policy development that supports sustainable management of coastal water systems and protects coastal communities.”

These five fellows join the nearly 100 graduate students from North Carolina who have participated in the Knauss Fellowship program since 1979. Fellows completing the program have gone on to become leaders in science, policy, and public administration.

Read more about the John A. Knauss Policy Fellowship Program