Hathaway Honored by National Marine Educators Association

Photo: Terri Kirby Hathaway, right, with Tami Hutchison Lunsford, National Marine Educators Association outgoing president, at the annual conference. Photo by Maureen Barrett.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Katie Mosher, 919-515-9069, kmosher@ncsu.edu

Terri Kirby Hathaway will share Beachcombing Biology as a Lunchtime Discovery Series talk at noon Wednesday, July 12, hosted by the N.C. Office of Environmental Education. Watch social media for live tweets and more at #LunchtimeDiscoverySeries. To attend the event, bring your lunch to the Environmental Literacy Center, in room 3512 of the Nature Research Center at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.

The National Marine Educators Association recently presented Terri Kirby Hathaway with its highest recognition: the Honorary Lifetime Membership Award. Hathaway is the marine education specialist for North Carolina Sea Grant.

The award was presented at the NMEA 2017 national conference in Charleston, South Carolina, by outgoing NMEA President Tami Lunsford. To be eligible, the recipient must have demonstrated a distinguished career in teaching, research or service in marine education.

“Terri Kirby Hathaway has a long and distinguished career in the marine education field. For over 30 years, she has shown dedicated service to the National Marine Educators Association, the Mid-Atlantic Marine Education Association and the field of marine education as a whole,” the association notes in a news release.

Before joining Sea Grant in 2003, she spent over 18 years as the education curator of the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. In 2012, she co-authored the book, North Carolina’s Amazing Coast: Natural Wonders from Alligators to Zoeas.

MAMEA newsletter editor for over 15 years and regional group’s president in 1992, she also earned multiple regional awards. A past MAMEA chapter representative to the national group, Hathaway was an elected NMEA board member from 1996 through 2003. Co-chair of the 2003 NMEA Conference in Wilmington, North Carolina, she recently has stepped down as the co-chair of NMEA Bylaws Committee.

“She is an amazing role model for women coming into the marine education field and is absolutely deserving of this award. NMEA’s current president has considered Terri her mentor since 1997,” the NMEA notice explains.

“Throughout her years of service, Terri has provided career advice, support, tons of laughs, contacts and amazing resources to help many young marine educators. Terri Kirby Hathaway is truly deserving of this honor, and NMEA is privileged to reward her in this way.”

North Carolina Sea Grant is proud as well. “It is an honor to have Terri on our team. Her work with a variety of educators is vital to our mission of spreading marine and coastal literacy and awareness to many generations in all regions of the state,” notes Jack Thigpen, Sea Grant extension director.

Hathaway writes the Scotch Bonnet newsletter for Sea Grant and is a frequent presenter at education workshops at the local, state, regional and national levels.

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North Carolina Sea Grant: Your link to research and resources for a healthier coast