Lela’s role as a Coastal Advocate is to develop policies that will protect coastal North Carolina ecosystems, waterways, and communities. To do that, she works closely with residents, resource managers, state agencies, conservation groups, scientists, and elected officials to plan not just for the environmental challenges facing the coast today, but also for future challenges.
Before Lela joined the Federation in 2026, she spent nearly 15 years as a fisheries ecologist, taught marine ecology as a visiting Assistant professor, and worked as a fisheries research, engagement, and policy expert for an offshore wind company. As a scientist, Lela has led research projects focused on understanding how crude oil exposure from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill affects mahi-mahi, what climate change means for North Carolina shrimp populations, and how catch-and-release angling can affect white marlin. Much of her research has been in collaboration with fishermen and
management agencies and her work has been cited more than 500 times.
Lela has a doctorate in Marine Ecology from the University of Miami, a master’s degree in Fisheries Science from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, and a bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental science and policy from Smith College.
An Outer Banks resident since 2020, you can usually find Lela on, in, or next to the water, finding ways to enjoy the incredible North Carolina coast.