Lake Champlain Sea Grant welcomes new Financial and Research Coordinator, Gretchen Nareff

Gretchen Nareff joined the Lake Champlain Sea Grant in February 2024 as the Financial and Research Coordinator. She will also oversee research and financials for the Vermont Water Resources and Lake Studies Center, and the Northeastern States Research Cooperative. Across the three programs, Gretchen will coordinate research competitions to fund millions of dollars of research in the Lake Champlain and Northern Forest areas, as well as manage the overall program budgets.

“I am delighted to welcome Gretchen Nareff to our team. Gretchen has the magic combination of natural resources disciplinary expertise and strong grant management experience that make her the perfect fit for our financial and research coordinator position,” noted Lake Champlain Sea Grant director Anne Jefferson.

Gretchen is joining our team from the University of Vermont’s College of Medicine where she spent two years managing federal grants. In addition to her previous grant management work, Gretchen has 20 years’ experience as a wildlife ecologist, working primarily with birds. She held roles with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Texas where she led projects such as a Red-crowned Parrot species status assessment and the potential impacts of wind energy projects on species of conservation concern.

She received her PhD from West Virginia University where she studied Cerulean Warblers, a species that has expanded its small breeding range in the Appalachian region to include forests along the length of Lake Champlain. Before that, Gretchen received her B.S. in 2002 from UVM’s School of Natural Resources—now Rubenstein—and is excited to be back in a new capacity, combining her professional experiences to support the three programs. When she isn’t working, you can find Gretchen birding, gardening with her husband, and hanging out with their mastiff and four cats.

“I’m thrilled to be part of Rubenstein again,” shared Gretchen. “The building and many faces have changed, but the passion for understanding and protecting our natural resources is still strong.”

Gretchen replaces outgoing Research and Financial Coordinator, Julianna White, who took a position at the Gund Institute at the University of Vermont.