Headshot of Tiffany wood with aerial of research center building

Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center (VSAREC) welcomes Tiffany Wood, who joins our team this January as our K-12 Outreach and Engagement Coordinator. In this new position, Tiffany will play a pivotal role in expanding our capacity to provide enriching STEM and research-based educational experiences for K-12 students and build community partnerships.

Collaborating with researchers and staff to showcase the breadth of VSAREC's research and Extension programs — from aquaculture and bioengineering to economics and food safety — Tiffany will facilitate opportunities for experiential learning applications, coordinate field trips to the VSAREC facility, and deliver presentations to schools. Her enthusiasm for environmental education will prove beneficial in working with students and developing new collaborations with school officials and teachers.

Tiffany brings practical experience through her previous role as an education coordinator for the Outdoor School program at Straub Outdoors in Oregon and her educational background in biology with a concentration in marine science, having earned her bachelor's degree from Old Dominion University in 2020. She also worked as a research assistant with Mark Butler at Florida International University, where her work focused on Florida Bay sponge surveys and National Science Foundation coral restoration projects.

After three years of extensive travel, Tiffany and her partner are back in Virginia, eager to reconnect with family and friends. We are glad to have her on our team and be part of her next adventure!

Tiffany works out of the VSAREC facility at 15 Rudd Lane in Hampton and can be reached by email at twood13@vt.edu.