Staff

Dr. Brett Branco

Executive Director

Brett is a Marine Scientist and Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center. He is an original member of the Institute’s Executive Council and was appointed Director in 2019. His research focuses on the impacts of urbanization and climate change on estuaries and surrounding communities. Brett holds a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Connecticut.

Dr. Michael Menser

Associate Director for Public Engagement

Mike has been with the Institute since the beginning and has served as Associate Director of Public Engagement since 2019. He helped lead efforts to robustly design and implement the Institute’s public engagement component to align with community needs and priorities around the Bay. A Professor of Philosophy at Brooklyn College and past President of the Board of the Participatory Budgeting Project, Mike is dedicated to building sustained civic engagement that supports community resilience and links to economic democracy and participatory governance.

Sandra Clarke

Executive Administrator

Sandra has been working at Brooklyn College since 2002, first in the Africana Studies Department and then in the Office of the Provost before joining us here at the Science and Resilience Institute in 2015. She manages all operational aspects of the office including scheduling, procurement, personnel, and facilities. Sandra holds a BA in Business Management and Finance and an MA in Psychology from Brooklyn College.

Katie Graziano

New York Sea Grant

Katie is the New York Sea Grant (NYSG) Coastal Resilience Specialist based at the Institute. In Jamaica Bay, she leads efforts to build community resilience to climate change through knowledge exchange. Her prior work and research focused on the human dimensions of watersheds, fisheries and coastal resource management in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Philippines, and Washington State. Katie holds a B.A. in Natural Resources from Cornell University and a Masters in Marine and Environmental Affairs from the University of Washington.