Congratulations to the 2025 Volunteers of the Year!
December 18, 2025
Each year, national marine sanctuaries recognize one outstanding volunteer or volunteer team with the prestigious Volunteer of the Year award. This honor is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to the National Marine Sanctuary System through their volunteer efforts — whether by protecting sea turtles, engaging in education and outreach, monitoring coastlines, or supporting sanctuary initiatives in other meaningful ways. These volunteers exemplify exceptional dedication, generously sharing their time, energy, and skills to help safeguard America's underwater treasures. Many have devoted years of service to both their local sanctuaries and the broader National Marine Sanctuary System.
NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries extends heartfelt thanks and congratulations to the following honorees:
Jacob Simmer
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Jacob Simmer has been a student volunteer at NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary for the last five years. As a high school student, he remains interested in the sanctuary, with work ranging from assisting with education and outreach to testing new programs for seabird data entry. Jacob took on a leadership role, creating a spreadsheet and wristband system that teachers could use to keep everything organized during the annual Stellwagen Day at Gates event, along with an app to allow club students to communicate with each other. He also helped develop an activity to demonstrate the upwelling process. Jacob's student perspective has allowed NOAA staff to enhance the instructions we use for educational activities. He most recently worked with the development team for our new data entry program to share feedback and suggestions for improvements.
Bianca Ruiz
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Bianca Ruiz joined NOAA's Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary team in September 2023 as an intern through the Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS), and as a volunteer for the science team in the months since completing her VSFS internship. During her internship, she reviewed literature related to human use and impacts in the sanctuary, and developed a system to document the relevant findings of scientific research publications. The framework that she created remains in place for use by other virtual volunteers and interns. Following her VSFS year, Bianca joined the Mission: Iconic Reefs team over the summer of 2024 where she conducted an in-depth literature review on the predation of corals by the coral-eating sea snail, Coralliophila galea, across Caribbean coral reefs. Bianca's skilled and efficient volunteer work has increased the capacity of our science and outreach teams. Her high quality work provided much needed, research-based information to our education and science teams to inform future environmental education and outreach products.
Samuel Adams
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Samuel Adams went above and beyond to ensure that NOAA's Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary's Pier Classroom and NOAA Tide Station, as well as surrounding decking, received fresh coats of paint, greatly beautifying the sanctuary's campus. Samuel demonstrated maturity well beyond his years in coordinating with not only the sanctuary Education Team, but with the Operations Team as well on all of the facility aspects of the project. Samuel refused to take any short cuts and went out of his way to complete all of his commitments, even when it meant adding additional work days to his original plans. We are so grateful for Samuel's Eagle Scout Project. Thanks to him, NOAA staff were able to reach new audiences with our educational programming and complete a significant facilities project with volunteer labor, helping us stretch our facility and education resources for maximum benefit.
Cynthia (Cindy) Kelly
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Cindy Kelly's life has revolved around people, from her family to her career in hospitals, she has always greeted those around her with a smile and a kind word. When she started volunteering at NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, her desire to engage the community and promote the sanctuary was evident immediately. She has volunteered in a variety of roles including Viking cruise ship support, the Haunted Museum, and the annual Thunder Bay International Film Festival. Cindy is always the first to ask people if they need help or to answer any questions from visitors. Her care for people is clear in how intently she listens and tries to relate to whoever she is speaking with. We appreciate Cindy's heart for people, for the community of Alpena, and her passion for the work being completed at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Nancy Herron
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
Nancy Herron joined the Channel Islands Naturalist Corps in 2023 and during her short tenure with the program, she has truly been a force of nature, taking initiative to improve visitor experiences and support her fellow volunteers. Nancy donated over 335 hours in 2024, supporting all facets of the Naturalist Corps program, including whale watch boats, island training, leading hikes, and participating in community outreach. She has also taken advantage of optional volunteer professional development opportunities to enhance her knowledge and understanding of sanctuary and park resources. Nancy demonstrated teamwork with fellow volunteers and sought staff input to develop updated visual aids for whale watch and island interpretive programs. She also serves as a role model for other volunteers by sharing her vast knowledge of pelagic and shore bird species, inspiring them to identify and report on the diversity of birds in the channel. Although Nancy has only recently joined the Channel Islands Naturalist Corps, she has enhanced the experiences of visitors and fellow volunteers, and developed valuable outreach tools.
Cristina (Cris) Lewis
Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
Cris Lewis has been volunteering with NOAA's Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Beach Watch program since 2019, where she regularly surveys Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, Gazos Creek, and Bradley Beach. Cris is dependable, detail-oriented, and quick to say yes when a beach needs coverage. Cris also contributes to the annual harbor seal counts along the San Mateo coast, a collaborative effort with Point Reyes National Seashore. She brings quiet leadership to the team, mentoring newer volunteers, and sharing her knowledge as an avid birder and careful observer. She has a practical, hands-on way of approaching fieldwork that helps make our long-term monitoring strong and reliable. Her commitment and generosity reflect the heart of what it means to be a sanctuary steward.
Bruce Mitchell and Morris Ridgeway
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Bruce Mitchell (first docent class in 2012) and Morris Ridgeway (docent since 2016) make up the Sunday afternoon shift at NOAA's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz, welcoming visitors and helping them engage with the exhibits. These two men are consistent and reliable, and bring a great energy and enthusiasm to the center. As a team, they have helped train many new docents, sharing their knowledge and excitement. Alongside their regular docent shift, they are very involved in additional programs and enrichments, always going above and beyond. In 2024, they put in the top number of hours, at over 300 volunteer hours total. On a given Sunday, you might find Morris stepping outside to encourage people to step inside while Bruce shows off new shells or recent beach observations to a visitor. Bruce and Morris share a sense of wonder for the sanctuary that is contagious not just to visitors, but to staff as well.
Connie Webb
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
Since moving to Maui in 2020, Connie Webb has visited the local fishpond fronting Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary's offices daily for morning beach walks and to paddle outrigger canoes three times a week. She began volunteering with the Turtle Patrol program shortly thereafter, and is now an integral part of the team, visiting the site most mornings to check for sea turtles, post wildlife viewing signs when they are present, and teach beachgoers about the sea turtles and the sanctuary. With the launch of our daily sunset patrol docent program in October 2024, Connie has helped immensely by training new volunteers and working two to three sunset shifts per week. She is a wonderful support to our volunteer program, with a genuine love for the work we do. In her own words, Connie says that "Volunteering has enriched my life, proving that with purpose, now even paradise feels more complete."
Jackson Cox
Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary
Early in his volunteer journey, Jackson Cox began going above and beyond expectations. In less than one month, he reached 100 hours of volunteering, giving him the knowledge and experience needed to be a role model to other volunteers. Jackson even designed a volunteer training guide to support other visitor center volunteers. He embodied the mission of NOAA's Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary through curriculum writing, including designing a life-sized North Atlantic Right Whale board game, inspiring the public to explore, discover, and connect to the sanctuary through our visitor center and outreach events. We are so grateful for all that Jackson has contributed to Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.
Shane Cantrell
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
For over a decade, Captain Shane Cantrell has served on NOAA's Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council in both the recreation and commercial fishing seats. As a captain, Shane offers fishing and research opportunities at Flower Garden Banks, and his skills have been utilized to catch and tag numerous fish species in the sanctuary, including wahoo, grouper, amberjack, and sharks, allowing researchers to track the movement of fish. Not only does he advocate for the responsible management of fisheries within the sanctuary, but he also communicates with other anglers and community members about what makes this site special. Shane is a contributing member of the site's interpretive plan and the creation of the Friends of Flower Garden Banks, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the sanctuary. Going above and beyond in the duties of an advisory council member is why Shane was selected as volunteer of the year.