Contact Search Gulf Research Program  >    Gulf Research Program Staff Photo credit: Christopher Michel Chris Elfringis Executive Director of the Gulf Research Program at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Her role, with guidance from a carefully selected Advisory Board, is to guide the program’s planning and initial implementation, building from the general requirements in the Settlement Agreement to a multi-faceted science program of lasting impact. She is responsible for overseeing all aspects of starting the new program, including strategic planning, community outreach, interactions with the relevant stakeholders and scientific advisors, staff and budget management, and implementation as activities are designed. Previously, Ms. Elfring was Director of both the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC) and the Polar Research Board (PRB), where she was responsible for strategic planning, project development and oversight, financial management, and personnel. Work under her oversight addressed many aspects of polar science (covering issues in the Arctic, Antarctic, and cold regions, from icebreakers to research priorities in Antarctica) and weather and climate science (covering issues from climate modeling and climate change impacts to weather forecasting and urban meteorology). She provided strategic leadership to the suite of activities known as “America’s Climate Choices.” She was a leader in the planning of International Polar Year 2007-2008, and has a geographic feature in Antarctica, Elfring Peak, named in her honor of her polar science work. Ms. Elfring has a long-standing interest in the policy dimensions of science and communicating science to non-scientists. She began her career in Washington as a AAAS Science Fellow in 1979. In 2012, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) awarded her the Cleveland Abbe Award for Distinguished Service to the Atmospheric Sciences and she was elected an AMS Fellow. Robert (Bob) Brier is the Senior Financial and Administrative Officer for the Gulf Research Program. In this role, Mr. Brier will provide financial and administrative oversight to the Gulf program. Prior to joining the National Academies, Mr. Brier held similar positions for the following institutions starting with the most recent: Director of Finance and Administration for the Governance Studies program at The Brookings Institution, Director of the Grants Services Office for the pre-award office at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University, Administrative Director at the Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Director of Administration for the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard School of Public Health. He received a certification in research administration in 2011 while at Georgetown University and a Master’s in Public Health from Boston University in 1994. Hannah Hoffman is the Gulf Research Program’s Senior Program Assistant. She is charged with supporting various Gulf Research Program activities. Prior to joining the Gulf Research Program, she worked in higher education as the supervisor of the telecommunications center for the Office of Admissions at Mount Aloysius College. Ms. Hoffman earned her B.S. in biology with a concentration in pre-health professional studies from Mount Aloysius College. She enjoys spending time with family, kayaking, and learning as much as possible. Patrick Koroma-Tommy is the Gulf Research Program’s Grants System Specialist. In this role, he provides technical and program support for applicants, scientist reviewers and grantees throughout the grant cycle. Prior to joining the Gulf Research Program, he worked on grants management from the pre-award phase through to the closeout phase at the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas as a contractor. He also has a background working on Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) and Institute of Education Sciences (IES) grants. Mr. Koroma-Tommy enjoys playing soccer and various outdoor activities in his spare time. He received his B.A. in public policy and a minor in economics from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Vanessa Lazar is a Research Associate for the Gulf Research Program. Her primary role is to support fellowship and capacity-building activities and conduct a range of program evaluations. Before joining the Gulf Research Program, Ms. Lazar was a staff member in the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, where she contributed to two consensus studies. Prior to joining to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, she was at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the Division of Behavioral & Cognitive Sciences. At the NSF, Ms. Lazar primarily contributed to science communication activities and supported a number of initiatives that bridged the behavioral and environmental sciences. She holds a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in marine affairs from the University of Rhode Island. Her graduate research focused on social vulnerability to natural disasters. Bethany Mabeeis the Gulf Research Program's Communications Officer. In this role, she leads outreach and communications activities, and conducts research to advance program objectives. Dr. Mabee has a background in energy and environmental communications and research, including expertise in upstream oil and gas, with a focus on the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Prior to joining the Gulf Research Program, she worked on strategic communications initiatives at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Dr. Mabee also served on the staff of the independent commission that President Obama formed to investigate the Macondo blowout and make recommendations to enhance offshore safety. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia and her B.A. from Middlebury College. LeighAnne Olsenis the Gulf Research Program's Director of Strategic Initiatives. Launched in 2013, the program seeks to improve oil system safety and the protection of human health and the environment in the Gulf of Mexico and other U.S. outer continental shelf regions. Dr. Olsen is responsible for developing the program’s health portfolio. Before joining the Gulf Research Program, she was a staff member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) with the Board on Global Health, the Board on Health Sciences Policy, and the Executive Office. At the IOM, she served as program lead for projects, workshops, and publications on a variety of topics—from accelerating the translation of biomedical research into effective medical practice and improving capacity to share clinical trial data, to the social biology of microbial communities and improving detection, surveillance, and response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Dr. Olsen first joined the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine as a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellow. She received a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Princeton University and a B.S. from UC Berkeley. Kelly Oskvig is an Associate Program Officer for the Gulf Research Program. She supports various aspects of the program’s grant funding processes and also the Advisory Board’s working groups, and also has a key role in other industry and engineering related activities. Prior to joining the Gulf Research Program, she provided operations and engineering development support to the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. She also worked with Shell E&P to monitor metocean conditions in the Gulf of Mexico and to develop environmental design criteria for offshore infrastructure. Additionally, Ms. Oskvig has experience performing geotechnical investigations in the Gulf of Mexico to determine soil strength profiles for pile capacity and feasibility studies. Ms. Oskvig earned her M.S.in physical oceanography at Texas A&M University, and her B.S. in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas. She enjoys being a mom and doing anything outdoors during her spare time. Lauren Showalteris the Gulf Research Program’s Program Officer in Information Science. In this role, she is primarily responsible for developing the program's data management strategies, advising on data management policies and activities, and ensuring data from the program is available and accessible. Prior to joining the Gulf Research Program, she was the program manager for the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information and Data Cooperative (GRIIDC), where she managed a complex data management system that served to make data from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill available to the general public. She received her M.S. in marine science from the University of Alabama, and her B.S. in biology from Northern Kentucky University. Her graduate research focused on ecotoxicology and marine food web dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico. Ms. Showalter is passionate about the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and ensuring that the information gathered following disasters is available for future generations. Evonne Tangis the Gulf Research Program's Director of External Funding Opportunities. Her primary responsibility is to manage the program’s research and development, anticipate program needs, and identify relevant parties to liaise or collaborate with. Since she joined the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2002, Dr. Tang has collaborated with different units and directed over 15 studies and workshops with published reports. She was part of a multidisciplinary team that worked on the America's Energy Future Initiative, designed to provide an authoritative analysis of technology options and their costs and impacts to help make sensible decisions about the nation's energy future. Some of her completed projects include Sustainable Development of Algal Biofuels in the United States (2012), Renewable Fuel Standard: Potential Economic and Environmental Effects of U.S. Biofuel Policy (2011), and Liquid Transportation Fuels from Coal and Biomass: Technology, Costs, and Status (2009). Her sustained outstanding service was recognized by the the Academies in 2012 when she received the Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Tang received her B.Sc. from the University of Ottawa, M.Sc. from McGill University and Ph.D. from Laval University, Canada. Teri Thorowgoodis the Administrative Officer for the Gulf Research Program. Previously, Ms. Thorowgood served as the Administrative Coordinator for several boards within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, including the Board on Physics and Astronomy (BPA) and the National Materials and Manufacturing Board (NMMB). Before coming to work at the NRC in 1998, Ms. Thorowgood worked as a clinical pediatric oncology social worker at the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara, California, doing individual and group therapy with patients and their families. She received a B.S. in rehabilitation counseling and a master's in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University. Kim Waddellis a Senior Program Officer with the Gulf Research Program, after serving 3 years as a study director with the Ocean Studies Board at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC. His recently completed reports include An Ecosystem Services Approach to Assessing the Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Fish Stock Rebuilding Plans in the United States. Dr. Waddell rejoined the Academies in 2011 after a 6-year hiatus during which he was a research associate professor at the University of the Virgin Islands and Texas A&M University working to build marine and environmental research capacity in the Caribbean region. He received his Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of South Carolina and his B.A. in environmental studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Dr. Waddell is a serious “foodie” and wine geek thanks to nearly 15 years in the food and wine industry. He enjoys tennis, world music, and people with a sharp sense of humor. Maggie Walseris the Gulf Research Program's Director of Education & Capacity Building. She contributes to strategic planning and leads education initiatives of the program. Since joining the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine staff in 2010, she has worked on a number of weather and earth science studies, including such topics as climate science, weather research and policy, climate change and water security, and Arctic research priorities. In 2008-2009, she was the AGU/AAAS Congressional Science and Engineering Fellow and worked on water and energy policy and legislation with the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Prior to her time on the Hill, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the National Council for Science and the Environment. She received a Ph.D. in atmospheric chemistry from the University of California, Irvine in 2007. Her doctoral research focused on the composition and photochemical aging of secondary organic aerosol. Laura Windeckeris a Gulf Research Program Associate Program Officer focused on ocean-related topics, including observation and monitoring. She has been involved in oceanographic and coastal research for over a decade with a primary focus on marine phytoplankton and their role in global carbon dynamics. Prior to joining the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, she was a NOAA John A. Knauss Sea Grant Fellow working as Advisor to the Director of the U.S. Committee on the Marine Transportation System, a federal interagency committee, where she served as project manager of a Report to Congress. Laura has a Ph.D. in marine science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, a M.S. in oceanography from the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island, and an A.B. in physics and marine science from Bowdoin College. Her first oceanographic research cruise was as an undergraduate aboard the SSV Westward with Sea Education Association.