Announcing the New Director of the FAU School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability

Dear colleagues,

I am delighted to announce that  Dr. Steven Vollmer  will be joining Florida Atlantic University as the next director of our  School of Environmental, Coastal, and Ocean Sustainability  (ECOS) and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. Dr. Vollmer is currently in the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences at Northeastern University where he specializes in the ecology, evolution, and genomics of reef-building corals and their pathogens.

As director of ECOS, Steve will work closely with the leadership of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, as well as ECOS-affiliated faculty, to develop the mission, vision, and strategic plan for new and rapidly expanding environmental research, teaching and community engagement at Florida Atlantic University. He brings a valuable combination of leadership acumen, academic expertise, and deep environmental research experience to Florida Atlantic.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the search committee, Dr. Tiffany Roberts Briggs (chair), Dr. Diana Mitsova, Dr. Vanessa Fernandes, Dr. Matt Ajemian, and Dr. Joshua Voss, as well as Ms. Kacey Walker, and all of those who engaged with the finalists during their campus visits. I am also grateful to Dr. John Baldwin for taking on the ECOS Interim Director role, in addition to his associate dean responsibilities, while we searched for a new director.

Steve will begin his new role as ECOS Director on August 9, 2025

Valery E. Forbes, Ph.D.  
Dean and Professor  
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science