Who We Are
meet the staff
Pam DiBona, Executive Director
Pam DiBona brings 25 years’ experience in the public, nonprofit, and private sectors to her position as Director of MassBays National Estuary Program. She has expertise stretching from organizational development and strategic planning to ocean and coastal science, gained through positions at the New England Aquarium, Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Environmental League of Massachusetts, and the Charles River Watershed Association. Pam earned a B.A. in Biochemistry from Connecticut College, and an M.S. in Environmental Science/Microbiology and a Graduate Certificate in Critical and Creative Thinking, both from UMass Boston.
Prassede Vella, Senior Scientist
Prassede Vella coordinates environmental monitoring including water quality and estuarine habitat assessment. In collaboration with partners from different sectors, Prassede enjoys the challenge of investigating the sources of impairment to inform decision-making and advance local action. Among other things, she manages the Healthy Estuary Grant program that provides funding and technical support to communities and organizations for projects to promote natural resource management and restore and protect estuarine habitats. She holds a B.Sc. in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Malta, a M.Sc. in Biology (Marine) from the University of Malta, and a M.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Jill Carr, Coastal Data Scientist
Jill Carr specializes in coordinating environmental monitoring and coastal habitat mapping projects. She provides technical assistance to nongovernmental organizations by assisting them with project planning, data analysis, and visualization, and getting their data to decision-makers. Jill enjoys interdisciplinary collaborations and research projects that influence natural resource management, and that aim to restore, inventory, and protect coastal habitats. Jill holds a B.S. in Coastal Studies from the University of Connecticut and a M.S. in Geo-information Science, Remote Sensing, from Salem State University.
