Island Institute Fellow Alumna, Kathleen Reardon
Island Institute Fellow Alumna, Kathleen Reardon arrived on Islesboro for her fellowship in 2000 where she worked on several projects from town planning to fishery research. She continues to work with the lobster fishery to this day and currently serves as lobster fishery biologist for the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
Kathleen worked a variety of projects during her fellowship:
- She introduced Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to several town committees including the groundwater protection committee and the harbor committee.
- She led lessons for Islesboro students about marine life and ecosystems.
- She worked on Islesboro lobster boats conducting surveys and learning about the fishery.
“I built off of those two years of my fellowship… I enjoyed being on the water, I learned a lot, and then I realized I could contribute to Maine communities as a scientist and as a liaison between science, management, and the industry.”
– Kathleen Reardon, Island Institute Fellow Alumna
Having grown up in Rhode Island, Kathleen Reardon graduated from college with an education centered around marine biology, policy, and environmental studies. She wasn’t sure she could build a career in New England, but soon learned about the then-nascent Island Institute Fellows program.
On Islesboro, Kathleen was able to bring her skills to the island community. Her passion for marine science, her technical skills in mapping and GIS, and her affinity for community development proved to be assets to the community during her fellowship and well after she left.
After her fellowship, she went to graduate school, and then proceeded to take her knowledge and experience to the Maine Department of Marine Resources where she finds herself at the intersection of policy, scientists, and the fishermen who make their living on the water. She bridges disparate perspectives, and finds that the key to finding common ground is by listening. She attributes the start of her career in Maine to her fellowship on Islesboro, and to this day, she still spends time on the boats of the Islesboro fishermen who introduced her to the fishery.
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