The St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays Estuary Program at Florida State University Panama City has named Aleighsa Wright as the new outreach specialist. She began her role as outreach specialist on October 06, 2023. 

“I am so excited to have Aleighsa join our team. She has a great energy and will be an amazing asset to the Estuary Program,” said Jessica Graham, Ph.D., executive director of St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bay Estuary Program. “She comes to the program with knowledge in communications, marketing and entrepreneurship, and experience applying these techniques in her previous work and through owning her own business.”

The Estuary Program, a partnership encompassing multiple sectors across the entire St. Andrew Watershed, is hosted by FSU PC. The initial establishment is funded by The Nature Conservancy and Bay County.

Wright is a native to the area and spends her downtime out on the water or hiking in areas across the watershed. She has a deep passion and appreciation for the area and its natural resources that is clear in her messaging and dedication to learning. 

Wright earned her B.S. in Communications from Florida State University Panama City in her pursuit to apply her communication skills to her passion for our natural resources. “Aleighsa will be instrumental for the Estuary Program in helping communicate the bridge from science to management actions to a wide variety of audiences,” Graham said.

The St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays Estuary Program mission is to collaborate — as representatives of private, public and non-governmental stakeholders — to improve the common sense, science-based understanding of the needs of the estuary and to develop, promote and implement projects that protect and restore the health of the bays. 

Wright will be working to raise awareness of the program across the watershed and with the Community Action Committee to create impactful messages and develop various materials identified by the Committee as important steps toward meeting the goals and actions in the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), the guide for how to Protect and Restore our Bays Together. 

For more information about the program, visit pc.fsu.edu/sasjbep