Program Associate

Lisa Luken is the Program Associate for the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association. She supports the Reserve System, including the Friends and Foundation Network, and the NERRA Board, through grants management, finance and budgeting activities, meeting planning support, and other administrative tasks.

Lisa brings 16+ years of experience in financial reporting, project management, and team leadership and 10+ years in productivity coaching, organizational development consulting, workshop facilitation, and freelance writing to her role at NERRA.

Lisa grew up in the Midwest and spent her summers on a lake in Northern Wisconsin. After years of visiting the East Coast, she and her family moved to Maine to be near the ocean. She loves to explore and notes engaging in citizen science projects in Antarctica and a six-week RV trip with her husband, children, and dog, from Maine to California and then back to Maine, as some of her most memorable adventures.

Lisa is pursuing a Ph.D. in Leadership with a concentration in Organization Development at the University of Southern Maine. Her research focuses on the sustainability of coastal communities. She has supported research projects throughout Maine and South Greenland, focusing on the social, economic, political, and environmental challenges confronting individuals living in coastal communities. She also has a Master of Arts degree in Leadership Studies from the University of Southern Maine and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.

Email: luken@nerra.org