Robin Pelc

As CSUMB’s Americorps Regional Coordinator and College of Science Service Learning Coordinator, I support our region’s Americorps members, CSUMB’s service learning science faculty and students, and our local non-profit community partner organizations. In addition, I have taught upper-division marine science and biology service learning at CSUMB since the Fall of 2018. I received my B.Sc. and M.Sc. from Stanford University's Earth Systems program, which taught me to view environmental issues with an interdisciplinary lens and consider humans as a part of the system. After graduating, I worked for the environmental non-profit Environmental Defense Fund, spent a few months doing coastal resource management work for the island nation of Palau, and then went to UC Santa Barbara, where I completed my Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology. My interests in fisheries sustainability then brought me back to Monterey for a position at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program. I worked for over eight years before beginning teaching at CSUMB. The position teaching in the service learning program opened up a new passion for community service. In 2022, I was excited to accept a position helping support Americorps VIP, which helps community organizations build and maintain effective volunteer programs.

In addition to being part of the Americorps and Service Learning programs, I also work in fisheries sustainability and greenhouse gas verifications and run a project building and donating DIY air filters. I enjoy outdoor activities, especially camping, kayaking, tide-pooling, hiking, and gardening.