Kelly Sloan

After receiving a B.S from Virginia Tech in Biology, Kelly worked as a research technician in a Virginia Tech lab investigating how animals use the magnetic field to orient and navigate. Her strong interest in international conservation took her to South Africa to study baboons at Wildcliff Nature Reserve and then to Costa Rica to volunteer with a sea turtle nesting program.

Kelly started working for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Marine Turtle Conservation Program in 2007, where she helped manage all aspects of sea turtle conservation in South Carolina. One of the main components of the program involved coordinating over 30 projects (1,000+ volunteers) in the statewide sea turtle nest protection and stranding network.  While working at the SCDNR she completed her Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy. Her thesis focused on using barnacle growth as an indicator of the onset and duration of Debilitated Turtle Syndrome in loggerhead sea turtles.

In the spring of 2013, Kelly joined a team of scientists on Long Island to characterize the response of endangered piping plovers to habitats created by Hurricane Sandy. Kelly accepted her current position as coordinator of the SCCF Sea Turtle Program in December of 2013.