Marine Biologist, Invasive Lionfish Specialist and Event Director

Alex is the Marine Resource Coordinator for Okaloosa County, Florida.  His background in invasive lionfish stems from the implementation of a Gulf of Mexico wide life history study. The study required broad collaboration with Federal, State and local governments, as well as local businesses and stakeholders throughout the Gulf of Mexico.  Alex received his BS degree from the University of South Carolina in 2011 and began his work career with NOAA in Pascagoula, Mississippi working on numerous Gulf of Mexico fisheries surveys following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. He earned a MS degree in Coastal Sciences from the University of Southern Mississippi. Alex served as the project manager for the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Artificial Reef Creation and Restoration Project with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Artificial Reef Program. The project was the largest artificial reef project in the history of Florida’s artificial reef program and upon completion the program will have deployed more than 3,000 new artificial reefs across northwest Florida. Currently, Alex is involved in a range of projects in NW Florida, from sea turtle lighting initiatives to beach restoration and lionfish mitigation projects. Alex is a current AAUS Science Diver with broad experience in offshore field operations and technical diving.  He is an avid diver and lionfish hunter. In 2018, his 4-person team took first place at the Lionfish World Championship by removing >2400 lionfish in two days.