Rachel Silverstein, Ph.D., is Miami Waterkeeper’s executive director and Waterkeeper. Prior to joining MWK, Rachel was a Knauss Sea Grant Fellow and professional staff member on the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard. Rachel received a Ph.D. in the Department of Marine Biology and Fisheries from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in 2012. Her research focused on the effect of climate change on reef corals, funded in part by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, for which she used genetic methods to answer ecological questions. She’s received multiple awards and honors for her work, including a Miami Herald South Florida Visionary Award, a University of Miami Reitmeister-Abess Center Environmental Stewardship Award, and a fellowship in The Miami Foundation’s leadership program.
