Beth Lenz

Beth Lenz began working for PI-CASC in 2021 to support the program’s science communication, coordinate UH Mānoa Graduate Scholars Program, and oversee diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Prior to joining the team, Beth received her PhD in Marine Biology studying coral reefs in the Gates Coral Lab at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology. Throughout her training, she has been extensively involved in creative community engagement, promoting institutional changes that remove barriers and enhance accessibility to resources, and advancing the role of science in management and policy. As a 2020 NOAA John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, she worked for the U.S. House of Representatives on the Natural Resources Committee to support legislation by the Subcommittee for Water, Oceans, and Wildlife. During her Congressional fellowship in Washington, D.C., she helped identify antiracist strategies within the committee and in the legislative process, expanded the diversity of experts invited to committee public events, and engaged federal, state, and non-governmental entities to develop the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions bill.

Beth’s other interests include science communication, improvisational theater, and the interweaving of science and art. She directed the sci-art exhibit SymbioSEAS: Connecting Science, Education, Art and Society for Coral Reefs which brought together 30 artists and scientists to share the issues and potential solutions to coral reefs in a changing ocean.