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Meet the UCI Staff

Tony MacDonald is currently the director of the Urban Coast Institute (UCI) at Monmouth University and was previously the Executive Director of the Coastal States Organization (CSO) from 1998-2005. CSO, based in Washington, DC, represents the interests of the Governors of the United States’ 35 coastal states and territories on coastal and ocean policy matters.

Prior to joining CSO, Mr. MacDonald was the special counsel and director of Environmental Affairs at the American Association of Port Authorities, where he represented the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) at the International Maritime Organization on negotiations on the London Convention. Tony has also practiced law with a private firm in Washington, DC working on environmental and legislative issues, and served as the Washington, DC environmental legislative representative for the Mayor of the City of New York.

John A. Tiedemann is the assistant director of the University’s Urban Coast Institute, associate dean in the School of Science, Technology and Engineering, and a member of the Biology Department faculty where he currently teaches marine and environmental science and coordinates the BS degree program in Marine and Environmental Biology and Policy.

Mr. Tiedemann received a B.S. in Physics and Planetary Sciences from Upsala College and an M.S. in Bio-Environmental Oceanography from the Florida Institute of Technology. Since joining Monmouth University in 1999, his research efforts have focused on watershed monitoring, management, and restoration projects. These efforts have been funded through grants from a variety of sources including Monmouth County, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, as well as contracts with private environmental and engineering firms.

Jim Nickels is the Marine Scientist for the Urban Coast Institute. Jim obtained his M.S. in Environmental Studies from Montclair State University and has 25 years of academic and professional experience in designing, implementing, and directing a variety of marine and inland water field research and sampling programs. He has managed and operated research vessels, scientific crews, and associated equipment. His expertise includes survey work in fisheries, plankton, benthic organisms, sediment, water quality, mitigation, and geophysics. He has an extensive background in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), use and integration of Global Positioning System (GPS), and real-time mapping and data logging. He has held the position of Vice President at Aqua Survey Inc., and as Director of Marine Operations at the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium.

Dr. Michael Witty, Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Biology Department, obtained his Ph.D. in Plant Molecular Biology from the Corpus Christi College at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and his areas of research have included projects within diverse and multidisciplinary groups. The themes of his research are Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, and Environmental Microbiology. Dr. Witty has been contributing to the ARA-MST projects of the Urban Coast Institute for two semesters and was involved in the Bronx River and Silver Bay projects. His expertise in molecular methods will enable the UCI to improve water management and allow compliance with new standards set by the EPA. In addition, Dr. Witty will be involved with initiating research projects and funding applications.

Jennifer DiLorenzo is the Sustainable Coastal Communities Liaison for the Urban Coast Institute. Jennifer previously served as Bureau Chief for the Raritan Watershed within the NJ Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Watershed Management. Prior to this, Jennifer served as Technology Program Manager for New Jersey Maritime Resources within the New Jersey Commerce and Economic Growth Commission. She has also worked for the New Jersey and New York legislatures, Nation’s Port, and private environmental/engineering firms.

Jessica Lisa is currently Research Associate for the UCI. She graduated from Monmouth University with a B.S. in Biology and a concentration in Marine and Environmental Biology. Her interests include surfing, swimming, fishing, reading and relaxing on the beach. As an avid ocean lover and environmentalist, Jess hopes to help Monmouth University and New Jersey become a cleaner and greener place to live through her participation in research and projects conducted through the UCI, including the Campus Sustainability Project, Rain Garden Project, Microbial Source Tracking Studies, and Watershed Restoration Projects.

Lorraine Jordan is the Administrative Assistant of the Urban Coast Institute, who joined the department in January 2007. Prior to joining UCI, she served as support to the Dean’s office in the School of Science, Technology and Engineering at Monmouth University and additionally has more than 10 years of experience supporting administrators in education.