Staff Spotlight: Meet Alan Desbonnet

Alan Desbonnet was recently appointed Rhode Island Sea Grant assistant director.

Alan has a long history with Rhode Island Sea Grant, working in the SUCCESS Program from 1989–2002, where he was instrumental in designing an interstate management plan with Connecticut and Rhode Island, and with Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He was also active in launching the nine-town Washington County Regional Planning Council, a group that collaborates on resource and economic planning and management issues. Previously, Alan worked at the Mystic Marinelife Aquarium as an aquarist, researcher, and educator. He also designed and implemented the college intern program for the aquarium during his tenure there. Since 1992, he has taught ecology as an adjunct at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Alan became managing editor for the Husbandry & Management section of the international journal Aquaculture in 2002, and joined program management as program manager, where he oversaw Rhode Island Sea Grant’s education portfolio. Desbonnet has also served as Secretary of the Stonington Shellfish Commission since 1991.

Alan runs approximately 4 miles a day, as well as cycles, when he is not suffering embarrassing, if not traumatic, crashes. He also enjoys saltwater and freshwater fly fishing and writes for On the Water magazine—a fishing forecast for Connecticut and Rhode Island and a monthly Naturalist's Log that translates science for anglers.

He and his wife, Charlene, have two daughters—Elise, who will be a URI freshman this fall on the preveterinary track, and Allison, who plays lacrosse for Stonington High School.