Dr. Dana
Bigham-Stephens

About

Dana Stephens is the County Extension Director and Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent for UF/IFAS Extension in Okaloosa County. Dana exudes a resounding passion for building balanced management of aquatic ecosystems, experiential learning opportunities, and communities engaging as environmental stewards. Beginning a career in Extension as part of the UF/IFAS Extension Florida LAKEWATCH team, Dana returned to Extension in late 2023 to address gaps in community educational programming and support positive advancement in Okaloosa County and beyond. In between, Dana was honored to serve as Director of the Mattie M. Kelly Environmental Institute, Mattie M. Kelly Distinguished Chair in Environmental Science, and in other academic roles such as Dean of Arts and Science at Northwest Florida State College. Dana has focused on aquatic-related foci throughout Florida’s waters, including water chemistry and quality, harmful algal blooms, aquatic macrophytes, numeric nutrient criteria, and watershed/aquatic system management. Dana also has various experiences in curriculum development, programmatic policies and procedures, and team dynamics.

Dana holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences from the University of Florida and a B.S. in Biological Conservation and Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.