Contact Us
MARINE RESOURCES COUNCIL
The Ted Moorhead Lagoon House
3275 Dixie Hwy, NE
Palm Bay, FL 32905
321-725-7775
council@mrcirl.org
The Ted Moorhead Lagoon House is open to the public Mon.–Sat., 9:00 am–1:00 pm.
Your MRC Crew
Dr. Laura Wilson
Executive Director
Inspired by the natural world, Laura pursues work that brings together her love of learning, teaching, and exploring. She earned her B.S. in Geology from Washington & Lee University, M.S. in Earth Sciences from Montana State University, and Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from University of Colorado at Boulder. Her background is in vertebrate paleontology, specifically studying ancient marine ecosystems that evolved in a greenhouse climate and comparing them to modern systems. After 12 years in academia, Laura realized she wanted to make a bigger impact on Earth’s future. She started as the Executive Director of MRC in June 2024, where she is able to employ strategic leadership, encourage data-informed decision making, facilitate collaborations, and encourage life-long learning. When not working, Laura enjoys exploring new places, activities, and foods with her family, cheering for her favorite sports teams, and gardening.
Ken Parks
Director of Development
Ken Parks helps fund the work of Marine Resources Council through annual and legacy donations, grants and special fundraising events. He first moved to Brevard County in 1976, yet lived in Denver most of his life while traveling to the region to visit extended family; he moved back in 2017. His experience in non-profit organizational and resource development spans decades and has strongly emphasized responsible community development and conservation. He was a master’s level professor at the University of Denver, focusing on corporate communications, and an independent public relations consultant for 20 years after serving as vice president, Greater Denver Chamber of Commerce. He started out in the U.S. Navy as a photojournalist. A lifetime outdoor enthusiast, he spends his spare time exploring the backroads, forests, wetlands, outdoor spaces, and historic and visitor attractions of the region while building a photographic library.
Kara Woods
Director of Operations
Kara McGuirk Woods is currently the Director of Operations and LagoonWATCH Coordinator for MRC. She is a geologist, earning her B.A. in Geology from Cornell University and her M.S. in Geological Sciences from Northwestern University. Before moving to Florida in 1994 with her husband Mark, a seismologist, she worked for an environmental consulting firm out of Chicago, travelling the Midwest and Northeast to work on state and federal hazardous waste site investigations and cleanups. She was born and raised in Massachusetts; her parents were public school teachers who taught her the value of education and a love of learning. A summer long family camping trip from Massachusetts to California when she was 6 showed her the wonders of the natural world, and she has been an advocate of the environment ever since.
Mara Skadden
Director of Science
Mara Skadden grew up in Minnesota, spending summers with her grandparents in Sarasota. After earning a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Wisconsin, Mara and her husband moved to east central Florida for Mara to attend the Florida Institute of Technology. While earning her master’s in conservation technology, Mara started volunteering with MRC and quickly moved into an internship. Mara is now pursuing a Ph.D. in biological oceanography. She is also Director of Science for MRC, leading the Restoration Team for living shoreline restoration, managing MRC’s mangrove nursery, and conservation land management. Mara is a benthic ecologist specializing in using benthic infauna as ecological indicators of sediment health, pollution, and restoration success.
Honor Edmands
Science Communications Coordinator
Honor grew up in the mountains of Nevada and decided that she wanted to be an ocean scientist after watching Dolphin Tale when she was 9. Growing up, the New England Aquarium was one of her favorite places to go while visiting her grandparents every summer. After playing collegiate volleyball in undergrad in Upstate New York, she moved to Florida to complete her master’s degree in Oceanography at Florida Tech. She studied the diet of sea squirts and their impact on the environment and water quality. She has now been with MRC for about a year! Honor also enjoys coaching volleyball, reading, staying active, and traveling.
Jessica Cline
Research Coordinator
Jessica Cline is MRC’s Research Coordinator, tasked with running on-site research operations at the Lagoon House. Originally hailing from Tennessee (a world of rivers and watershed science), she majored in General Biology and minored in Environmental Science at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. While working in environmental protection and restoration was always her goal, the call of oceans and estuaries brought Jessica to Florida in 2022. She is currently a graduate student at the Florida Institute of Technology, working toward a master’s degree in Biological Oceanography. Her main field of study is benthic ecology, and her research focuses on using benthic and sessile organisms as indicators of coastal restoration success.