Maine native and University of Maine alumna Christina Cash has been named assistant director for outreach and communication at the Lobster Institute at UMaine, effective May 17. 

Cash joins the university from Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Boothbay, where she had been an advancement officer since 2018. Her experience includes serving as program and development director at the Frances Perkins Center, and director of outreach at the Institute for Broadening Participation, both in Damariscotta.  

She will be based at UMaine’s Darling Marine Center.

Cash is a former first mate, captain and lobster boat owner/operator based on Monhegan Island, and holds an active captain’s license. “Chris’s connections to and knowledge of Maine’s lobster fisheries, experience in fundraising and budget management, grant writing, outreach and stakeholder engagement will be a huge asset to the Lobster Institute,” according to director and professor of marine sciences Rick Wahle.

The assistant director for outreach and communication will lead the development and implementation of Lobster Institute programs, including efforts to engage researchers, external stakeholders and policy makers via social media, the institute’s website, relevant events and through newsletters and other publications. Cash will also manage the budget, collaborate on grant seeking and oversee daily operations. 

Since 1987 the Lobster Institute has been a center of discovery, innovation and outreach at UMaine with the goal of promoting, conducting and communicating research focused on the sustainability of the American lobster fishery in the U.S. and Canada.