Regional Coordinator

Seth Baklor | seth.baklor@gmail.com

Seth has participated in the MATE competition since he competed in the Florida Regional Ranger Class in 2008. The Aquatic Eagles from Edgewater High School of Orlando went on to place 2nd at Internationals that year. That experience motivated him to start and lead the Purdue University Explorer team which went on to place 5th, 4th, 2nd, and 2nd consecutively at Internationals from 2009-2012. He has volunteered at the International, Florida Regional, and Chicago Regional competitions as Mentor, Judge, and Coordinator. He is now an Industrial Engineer with Operations and Manufacturing experience at Disney World, United Airlines, Amazon, and Ford. Since 2016, he has worked at Virgin Voyages helping to launch a new cruise line. He lives in Coral Springs, Florida with his wife Natalie, baby Noah, and dog Peanut.

Regional Coordinator

Colbi Gemmell | cgemmell@usf.edu

Colbi Gemmell is FIO’s Associate Director of Educational Programming and is responsible for supporting educational excellence within the FIO Consortium by developing programs to provide access to FIO’s research vessels, technologies, and marine lab facilities that augment those available at SUS institutions. 

Colbi holds a Bachelor’s in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona, a master’s in marine science from the University of Texas and is currently completing a Ph.D. in Science Education from the University of South Florida. She has 15+ years of experience in teaching, instruction and educational programming in higher education and informal education with various marine science and biological academic institutions. Most recently, Colbi served as the Teaching Laboratory Manager for USF’s Molecular Biosciences department and was heavily involved with course and curriculum development. 

Regional Coordinator

Chris Sharp | cssharp@usf.edu

Chris Sharp is the Associate Director of Communications, Outreach, and Engagement for FIO. Chris is in charge of outreach, engagement, communications, events, and public relations. Chris has a master’s in communications from the University of South Florida and a bachelor’s in management from James Madison University. Chris has a background in professional and collegiate sports and has been with the USF System for over a decade.