Keynote Speaker

Meet Our 2025 Conference Keynote Speaker

Conference Opening and Keynote, Friday, February 7: 5:30pm – 10:00pm

Symone Barkley (she/her) is a Baltimore-born scientist and educator who has had a wide range of experiences in the marine science field. Symone has studied algae, blue crabs, sand tigers, and sandbar sharks over the years in undergrad and graduate school.

Even with her exciting research experience, Symone’s passion for educating young people about the ocean and the environment remains at the forefront of her priorities. She is proud to be supporting students and teachers through her presence on a number of local and regional environmental education and STEM boards and is also the Chief Learning Officer for Black In Marine Science.

Symone is a member of NAAEE’s Environmental Education 30 Under 30 program and has launched A Peace of Nature STEM kits for children and youth which aims to foster a passion for STEM learning, art, and literacy in youth through hands-on activities, and encourage literacy in young audiences to help address the STEM learning gap and drive diversity in the field.

Symone serves as the National Ocean Service (NOS) Exhibits Manager and Education Specialist. She works to increase public awareness of products and services NOS provides through outreach at conferences, workshops, festivals, and other events. Symone hosts the Planet NOAA Podcast and Ocean Today, Every Full Moon, a collection of videos showcasing the beauty and mystery of the ocean realm while exploring various ocean topics. Through her support of NOS and NOAA education, Symone is committed to mentoring students, training educators, and creating authentic and effective systems to recruit and retain traditionally excluded groups in ocean science.