“We’re trying to encourage folks that are just getting out of graduate school that are in resource management programs to identify state and federal resource management jobs as potential career tracks because we feel like we need newer, younger folks to get into this field.”

– Tony Watkinson
Habitat Management Division Chief, VMRC

2026-2027 Commonwealth Coastal & Marine Policy Fellowship

Sponsored by Virginia Sea Grant, the Virginia Environmental Endowment, and the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program

DEADLINE: MAY 1, 2026 BEFORE 5:00PM EST

INFORMATION FOR:

APPLICANTS

HOST OFFICES

LETTER WRITERS

HOW TO APPLY
RELATED DOCUMENTS

DESCRIPTION

The Virginia Sea Grant Commonwealth Fellowship provides recent graduates with immersive, on-the-job professional training while advancing the stewardship, resilience, and sustainable use of the Commonwealth’s coastal and marine resources. Fellows are placed within state or local government agencies, where they work closely with an experienced host office mentor on mission-driven projects that address real-world coastal and marine challenges.
 
Through this hands-on experience, fellows strengthen core professional skills, including policy analysis, project management, stakeholder engagement, science communication, and applied research, while gaining a practical understanding of how science informs public decision-making. The program is intentionally designed to support early-career professionals at a critical transition point, helping them build networks, clarify career pathways, and increase their long-term impact in coastal, marine, and environmental fields.
 
The Commonwealth Fellowship also increases the capacity of participating host offices by providing dedicated, highly trained talent to support priority initiatives. Fellows contribute fresh perspectives, technical expertise, and academic insight, while Virginia Sea Grant leverages the knowledge and resources of Virginia’s universities to connect cutting-edge research with policy and practice. Together, these partnerships strengthen the workforce pipeline, enhance institutional capacity, and ensure that the Commonwealth is better equipped to address evolving coastal and marine issues.

Past-participating offices include:

  • Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation
  • Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
  • Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
  • Virginia Marine Resource Commission

Past projects and assignments include:

  • Total maximum daily load and water pollution
  • Shoreline erosion
  • Coastal community resilience 
  • Coordinating environmental document reviews and comments
  •  Implementation of electronic permitting
  • Blue crab fisheries management

INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR

MARCH 10, 2026 – 2:00pm
Register here

FOSTERING A SAFE AND WELCOMING COMMUNITY

VASG does not tolerate any form of misconduct, discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment, or sexual misconduct (e.g. sexual assault within its organization, at awardee organizations, field sites, meetings, or anywhere VASG-funded research, outreach and education are conducted).

2026-2027 PARTICIPATING HOST OFFICES

Each office listed below has expressed interest in hosting a fellow during the 2026-2027 fellowship year. Additional host offices and projects may be added before the fellowship application deadline. Click below to download a PDF of the full office and project descriptions.

Virginia Coastal Department of Conservation and Recreation

Project 1: Healthy Waters Program Field Coordinator
Project 2: Increasing Flood Resilience Planning Best Practices
Project 3: Statewide Action Plan to Increase Impact of FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS)

VMRC Logo

Virginia Marine Resources Commission

Project: Agency Scoping Comments Review Coordinator & Habitat Management Division Permit Tracking Database Fellow

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Hampton Roads Planning District Commission

Project: Regional Resilience Planning and Policy Development and Implementation

Real experience, real professional growth opportunities

Commonwealth Fellows work alongside mentors in their host office to address pressing coastal and marine resource issues, while learning about the policy and management process occurring at the state level. This experience and knowledge have positioned past fellows to be highly competitive for opportunities at the conclusion of the fellowship year. The majority of our alumni have accepted full-time positions at Virginia agencies.

BEN N.
The Nature Conservancy

SHURUI Z.
Office of the Secretary of Natural Resources

LAUREN P.
Virginia Marine Resources Commission

Clay Ferguson, VASG Commonwealth Coastal and Marine Policy Fellow

CLAY F.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources

AWARD INFORMATION

Virginia Sea Grant, the Virginia Environmental Endowment, and the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program anticipate supporting up to four post-graduate fellows for the 2026 Commonwealth Coastal & Marine Policy Fellowship.

Length: 12-month fellowship assignment

Start Date: October 1, 2026

Funding: $58,000 stipend, $5,000 for critical expenses and professional development activities

Virginia Coastal Zone Management Zone Logo

CONTACT
lmeddy@vaseagrant.org  •  804-684-7167

HOW TO APPLY
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