Allison Rugila

Allison joined Save the Sound in May 2025. She brings over a decade of experience in marine conservation and climate change research. Originating from the Chesapeake Bay, Allison spent 6 years managing oyster restoration, stormwater mitigation, and community outreach projects for the St. Mary’s River Watershed Association. She then went on to complete a M.A. and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University, which focused on identifying mechanisms of resilience in shellfish (e.g. Long Island Sound blue mussels; Shinnecock Bay quahog clams and bay scallops) to environmental stressors like seawater acidification, warming, and low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia).

Following graduate school, Allison completed a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship at University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she evaluated effects of ocean warming on native Atlantic and introduced Pacific populations of a predatory marine snail, the Atlantic Oyster drill. Allison’s background combines a deep appreciation of coastal marine communities with a passion for environmental advocacy and stewardship. She will use her expertise as a scientist and skipper to advance Save the Sound’s vision of a swimmable, fishable Long Island Sound.