Connecticut Sea Grant Associate Director Nancy Balcom received the William Q. Wick Visionary Career Leadership Award from the Sea Grant Extension Assembly at a meeting in Portsmouth, N.H., on Sept. 22.
The award is given “in recognition of outstanding career achievement, leadership, vision and contribution to Sea Grant Extension through administration.” In addition to being the associate director, Balcom is also the extension program leader for Connecticut Sea Grant.
Award committee members Abigail Archer, fisheries and aquaculture specialist at Woods Hole Sea Grant, and Tory Gabriel, extension specialist at Ohio Sea Grant, also presented the award to Susan Lovelace, executive director of South Carolina Sea Grant.
In her acceptance speech, Balcom, who plans to retire in the fall of 2025, reflected on the people and opportunities that have made her career fulfilling, with humility, humor and gratitude. Following are her remarks:
Thank you, Tory and Abigail, and thank you to those who took the time and effort to nominate me. Your kind words are reflected back 1000 times over.
I am so honored to receive this award. It is truly the culmination of my career with Sea Grant. It is especially meaningful as I think about those who have been recognized previously. Bill DuPaul, Ralph Rayburn, Jim Falk, Jim Fawcett, Brian Miller, Jim Murray, Dale Baker, Mike Liffmann–they were my role models, mentors and friends. I’m also honored to be the first woman to receive the Wick Award for Administration. (In retrospect–I was one of the first two women to receive this award, along with Susan Lovelace.)
It has been a privilege to be able to say “I work for Sea Grant” every day since I was hired as a new graduate student in 1985 by Bill DuPaul and Jon Lucy with the VA Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program. They gave me many opportunities early on, both as a student and as a Sea Grant employee post-graduation. My husband Prentiss and I returned home when I was hired by Connecticut Sea Grant in 1990. As you see, I then stuck like a limpet.
I want to recognize and thank my directors, Sylvain De Guise and the late Ed Monahan, for having my back and giving me encouragement, support and space to grow professionally as an extension educator, program leader and associate director. Sylvain supported my interest in taking on national leadership opportunities – serving as chair elect and chair of the Sea Grant Extension Assembly and later, four years as chair of the Networks Advisory Committee, which set its early roots during my SGEA chairmanship.
I have worked alongside the most fabulous colleagues at Connecticut Sea Grant. Tessa Getchis will bring new energy and ideas to the position of extension program leader, along with her 25 years of Sea Grant experience. I have worked with many of you…and many of your predecessors…over the years and learned so much about how to be a better program leader and how to “do” extension work more effectively and innovatively. Thank goodness we’ve come a long way from carting slide decks, projectors and screens just to give a presentation. Now it’s all about AI and definitely time to retire.
As expected, there have been challenges and disappointments over the years, but mostly it has been an incredibly rewarding and meaningful career. As I clean out my office, a daunting task for the paper person I am—I am reminded of projects I’d completely forgotten about. I had the opportunity to work on some really cool things!
Prentiss and my sons come first in my heart but know that I consider all of you and the extended Sea Grant network “my second family” and I will miss you all. Be well and thank you again for this wonderful recognition.
Congratulations, Nancy, on this well deserved honor!