Kristine Stepenuck, PhD (Kris; she/her) is Associate Director and Extension Program Leader for Lake Champlain Sea Grant and Extension Associate Professor of Watershed Science, Policy and Education in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. For more than 20 years, she has focused her career to build community connections to and understanding of the impact our actions have on the health of streams, rivers, and lakes.

Her research focuses on understanding behavior changes that result from watershed outreach programming, assessing impacts of land use on water quality, and understanding motivations of volunteers and outcomes of programs that engage the public in scientific research. Kris holds a PhD in Environment and Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is currently a member of the Education and Outreach committee of the Lake Champlain Basin Program and the board of directors for Watersheds United Vermont. She is a year ‘round bike commuter and enjoys hiking, whitewater kayaking, and skiing.