UC Santa Cruz has announced the selection of Gage Dayton as its new NRS campus administrative director. Dayton, who has a strong background in conservation and environmental restoration, is the son of Paul Dayton, the UC San Diego faculty manager, making the Daytons the first father-son team in the NRS family.

Gage Dayton is currently finishing a post-doctoral research grant at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, while also managing a number of restoration projects, including $1.1M restoration of approximately 400-acres within the Moro Cojo Slough in Monterey County.

Dayton received his BS degree in wildlife management from California State University at Humboldt and his PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology (wildlife and fisheries sciences) from Texas A&M. In addition, he has taught undergraduate and graduate courses, both in the classroom and in the field. Dayton comes highly recommended for his outstanding communication skills and his abilities to interface well with diverse stakeholders, "fix tattered relationships," and move disparate groups toward consensus, reaching agreement and advancing projects.

Dayton, who will be replacing recently retired Margaret H. (Maggie) Fusari, will begin working part time through March as he wraps up his other projects. He will then gradually increase his time to 100 percent, beginning July 1, 2008.

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