Anthropologist Brent Stoffle began his career at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center in part because he was tired of the cold and snow in New Jersey.
The highly regarded anthropologist applied to the center in 2003 at the suggestion of his boss and mentor at Rutgers University, Bonnie McCay, and Mike Orbach, who both hold doctorates, according to an Oct. 11 NOAA Fisheries news release.
“After high school at Ann Arbor Pioneer, I earned a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology, sociology and Spanish from Ohio Wesleyan University,” Stoffle said, according to the release. “I earned my Master of Arts in sociology from East Carolina University where I had the wonderful opportunity to work for Dr. Mike Orbach, Dr. David Griffith and a host of other highly regarded fisheries scientists.”
He applied to the Southeast Fisheries Science Center during his second year of postdoctoral work at Rutgers University. New Jersey just experienced two of its coldest and snowiest seasons in the past 100 years, he said, according to the release.
“While difficult to leave the research in the Mid-Atlantic, it was a blessing to bring my experience to a region that included the U.S. Caribbean to work as an applied anthropologist,” Stoffle said, the release reported.
Stoffle said he grew up all over the world as his family moved from city to city based on where his parents worked. He was born in Lexington, Ky., when his parents were working at the University of Kentucky, the release reported.
He said he loves working with people inside and outside the office, having made some incredible friends in the last 20 years, according to the release.
