After more than 25 years advancing collaborative, user-focused science in the Great Lakes and coastal estuarine regions, Jen Read, longtime director of the University of Michigan Water Center, will retire at the end of 2025. Read led the Water Center for over a decade, guiding a portfolio of programs and projects that have shaped water policy, science, and management across Michigan, the Great Lakes region, and nationally.
Launched in 2012 with support from the Erb Family Foundation, the Water Center grew into a hub for collaborative, multi-sector initiatives under Read’s leadership, addressing some of the region’s most pressing water challenges. Among her most notable accomplishments is overseeing the National Estuarine Research Reserve System’s (NERRS) Science Collaborative, a competitive NOAA-funded program first awarded to U-M in 2014 and renewed twice, totaling $65 million. The Science Collaborative has become a nationally recognized model for the practice of collaborative science, with Read’s guidance ensuring that the program is grounded in shared learning and strong partnerships.
“It has been an honor to work alongside communities and stewards across the country, and an absolute joy to learn and grow with the NERRS over the past eleven years,” Read said. “The Science Collaborative could not be what it is today without the dedication and expertise of so many across the NERR System.”
Beyond the Science Collaborative, Read guided the Water Center’s work in a broad range of projects spanning science, policy, and community engagement. In the St. Clair–Detroit River System, she oversaw the modeling of complex, binational watershed dynamics to address the Detroit River’s significant phosphorus contributions to Lake Erie. More recently, the Water Center’s community-focused work on nutrient management in the western Lake Erie basin has convened scientists, policymakers, agricultural organizations, and residents to advise the state of Michigan on actionable strategies to reduce phosphorus pollution and harmful algal blooms.
The Water Center’s efforts have also advanced water quality, infrastructure, and public health across Michigan. Initiatives such as the Statewide Water Affordability Assessment and the Michigan Water Leak Pilot have provided critical insights into the challenges of ensuring reliable, affordable, and safe water access for all Michigan communities. Read also led a major project in partnership with Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to support implementation of Michigan’s revised Lead and Copper Rule, helping municipal leaders, utilities, and residents navigate technical and funding challenges while safeguarding public health.
The Water Center’s early work on Line 5 oil spill scenarios remains a foundational reference for understanding potential environmental impacts in the Straits of Mackinac. Other high-impact Water Center efforts under Read’s leadership include developing sustainability indicators for drinking water and providing recommendations for managing aquatic invasive species in the region. The Water Center also supported the Michigan Wild Rice Initiative with the development of their stewardship guide: We All Live Together in a Good Way with Manoomin. The Guide provides culturally informed approaches to sustaining this relative who is sacred to the Anishinaabe nations that share geography with Michigan. “Working with our Anishinaabe friends and neighbors on this project has been the capstone experience of my career,” Read reports. “I learned so much from everyone involved in the project and am honored that they trusted us, at the Water Center, with such an important activity.”
Read also held positions at the Great Lakes Commission, the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor and as research coordinator and assistant director at Michigan Sea Grant. From 2008 to 2014, she served as Executive Director of the binational Great Lakes Observing System.
Throughout her career, Read has fostered cross-sector collaboration, building networks among public, private, and non-profit partners to translate science into actionable solutions. Her leadership has helped position the Water Center for a smooth transition. Mike Shriberg, an established leader in Great Lakes water policy and sustainability, has succeeded Read as Water Center director. Meanwhile, Maeghan Brass, who has played key roles in the NERRS Science Collaborative, will assume management responsibilities of that program.