Susan L. Williams, is a Professor of Evolution and Ecology at the University of California at Davis and the Director of the Bodega Marine Laboratory. She earned a BS in Biology from the University of Michigan, a MS in Biological Oceanography from the University of Alaska, and Ph.D. in Botany and Marine Biology from the University of Maryland. She has served on the faculties of SUNY- Stony Brook, the University of Washington, and San Diego State University. Previously, she was the Science Director for the Caribbean component of NOAA's National Undersea Research Program. She was awarded fellowships in marine environmental science from the Smithsonian Institution and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Williams frequently serves on scientific panels for the EPA, National Sea Grant Program, the NSF, the NRC, the Natl. Marine Sanctuary Program, the Dept. of the Interior, and she testifies on marine biodiversity and marine science. She is currently an Aldo Leopold Fellow in Environmental Leadership, awarded by the Ecological Society of America. She is also a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Her research has focused on coastal ecological communities, particularly seagrass meadows, seaweed forests, and coral reefs. Recently, she has worked  on the ecological effects of non-native species and their management.