NCCOS Staff

Schillaci coordinates the Marine Spatial Ecology Division’s aquaculture planning and environmental interactions portfolio. His work focuses on aquaculture spatial planning and site suitability modeling, and monitoring and modeling approaches to understand effects from aquaculture development on coastal communities and the environment to inform decision making.

Schillaci has over fifteen years of experience working with federal and state agencies, industry, and members of the scientific, academic, and NGO communities on a variety of marine aquaculture issues. Prior to joining NCCOS, he served as the Regional Aquaculture Coordinator with NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office. Prior to that, Schillaci worked at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Shellfish Sanitation and Management Program, serving as the state’s Aquaculture Program Lead and Vibrio Management Program Coordinator. Schillaci holds a Master's degree in Natural Resource Management and Environmental Conservation from the University of New Hampshire-Durham and a Bachelor's degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.