Mrs. Gabriel received her M.S. in Marine Biology with a concentration in Coastal Zone Management from Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Fort Lauderdale, FL, and her B.S. in Biology from Clark Atlanta University (CAU). Neysa has over 20 years of experience in marine science research and environmental science and education. During her postgraduate work as a Research Fisheries Biologist with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in Miami, Florida she studied pollution, water quality, and abnormalities and diseases of fish as it related to environmental health, particularly in estuarine habitats. Her data analyses on fish species as it pertained to ecosystem health found fish to be both indicator and sentinel species due to the higher toxin levels found in the local estuaries. Neysa focused her research on anthropogenic stressors in marine ecosystems which steered her into Marine and Environmental Sciences Education and Outreach. 

Her desire to bring about awareness on environmental issues led her to develop an interactive, “hands-on” mobile classroom on marine and environmental restoration and conservation efforts. She implemented an Environmental Science Summer Institute (ESSI) for underrepresented students to facilitate education and training in the STEM disciplines.  She worked as a consultant to establish partnerships with community-based organizations to develop the Environmental Science Forum Series through instructional training sessions, workshops, and seminars for teachers, environmental educators, and community leaders. 

In her free time, Neysa enjoys taking their family dog on long walks, reading non-fiction science books, perfecting her hand-lettering, and spending summers with her family anywhere with warm water and sandy beaches.