{"id":21764,"date":"2025-09-18T06:33:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T10:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/karlenna-burchell\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T23:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T04:30:22","slug":"karlenna-burchell","status":"publish","type":"staff","link":"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/karlenna-burchell\/","title":{"rendered":"Karlenna “KK” Burchell"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Florida native, KK grew up in Panama City and moved to Sarasota in 2020. Having always been fascinated by marine life and finding peace near the water, she is excited to merge her professional background in event coordination with her lifelong love of animals and the sea.<\/p>\n

Prior to joining Mote, KK worked in nonprofit and community-based organizations, where she managed events, communications, and public engagement. She brings extensive experience in creating welcoming, well-organized gatherings that strengthen community connection.<\/p>\n

Outside of her professional role, KK is active in Sarasota\u2019s arts community, frequently performing in local theater productions. She is passionate about building spaces\u2014whether on stage, in the community, or at Mote\u2014that inspire curiosity, connection, and joy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":21845,"template":"","department":[21],"class_list":["post-21764","staff","type-staff","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","department-aquarium"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKarlenna "KK" Burchell | Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mote.org\/staff\/karlenna-burchell\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Karlenna "KK" Burchell | Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A Florida native, KK grew up in Panama City and moved to Sarasota in 2020. 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