Claire Benjamin was the RIPE project's communications manager from November 2015 to December 2020. She developed a strategic communications plan to increase the visibility of the RIPE project's mission and scientific advancements. Claire earned her bachelor's degree in agricultural communications and went on to earn her master's degree in advertising from the University of Illinois. She began her career as a science writer at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology where she wrote about DNA debunking war elephant myths, animal models paving the way for life-saving medical devices, and how RIPE's advancements can help feed the world. Her stories have been picked up by the New York Times, NPR, BBC, CNN, Wired, and many others. Claire went on to become the Associate Director of Communications for the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Illinois.