Marni Berendsen, employed with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), is the lead project manager and developer of the NASA Night Sky Network (http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/), a nationwide coalition of over 200 amateur astronomy clubs dedicated to astronomy outreach.  The Night Sky Network is an ASP and NASA-funded program to create and disseminate informal outreach materials and training specifically tailored for use by amateur astronomers.

An amateur astronomer for many years, Marni is a Project ASTRO partner and a member of the Mount Diablo Astronomical Society in Concord , California , participating regularly in the club's outreach programs and conducting club member workshops.

She received her Masters in Astronomy through the University of Western Sydney .  Her master's thesis involved research into outreach and knowledge of astronomy concepts among amateur astronomers, publishing the primary findings in the journal, Astronomy Education Review.   She contributed to and co-edited the book, Science Educators Under the Stars: Amateur Astronomers Engaged in Education and Public Outreach, published by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific in 2007.

Her interest in astronomy was sparked as a young Girl Scout camping out in a high Sierra meadow while Scout leaders told stories of the Greek gods illustrated by the tapestry of constellations over their heads.