Experience

California Marine Sanctuary Foundation

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Executive Director

  • Apr 2021 - Present

  I work closely with our Board of Directors to set and accomplish organizational goals; I am responsible for building and maintaining staff, including having the right people in the right staff positions and developing a culture that reflects the vision and mission of the organization, and fosters government, community, and board relationships; I provide staff with strategic direction and planning support, recruit, onboards develop, train, coach, evaluate, encourage, recognize, and reward employees. I work with staff and partners to grow the organization’s financial resources and fiscal sponsorships. I develop and continually enhance operational performance while setting and maintaining a strategic direction that is optimal for the organization’s core competencies. I work with our Operations Director to develop and monitor an annual budget that has grown from $2 million to $5 million during my tenure, while tracking expenses, income, and financials.



UNODC

• Austria
• International Affairs
• 700 & Above Employee

• Maritime and Fisheries Expert

  • Mar 2019 - May 2021

  I was a Maritime and Fisheries Expert for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's Global Maritime Crime Programme. I chaired workshops, developed and conducted trainings, and educated decision-makers on important aspects related to sustainable fisheries, maritime domain awareness (MDA), and maritime crimes. I led MDA assessments and capacity-building efforts in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Bangladesh to improve government response to maritime threats, while integrating human intelligence data with MDA technologies. I’ve also chaired working groups for senior fisheries officers and public prosecutors to counter fisheries crime in eight Western Indian Ocean countries.



One Earth Future Foundation

• United States
• International Affairs
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Director, Secure Fisheries

  • May 2014 - Jul 2019

  I was the founding director of OEF’s Secure Fisheries program, which works to promote regional stability and security through supporting sustainable fisheries in fragile communities, strengthening fisheries policies, and combating fisheries crime. Some examples of my role include: * Led the creation of Secure Fisheries’ goals, objectives, program planning, and online presence; * Built strategic alliances and partnerships with key NGOs, the U.S. State Department, the European Union, EUNAVFOR, FAO, UNODC, INTERPOL, and government representatives from over a dozen countries; * Managed a growing staff and oversaw external contractors; * Co-Chaired the Indian Ocean Forum on Maritime Crime’s Fisheries Crime Pillar with the UNODC, bringing together leaders from fourteen countries, along with senior staff from EUCAP NESTOR, EUNAVFOR, INTERPOL, FAO, FISH-i Africa, IOC, and the IOTC to coordinate actions that reduce illegal fishing throughout the Indian Ocean; * Partnered with the UNODC on spearheading the Caught Red-Handed project with U.S. Naval Forces Africa and the U.S. State Department, increasing collaboration and coordination of maritime agencies in ten countries that border the Indian Ocean to fight fisheries crime and other maritime crimes; and * Co-Chaired workshops in ten countries in 2018 as part of the Caught Red-Handed project and helped establish several fisheries crime working groups. CRH workshops were held in Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Maldives, Mozambique, Kenya, Seychelles, Somalia, Comoros, Madagascar, and Tanzania.



The Pew Charitable Trusts

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 700 & Above Employee

• Manager, Global Ocean Legacy

  • Aug 2010 - Apr 2014

  I was a manager for the Pew Charitable Trust’s Global Ocean Legacy project, which works to create large fully-protected marine reserves in special ocean areas across the globe. I led dozens of high visibility projects across nine international campaigns in support of creating this first generation of the world’s great marine parks. Some of my activities included: * Managing an international team of contractors; * Writing and executing contracts exceeding $1 million USD; * Coordinating a multi-national team of contractors in successfully completing a high profile protected area satellite monitoring study to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; * Developing and implementing a science and policy strategy; * Leading efforts to engage international scientists in the development of large marine reserves; * Speaking and organizing symposia at prominent science conferences; * Helping develop communications and reports for multiple funding partners; * Writing, editing, and producing Marine Conservation for a New Century—Global Ocean Legacy’s book; and * Developing a large Easter Island management planning workshop in Valparaiso, Chile.



Conservation Planners

• Santa Cruz, CA

• Founder & CEO

  • Jan 2006 - Oct 2011

  I was focused on all aspects of marine protected area project management, specializing in developing public and private collaborations, strategic planning, management planning, and linking science with policy actions. Some of my larger clients have included the the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation/Resources Law Group, and the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation (now the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation). Some of my projects have included: Management Planning Evaluated and strengthened a proposal for a comprehensive illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing program Developed protected area regulatory compliance and enforcement study Developed partnership guidelines and partner criteria for a network of marine protected areas Developed theme, agenda, and facilitated multi-day training workshop Conducted survey of marine education and outreach programs and wrote associated report Completed study on best practices for the management of marine protected areas Conducted interviews with marine protected area managers throughout the world and developed lessons-learned study Strategic Planning Led an NGO through a successful strategic planning process, including the development of programmatic goals, objectives, measurable outcomes, and the development of a five-year timeline for success Communications Planning Developed social networking framework for education and outreach program Developed and administered Facebook "fan" page for NGO Administered listserv Program Evaluation Created lessons learned study on public-private partnerships in the management of protected areas Created program evaluation and lessons learned report for large foundation Proposal Development Created a vision and funding proposal for a successful marine education program



Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

• United States
• Environmental Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Management Plan Coordinator

  • Jul 2005 - Jul 2007

  I coordinated conservation assessment and ranked environmental threats facing California’s second largest estuary; organized and facilitated workshops and meetings to reach staff and community consensus on long-term Reserve goals; developed logic models, measurable objectives, and identified specific actions needed to achieve goals; developed integrated program strategy and five-year action plan; spearheaded the creation, editing, formatting, and revisions of the Reserve’s ten-year management plan; shepherded plan through complex two-tiered Federal/State government environmental review.



Monterey Bay Aquarium

• United States
• Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
• 400 - 500 Employee

• Research Biologist, Seafood Watch

  • 2000 - 2005

  I helped design and launch the Aquarium’s renowned Seafood Watch Program; developed a series of comprehensive scientific reports analyzing and evaluating the sustainability of fisheries throughout the world; collected and synthesized scientific papers and government documents and interviewed fishery scientists, fishers, and community members; spearheaded communications and outreach for the Seafood Watch Program, which included speaking to large groups, presenting research findings at scientific meetings, and acting as a media spokesperson.



California State University, Monterey Bay

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Communications Manager

  • 1997 - 2000

  Created, edited, and wrote the university’s first staff/faculty newsletter, alumni newsletter, President's Council newsletter, and weekly electronic newsletter; disseminated the university’s science-related activities to the local and national press; managed staff and student interns. Created, edited, and wrote the university’s first staff/faculty newsletter, alumni newsletter, President's Council newsletter, and weekly electronic newsletter; disseminated the university’s science-related activities to the local and national press; managed staff and student interns.



Freelance

• Santa Cruz, CA

• Science Journalist

  • 1995 - 1999

  Wrote and edited science and natural history articles for many national and international magazines; conducted extensive research; interviewed prominent scientists; organized difficult scientific concepts into flowing and understandable prose; my stories have appeared in publications such as Popular Science, The Boston Globe, E Magazine, and New Scientist, among many others. Wrote and edited science and natural history articles for many national and international magazines; conducted extensive research; interviewed prominent scientists; organized difficult scientific concepts into flowing and understandable prose; my stories have appeared in publications such as Popular Science, The Boston Globe, E Magazine, and New Scientist, among many others.



University of California, Santa Cruz

• Predatory Bird Research Group

• Field Biologist

  • 1992 - 1992

  Coordinated and conducted the release of six peregrine falcons in Lake Tahoe Basin National Forest. Coordinated and conducted the release of six peregrine falcons in Lake Tahoe Basin National Forest.



Newfound Harbor Marine Institute

• Big Pine Key, Florida

• Science Instructor

  • 1990 - 1991

  Prepared and taught seminars in coastal ecology, coral reef ecology, shallow bay ecology, and shark biology; led field study in local marine environment; developed curriculum; guided boating trips throughout the Florida Keys’ nearshore and offshore waters. Prepared and taught seminars in coastal ecology, coral reef ecology, shallow bay ecology, and shark biology; led field study in local marine environment; developed curriculum; guided boating trips throughout the Florida Keys’ nearshore and offshore waters.