REEF members are the heart of our grassroots marine conservation programs. A diverse community of divers, snorkelers, and ocean enthusiasts support our mission to conserve marine environments worldwide.
This month, we're pleased to introduce Byron Bishop, the newest member of the REEF Board of Trustees. Byron has been a REEF member since 2013, and joined the Board of Trustees in May 2024. He conducted his first REEF surveys in 2017, and was instantly hooked. He was intrigued by REEF’s combination of both in-the-water conservation work and public outreach efforts. A software engineer by training, Byron started his career at Microsoft, where he was a founding member and lead engineer of the group that would create Expedia, Inc. He brings to REEF a broad range of corporate and non-profit experiences from large established corporations and non-profits, to small startup for-profit and non-profit organizations. Byron is a former chair of both The Nature Conservancy of Washington and Eastside Preparatory School, and has also served on the board of the Seattle Aquarium, where he is currently a volunteer diver. In addition to working for the conservation of nature, he enjoys the outdoors and has worked as both a divemaster and a ski instructor to share his passion with others. Byron and his wife Shelia live in Seattle, where they have called home for 40 years. He brings a wealth of diverse experience and we are very excited to welcome him to the REEF Board of Trustees! To learn more about Byron, you can read his REEF member spotlight from 2021 here. You can view bios of the full REEF Board of Trustees here.