Warm greetings! I’d like to introduce myself; I am REEF’s new Executive Director, starting in this role Aug. 20th. Since then, I have been getting to know REEF’s wonderful staff, members, Board, and programs, and I am so excited to be part of the REEF community! Here’s a bit about me: I’m a third-generation oceanographer (from Scripps Institution of Oceanography) and fish geek, with 27 years of experience in marine and freshwater conservation, research, policy, and education. My experience has primarily been in the Asia/Pacific region, Africa, and the U.S. I have led fish biodiversity surveys along the Congo River, dived in Lake Tanganyika to explore fish habitat and how it drives behavioral and brain evolution, and most recently reviewed coral reef restoration work plans in the Maldives. I have worked in the U.S. government (most recently as Chief Scientist for USAID and AAAS fellow in DC and Fiji), for several nonprofits (the Merrimack River Watershed Council, The Nature Conservancy, and the New England Aquarium), and held faculty affiliate positions at Boston University and at Brown University. I have worked on fish conservation along the U.S. East Coast as Head of the Science and Data Committee for the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership and as co-science lead for The Nature Conservancy’s Northwest Atlantic Marine Ecoregional Assessment.
In my spare time, I enjoy kayaking, biking, diving, hiking, art museums, movies, plays, and reading.
I hope to get a chance to meet many of you at our upcoming REEF Fest, other events, or trips. Don’t hesitate to reach out – I’d love to talk with you!