Dr. Cournane is a fisheries ecologist, specializing in marine and anadromous species. She is currently working, under a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Government of Canada funded project, to improve river herring science, management and conservation in the US and Canada. Dr. Cournane completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Univeristy of New Hampshire (UNH) and Environmental Defense Funding investigating river herring bycatch by fisheries that target Atlantic herring. For her doctoral work at UNH, she assessed spatial patterns of groundfish biodiversity in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank over the past 100 years and emphasized that historical perspectives provide important baselines to measure success in the current spatial management of fisheries. Dr. Cournane currently serves on the New England Fisheries Management Council's Atlantic herring plan development team, the Sanctuary Advisory Council for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea' Working Group on the Northwest Atlantic Regional Sea.

Irit Altman is a Research Scientist at Boston University. She received her Ph.D. in 2010 from The University of New Hampshire where her research focused on understanding spatial patterns of larval trematode infections in the common estuarine snail host, Ilyanassa obsoleta, at multiple scales. Her core training is in community ecology of marine systems including parasite-host relationships, introduced species, and trophic interactions. In addition, she has extensive experience developing ways to integrate scientific knowledge into ecosystem-based decision-making. Dr. Altman's postdoctoral work focused on developing a dynamic system's model to understand the spatial and temporal distribution of a suite of ecosystem services that support diverse human activities (e.g., fishing, whale watching, offshore wind energy development) within the coastal and nearshore waters surrounding Gloucester, Massachusetts including Stellwagen Bank. In addition to natural flows, the model incorporates the behavior of human agents and explores the long-term consequences of different management decisions through scenario analysis. Her current research focuses on the human-natural coupled system associated with the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia: Cambodia's Tonle Sap. The lake ecosystem supports rich biodiversity and is a driver of ecosystem services in the region including fish production. This ecosystem, however, is currently threatened by numerous dam projects and climate change, the effects of which will be explored through modeling techniques and analysis of alternative futures. Dr. Altman lives in Portland, Maine and enjoys exploring wild and urban environments through a variety of means including by bike, boat, board, and on foot.

Rick Murray is a Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University (BU), where he has been located since 1992.  While pursuing his undergraduate degree at Hamilton College (1985), he also participated in the Sea Education Association’s (SEA’s) program in Woods Hole.  After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, he was a post-doctoral scholar at the Graduate School of Oceanography (University of Rhode Island).  Murray’s research interests are in marine geochemistry, with an emphasis on sedimentary chemical records of climate change, as well as modern oceanographic processes in the tropics.  He has authored or co-authored over 65 peer-reviewed scientific research papers.  Murray’s research funding has been provided by the National Science Foundation, the Ocean Drilling Program, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other agencies. At Boston University, Murray was the Director of the Boston University Marine Program from 2006-2009, and served as Chair of the Department of Earth Sciences from 2000-2005. He has long been involved in leadership roles with the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), and has served on multiple panels and committees for the National Science Foundation and other agencies. He has chaired the Geochemical Society's Nomination Committee, is a former Joint Oceanographic Institution's Distinguished Lecturer, and is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. Murray is a Trustee of the Sea Education Association, and helped initiate the Link Foundation's Ph.D. Fellowship Program in “Ocean Engineering and Instrumentation”. Murray is a resident of the coastal community of Scituate, where he has been an elected Selectman since 2006.

Michael Moore has a veterinary degree from the University of Cambridge in the UK, and a Ph.D. from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been based at WHOI in Woods Hole, Massachusetts since 1986. He currently provides veterinary support to the Marine Mammal Rescue and Research Division of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, supporting their work with stranded marine mammals on Cape Cod. His research encompasses the forensic analysis of marine mammal mortalities, especially in regard to the accurate diagnosis of perceived human impacts and the prevalence of zoonotic agents, the interaction of natural and man made impacts on fish and marine mammal stocks, development of systems to enhance medical intervention with large whales, and the pathophysiology of marine mammal diving.

Rob Moir, Ph.D., is President and Executive Director of the Ocean River Institute in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He has a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies and a Masters of Science and Teaching from Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, New Hampshire, a certificate of studies from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, and postdoctoral research at the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, Catalina Island. Dr. Moir has been a leader of citizen science and efforts to clean up Salem Sound and Boston Harbor, as president of the advocacy organizations Salem Sound Harbor Monitors, Salem Sound 2000 and later Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, and through his appointment by the Secretary of Interior to the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership. He was formerly Curator of Natural History at the Peabody Essex Museum, Executive Director of the Discovery Museums in Acton, Massachusetts, and Curator of Education at the New England Aquarium. Dr. Moir was awarded a Switzer Environmental Fellowship from the Robert & Patricia Switzer Foundation, and the James Centorino Award for Distinguished Performance in Marine Education by the National Marine Educators Association, which he also served as president. He was Sea Education Association's first assistant scientist contracted to work multiple voyages of the R.V. Westward in 1979 and 1980 (W45, W49, W50, W52, and W53). He has worked as major gifts officer for his alma mater, Hampshire College, and served on the Board of Trustees of his alma mater, Cambridge School of Weston. Dr. Moir is the founding chairperson (2003 to 2011) of the Board of Directors of Ocean Champions. In his spare time he goes to sea where he enjoys sailing, whale, bird and fish watching off New England and Bermuda shores including watching the stealth flying Bermuda petrel, the cahow.

Wayne R. Petersen is Director of the Massachusetts Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program at the Massachusetts Audubon Society. As co-author of Birds of Massachusetts (1993) and co-editor of the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas (2003), his knowledge of the habitats, distribution, and status of the Commonwealth's bird life is both extensive and wide-ranging. A New England Regional Editor for North American Birds magazine and editor of the New England Christmas Bird Count, Wayne's knowledge of the seasonal distribution of New England bird life give him a wide perspective when thinking about Important Bird Areas in Massachusetts and beyond. Among his other writing projects are authorship of the National Audubon Society's Pocket Guide to Songbirds and Familiar Backyard Birds (East), and Birds of New England (with Roger Burrows), and contributing to The Audubon Society Master Guide to Birding, The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior, and Arctic Wings. Wayne leads international birding tours for Mass Audubon and Field Guides, Inc. and serves on the advisory committee of the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Council, and is a board member of the Wildlands Trust. In 2005 Wayne was the recipient of the American Birding Association's Ludlow Griscom Award for outstanding contributions in regional ornithology.

Priscilla Brooks is Vice President and Director of Ocean Conservation at the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF). Priscilla received her B.S. in Communications from Cornell University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in marine resource economics from the University of Rhode Island. The mission of CLF's Ocean Conservation Program is to protect and restore the health of New England's ocean environment and build a sustainable future for the region's coastal communities. Priscilla's work focuses on the three primary goals of CLF's Ocean Conservation Program: (1) rebuilding depleted fish populations; (2) restoring and protecting marine biodiversity and ocean habitat through the implementation of a system of Marine Protected Areas; and (3) development of comprehensive coastal and marine spatial plans for ecosystem-based management of New England's ocean waters. CLF is a member-supported non-profit environmental advocacy organization that uses the law, science and the market to preserve natural resources, build healthy communities and sustain a thriving economy. CLF protects New England's environment for the benefit of all people.

Chris McGuire is the Marine Program Director for The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts. He shapes marine priorities at the state level while harnessing the Conservancy's global experience and scientific expertise to develop innovative conservation solutions. Chris is focused on conserving Massachusetts' critical marine and coastal systems by: developing market incentives to encourage more sustainable fishing through partnerships with commercial fishermen; advancing conservation positive ocean planning efforts; and using natural solutions to reduce the risks of climate change. Before joining the Conservancy he worked as Captain aboard oceanographic sailing research vessels at Sea Education Association for more than a decade, where he taught accredited college courses and directed six week educational programs at sea. Chris graduated from Connecticut College, holds a 1600 ton USCG Ocean Master's license, and earned a Master of Marine Affairs degree from the University of Rhode Island. When not pursuing marine conservation initiatives Chris can often be found working on home improvement projects on Cape Cod with his kids.

Susan Farady is the Director of the Marine Affairs Institute and the Rhode Island Sea Grant Legal Program, and adjunct faculty at the Roger Williams University School of Law.  She directs the education, outreach and research programs of the Institute, including the joint degree program with the University of Rhode Island Department of Marine Affairs, activities with Rhode Island Sea Grant, and marine affairs curriculum and outreach activities at the School of Law.  Ms. Farady has published and presented on marine protected areas, the National Marine Sanctuary Act and marine governance reform, teaches marine policy and law courses, and is co-author of a textbook, Marine and Coastal Law 2nd ed (2010).  Prior to joining Roger Williams, she opened and directed the New England office of The Ocean Conservancy, where she worked on marine ecosystem conservation initiatives and ocean governance reform.  Her other experience includes five years as a practicing attorney, positions in marine biology research,  and four years as professional crew aboard sail training vessels and yachts.   She received her Bachelor’s Degree in biology from the University of Colorado, participated in the SEA (Sea Education Association) program, received her J.D. from Vermont Law School, and serves as an advisor to several government, non-profit and academic bodies engaged in marine and environmental issues.

Robert Rocha is the Science Director at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, where he has worked since 2004. His major responsibilities at the Museum include all content for science exhibits, creating and presenting science programming for school groups, professional development for teachers and management of the High School Apprenticeship Program. In addition, he coordinates the Museum's Moby-Dick Marathon, a 25-hour non-stop reading of Melville's classic novel. He is Executive Director of Massachusetts Marine Educators (MME), serves on the Board of National Marine Educators Association, Advisory Panel for the Ocean First project at Tabor Academy, is Chair of the Education Committee of the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium and is Chair of the Acushnet Conservation Commission. Bob received his Bachelor of Science in Biology from Southeastern Massachusetts University in 1987 and his Master of Science in Environmental Education from Antioch University New England in 1993. He has written several articles for the Whaling Museum's Bulletin from Johnny Cake Hill, for MME's Flotsam and Jetsam newsletter and the Whaling Museum's blog. When not at work or involved in his many projects, he plays bass for the classic rock and blues cover band Green Season.

Richard F. Delaney is the President and CEO of the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, MA. The Center for Coastal Studies is a 35 year old private, non-profit focused on the conservation, protection and sustainable management of coastal and marine resources through scientific research, public education and sustainable public policy. Previously, Mr. Delaney was the founding Director of the Urban Harbors Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston; served as Assistant Secretary of Environmental Affairs in Massachusetts for Governor Dukakis; was the National Chair of the Coastal States Organization in Washington DC representing the views of the 35 coastal states, Great Lake states and US territories and their Governors on legislative and budgetary matters before Congress. He currently serves on a number of Boards of Directors including the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce; Chair of the Stellwagen National Marine Sanctuaries Advisory Committee, Chair of the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission. Mr. Delaney has provided consultations to governments in over 20 countries regarding capacity building, institutional strengthening, and public education and outreach campaigns and was actively involved with preparations for the Earth Summit Rio +20 held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 focusing on sustainable develop and conservation of global oceans and coasts. He has BS in Political Science from Harvard, has completed graduate studies in environmental planning and landscape architecture at the State University of New York College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry and completed a Certificate Program for Senior Executives at JKF School of Government.

Bio forthcoming

Bio forthcoming

Bio forthcoming

Brad White hails from the south shore of Boston and has been navigating MA and Cape Cod Bays for over 40 years as an active recreational fisherman for small to large species & shellfish. White has been involved with the general sportsman's use, maintenance and preservation of the bays for many years. Recent civic contributions include hands on assistance in the shellfish re-seeding projects of the North and South Rivers, implementing the used monofilament line reclamation stations with the boy scouts in Scituate and Marshfield and continued proactive public awareness promotion on the continued free access and responsible use of our waterways. Brad has over thirty years of experience in consumer goods and services in the USA and abroad. Former Director of Business Development, Sharper Image Corporation, San Francisco, CA. Founder of New England Burials at Sea LLC, White Cap Charters LLC and Midnight Pass Inc. His professional affiliations include Certified Captain with the International Game Fish Association, Member, NACO National association of charter boat operators; Member, Scituate Harbor Yacht Club; Member, Ducks Unlimited; Member, Stellwagen Charter Captains Association; Member, North East Charter Captains Association; Member, Boat US; Member, SEA TOW; Member, Marshfield Chamber of Commerce; Member, Scituate MA Waterways Committee; PADI SCUBA Diver; Alternate Member Stellwagen Bank Advisory Council 2010-present; Member, MA Harbormaster Association and member of the South Shore Advertising Marketing Club. Brad received a B.S. Management, Ithaca College; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Boston, Citizens Academy Graduate June 2010; 100 GT USCG Licensed Master Captain with endorsements in Auxiliary Sail & Towing. He is trained in SCUBA, CPR, First Aid, Rescue & Sea Survival, RADAR, GPS, Basic Diesel Service; Gulf Coast Drug Free Program Member; and is a Real Estate Sales Broker MA and RI, Licensed 2013. Brad's personal interests include boating, competitive sailing, big game fishing, skiing, snowshoeing, tennis, photography.

Bio forthcoming

Bio forthcoming

Bill Adler has actively owned and operated a lobster business and continues to fish on a limited basis. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association and on the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission (state regulatory body), formerly as its Chair as well as Vice-Chair. Mr. Adler is a Governor's Appointee to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Mr. Adler received a B.A. in English from Stonehill College. He received his M.A. in English from Northeastern University Graduate School. He taught school from 1967-1974. Mr. Adler remains active in many fisheries organizations including the Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary Advisory Council and the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance Board of Trustees. He serves as current Chairman of the Board of Advisors for the Lobster Institute of the University of Maine. He is a member of NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team, and the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation-Board of Directors. Mr. Adler is also currently a member of the Massachusetts Fishermen's Partnership, SEA Plan (Ocean Planning Partnership), and the Northeast Consortium Advisory Committee (distribution of federal funds for fishing research projects).

Local lobsterman Captain Dave Casoni, F/V Margaret M., Sandwich Marina, Cape Cod, harvests lobsters using the best management practices to ensure a sustainable resource. Dave has been a commercial lobsterman on Cape Cod for over 35 years. He serves as Secretary-Treasurer for the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association. He also serves on numerous boards related to the lobster and fishing industry throughout the northeast region.

Bio forthcoming

Bio forthcoming

Tim has served as vice president and general manager of Brewer Plymouth Marine since 1993. Operations at Brewer Plymouth include service and repair of yacht, fishing, research and small ferry vessels. Other project management has included pier construction, marina construction and dredging. In addition Tim sits on the board of the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association and currently serves as its President. Prior positions in yacht and commercial vessel repair include time spent at Boston Yacht Sales, Plymouth Marine Railway and Hinckley St. John Charters. He has lived aboard and sailed extensively from the Canadian Maritimes to the lower Caribbean on several vessels. He graduated from the New England Apprentice Coop boat building school in 1977 and now makes his home in Sandwich, MA.

David S. Robinson is a Senior Marine Research Specialist (archaeology) at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography (URI-GSO) in Narragansett, Rhode Island, and President ⁄ CEO of the Jamestown, Rhode Island-based submerged cultural resource management firm of David S. Robinson & Associates, Inc. He is currently serving as a co-principal investigator on two major studies funded by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). One study involves working with research partners from the Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Office (NITHPO) on the first major study effort to develop best practices for reconstructing submerged and buried paleolandscapes and identifying ancient Native American submerged settlements on the Atlantic Continental Shelf off the coast of southern New England. The other study is a focused multi-disciplinary underwater archaeological investigation of the Massachusetts Wind Energy Area working with the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) to assess and improve BOEM's current survey protocols for identifying submerged cultural resources in areas being considered for offshore wind energy development. In addition to his work at URI-GSO, David also is a professional marine archaeological consultant providing expert submerged cultural resource management services to a wide variety of private developers, as well as state, federal and tribal agencies. David is a native of Newport, Rhode Island. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology and in art, and from Texas A&M University in 1999 with a Masters of Arts degree in nautical archaeology. He is currently completing a Doctoral degree in submerged settlements archaeology at the University of Connecticut. In addition to his professional work, David served as a SBNMS Working Group member during the development of the Sanctuary's initial long-range management plan, has directed and participated in several maritime archaeological investigations within the Sanctuary, and is serving a second term as the Maritime Heritage representative on the SBNMS Sanctuary Advisory Council.

John Galluzzo is the Director of Education and Camping for the YMCA’s South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell, Massachusetts, the executive director of the United States Life-Saving Service Heritage Association and editor of the organization’s quarterly journal, Wreck & Rescue, and the awards committee chairman for the Foundation for Coast Guard History. John earned his B.A. in history from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and has since authored more than forty books on the history and nature of Massachusetts. Working for Mass Audubon between 2004 and 2013, he led adult education and citizen science efforts at that organization’s South Shore Sanctuaries in Marshfield, utilizing those skills to become one of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary’s first Seabird Stewards. While at Mass Audubon, he helped write the first-ever State of the Birds reports for Massachusetts, and coauthored 2013’s Breeding Bird Atlas 2. John holds regular columns in South Shore Living magazine, the Scituate Mariner and Hull Times weekly newspapers, contributes to numerous local and regional publications, and holds a weekly radio spot from April to October on 95.9 WATD FM in which he describes his favorite South Shore “Walk of the Week.” He sits on the boards of directors of Manet Community Health Care and the Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens Association.

Heather Knowles is a co-founder of Northern Atlantic Dive Expeditions, Inc. and co-captain of GAUNTLET, based out of Salem, MA. Heather has been a member of the Sanctuary Advisory Council since 2008 and is a member of the Explorer's Club and the Boston Sea Rovers. Heather is a technical scuba diving instructor and has had the privilege of exploring some of the world's notable shipwrecks.

Chad Smith is a Marine Operations Coordinator at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) managing worldwide scientific expeditions aboard the Research Vessel Knorr. He is also a member of the WHOI Diving Program and supervises scientific diving operations around the globe. Chad received a Bachelor's of Science in Marine Transportation with a concentration in Naval Science from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 2002. As a US Merchant Marine Chad sailed as a Deck Officer aboard oil tankers and cargo vessels and was awarded the US Merchant Marine Expeditionary Medal in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2010, NOAA tapped Chad to be the Vessel Operations Chief for the Deepwater Horizon ⁄ BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Chad is a certified commercial diver as well as a technical and shipwreck diver having explored shipwrecks such as the USS Monitor, the Empress of Ireland and the Andrea Doria. In 2006, Chad served as a divemaster at the former nuclear weapons test site of Bikini Atoll. Today Chad lives with his wife Victoria and two rescue dogs on Cape Cod.

Deborah Cramer writes about science, nature, and the environment. She holds a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College and Masters degrees from Middlebury College and MIT. She has been awarded the science writing fellowship at the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology at MIT and the Mary Elvira Stevens Traveling Fellowship from Wellesley, and is currently a visiting scholar at MIT's Earth System Initiative. She has written two books, Great Waters: An Atlantic Passage (W.W. Norton 2001) and Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water Our World (2008), developed along with Michael Moss and Suzannah Marsh a short video introducing the book “We Need the Sea and the Sea Needs Us,” and has lectured about her writing and the sea on both sides of the Atlantic, at science and maritime museums, at major environmental and teachers' organizations, and at undergraduate and graduate schools in oceanography and journalism. She is now following migrating shorebirds from their winter home in Tierra del Fuego to their nesting grounds in the Arctic for a new book she is researching and writing, provisionally called On the Edge: a tiny bird, an ancient crab, and an epic journey.

Jonathan Grant is an environmental consultant and principal with Zoco Engineering, Inc. His work focuses on assessing and restoring natural resources within marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments. Projects include conducting natural resource damage assessments following oil spills and ship groundings, developing restoration plans and strategies to compensate for oil spill and human use impacts, and understanding and managing environmental risks for the trustees of natural resources. Jon grew up in Cambridge Massachusetts. He has a Masters Degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Ocean Engineering with a focus on the management of marine resources, a Masters Degree from MIT from the Technology and Policy Program, a Masters Degree from the University of Florida in Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering, and a Bachelors Degree from Cornell University in Mechanical Engineering. His research work focused on the response of natural systems to sea level rise and to shoreline modifications, as well as on the ability of shoreline management systems and policies to handle sea level rise and private property rights in the US. Jon spent his childhood boating and fishing on the waters surrounding Stellwagen Bank, and loves being able to enjoy those same waters and shorelines with his children.

John Williamson began a fishing career out of college in 1974, as a captain or crewman on commercial fishing vessels operating in New England, Florida and Alaska, with hands-on experience in a range of fisheries and gear-types. John is owner of the F/V Sea Keeper, a 40-foot vessel outfitted for fishing charter, eco-tourism and research, and is USCG licensed. He does professional consulting in living marine resource management and development. John is a familiar face to commercial and recreational fishermen from Maine to Virginia. He served nearly a decade on the New England Fishery Management Council, the primary body crafting regulations for federal-water fisheries in the Northeast. He has also served on other federal regulatory initiatives in marine mammal protection and marine ecosystem restoration. A member of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council since its formation in 2001, John served as Chairman for five years during Management Plan Review, and remains on the SAC Executive Committee. He is the president of Stellwagen Alive!, the Sanctuary friends organization. In addition to his professional work, John served as a SBNMS Working Group member during the development of the Sanctuary's initial long-range management plan and has directed and participated in several maritime archaeological investigations within the Sanctuary. John managed the Northeast Fish Conservation program for Ocean Conservancy from 2006 to 2009, and has a presence in marine resource conservation policy nationally. Trained in conflict resolution, John has a successful track record of bringing fishermen together with scientists in collaborative problem solving. He provided key leadership in industry initiatives for: Development of porpoise bycatch mitigation strategies in gillnet fisheries including the earliest industry experimentation in development of gillnet “pingers”; self governance systems in the lobster fishery; a time/area closure system in the Gulf of Maine to protect spawning and essential fish habitat; and an area-based management system for Atlantic sea scallops. He is the founding principal and co-leader of the Marine Resource Education Program, a curriculum in fishery science and management offered to commercial fishermen and marine resource professionals, based at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Currently, John is serving as a field organizer to engage fishing industry leadership in Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning, under the Administration's emerging National Ocean Policy. In that role, John has built a network of dialog among political and business leaders in fisheries across the New England and Mid-Atlantic regions under a contract with Ocean Conservancy.

Daniel Pingaro serves as the CEO and Executive Director of Sailors for the Sea (SfS), an ocean conservation organization founded by SfS Chairman David Rockefeller, Jr. Mr. Pingaro has built the organization from the ground up with a global sphere of influence and collaborative partnerships that encompass the corporate, university, scientific and NGO communities including a world class science advisory team. He serves as a member of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council; is a representative to the World Bank Global Partnership for Oceans and is an Advisor to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board. Mr. Pingaro also serves on the 34th America' Cup Sustainability Subcommittee and recently presented at the Economist Magazine World Ocean Summit in Singapore. Formerly, Mr. Pingaro founded the innovative sailing apparel company, CLEWGEAR, and worked on coastal and marine policy for the U.S. Federal Government. In 2010, he was nominated as a "Coastal Hero" by Coastal Living Magazine.

George W. (Whit) Manter is retired and currently resides in Charlestown, Massachusetts. His working life was in construction, specifically repair and renovation of single family homes as well as real estate investment. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Biology/Environmental Studies. He was originally from and spent most of his life on Martha's Vineyard. He served for ten years on the West Tisbury Conservation Commission, two years as chairman. He has served in numerous volunteer positions for Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Long Point Wildlife refuge, both located on Martha's Vineyard. He has always had a close connection to the ocean. He has always been a passionate saltwater fisherman, as well as a birder and scuba diver. In the past he has been a commercial fisherman of striped bass and made day trips for swordfish in the late 70s and early 80s. He is currently one of the Stellwagen Bank Seabird Stewards. He and his wife, Diana have traveled extensively, both around the country and abroad.

Judith Laster is General Counsel in the Office of Massachusetts State Senator Gale Candaras and Committee Director for the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technology. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Woods Hole Film Festival. She was formerly Chief Counsel on Energy, Environment and Financial Services for the Massachusetts Speaker of the House and has served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Utilities Division.

Jessica Freedman is eighteen years old and is currently a senior at Falmouth High School. She will be graduating in the top of her class with honors. Jessica is an officer of Falmouth High School's first Science National Honors Society. She has worked at Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), as a lab assistant and now this summer as an REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates), for three years. At MBL, she contributes to the Oceanic Flux Program by performing organic transfers and analyzing the organics of deep-sea fish. When Jessica isn't in the lab, she enjoys playing tennis, basketball and boating. She tutors in math and science and has volunteered as a first grade basketball coach for four years. Jessica also attended the Sea Education Association Semester for high school students in Woods Hole, MA. She hopes to one day return to the program as a Chief Scientist.

Captain John Tulik of the Massachusetts Environmental Police is stationed out of Gloucester, Massachusetts. He oversees enforcement efforts from Duxbury, Massachusetts to the New Hampshire border. He has served for 32 years, primarily as a coastal officer. Throughout his career, he has patrolled both state and federal waters from Cape Cod to New Hampshire, including the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. His at-sea duties include enforcing and overseeing both state and federal fishing regulations, SBNMS regulations, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's “Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan” and “Harbor Porpoise Take Reduction Plan”, the “Magnuson-Stevens Act”, pollution regulations, and boating regulations. Captain Tulik is the Massachusetts law enforcement representative to the National Marine Fisheries Service. He also sits on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Council, the New England Fisheries Management Council, the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Commission, and the Massachusetts Underwater Archaeology Board.

Todd Callaghan is a biologist with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) and an adjunct professor of Environmental Science at Suffolk University. He received his PhD in Biology, with a focus on Aquatic Ecology, from the University of Delaware in 1998. With CZM since 1999, Todd participates in the formal review of coastal and marine construction projects (e.g., pipes, cables, renewable energy structures) with a focus on implementing state policies to avoid or minimize impacts to the marine environment. In this capacity, he assists in the design, implementation, and oversight of research programs to evaluate the spatial extent of natural resources and the potential impacts of marine projects. He is also part of a team at CZM that is working with state, federal, and nonprofit partners to describe and map the biological and abiotic components of the seafloor in Massachusetts.

Bio forthcoming

Michelle Bachman has been a Fishery Analyst with the New England Fishery Management Council since December 2008. During summer 2009 she assumed chairmanship of the Council's Habitat Plan Development Team. She is the project manager for Essential Fish Habitat Omnibus Amendment 2, which will update EFH and Habitat Area of Particular Concern designations as well as the system of habitat and groundfish closed areas. She helps the Council stay connected to offshore wind, habitat mapping, and marine spatial planning issues. Ms. Bachman studied biology and environmental studies at Tufts University and received her M.S. degree in Living Marine Resource Science and Management from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology in 2009. Before joining the Council staff, she worked on the sea scallop video survey at SMAST. Prior to the birth of her toddler, Michelle was an avid recreational diver, and she hopes someday to dive on Stellwagen Bank.

Bio forthcoming

Captain Peter DeCola is currently serving as the Chief of Law Enforcement, First Coast Guard District in Boston, Massachusetts. He oversees all Coast Guard law enforcement and homeland security operations across eight states in the Northeast and 2,000 miles of coastline from the U.S.-Canadian border to northern New Jersey.Captain Pete DeCola is a native of Lynn Massachusetts. He graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Government, and has Master's Degrees in Instructional Design from the University of Massachusetts and in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island. In addition to several operational tours on Coast Guard Cutters, previous assignments include serving as Commanding Officer, North Pacific Regional Fisheries Training Center in Kodiak, Alaska; Executive Officer, Coast Guard Integrated Support Command Boston, Massachusetts. Performance Consulting Division Chief, in the Office of Workforce Performance and Training at Coast Guard Headquarters and Coast Guard Liaison to the Department of State, Office of Fisheries Affairs.Captain DeCola's personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, six Coast Guard Commendation Medals, the Coast Guard Achievement Medal and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.