Sanctuary Advisory Council Members

Andrea Bogomolni
Primary

Andrea Bogomolni lives in Falmouth, MA and is currently a program officer at the Island Foundation. She is a community scientist as well as many other “-ists”: a naturalist, artist, biologist and conservationist with a passion for the ocean. She is drawn to understanding our human relationship with the natural world and ways we can help preserve, protect and sustainably make use of limited resources. She has an interdisciplinary skill set in scientific research, education and outreach. Her bachelor’s degrees are in studio art and wildlife, fisheries and conservation biology from UC Davis, her master’s is in marine biology from Boston University and her doctorate is in pathobiology and veterinary science with a certificate in public health from UCONN. She was a postdoctoral fellow and guest investigator at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She has taught marine mammal science at several universities and at Shoals Marine Lab where she started a seal research program a decade ago. She currently chairs the Northwest Atlantic Seal Research Consortium. Through all her work, she hopes to amplify the voices of those that can provide the knowledge needed to mitigate human impacts as we manage ocean ecosystems.

Terri Birkeland
Alternate

Terri Birkeland is an experienced internal communicator for financial services companies, focusing on employee programs and supporting them as a writer/editor, presenter, facilitator, and project manager. It is her professional experience, combined with her drive and passion for marine life and the environment, that compelled her to pursue a seat on the SAC. Her interest in the sanctuary began decades ago, when she requested a copy of the original environmental impact statement for some light reading. She has over 15 years of experience as a proactive and committed aquarium volunteer with the New York Aquarium and the New England Aquarium's Whale Watch, and now with the sanctuary. In addition to dozens of whale watch trips out of Cape Cod, Boston's North and South Shores, and New Hampshire's Seacoast, Terri has traveled to see and learn about marine mammals in their environment with visits to Grand Manan Island & the Bay of Fundy, the Mingan Islands in Quebec, the San Juan Islands in Washington State, Silver Bank in the Dominican Republic, San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California, and Lake Michigan and Lake Superior in the Midwest. A graduate of Northeastern University, Terri is a native New Yorker who now lives on Boston's South Shore.

James “Dan” Martino
Primary

Dan Martino has a BA in Media Arts and Marketing and has worked as a TV Producer since 2004. Dan became interested in oyster farming after taking a tour of a farm operation while producing a TV show about the Billion Oyster Project in NYC. He promptly returned to his home on Martha's Vineyard and went to work starting an oyster farm, Cottage City Oysters, which was founded in 2014. Cottage City Oysters is a 3-D aquaculture farm which grows oysters, clams, scallops and seaweeds. The farm not only serves as a food production system, but also hosts several cutting-edge science projects with world renowned scholars and organizations.

Dan is a 10-year volunteer fire fighter, serves on multiple organization boards in his community, serves as the President of the Martha's Vineyard Farm Bureau, Trustee for the MA Aquaculture Association, and Governor Baker's industry appointee for the MA Acidification Commission. He is a lifetime open water scuba diver, recreational fisherman, and steward of the oceans.

Shelley Brown
Alternate

Dr. Shelley Brown is the Education Director for the ocean conservation organization, Sailors for the Sea. Their mission is to engage, educate and activate the sailing and boating community toward ocean health. A native Rhode Islander, Shelley has always been interested in the interactions between humans and our ocean. She received her doctoral degree from the University of Rhode Island, researching how increases in water temperature, hypoxia, and other anthropogenic-induced environmental conditions impact nitrogen cycling microbes in estuaries and coastal ecosystems. Following her Ph.D., Shelley pursued her passion of educating the public, particularly youth, about ocean conservation and health issues. Before joining Sailors for the Sea, she was a member of the education team on the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and the program director of the Block Island Maritime Institute (BIMI). She hopes to inspire people to learn about and care for the ocean and its precious resources, so they are empowered to become the next generation of ocean stewards.

Kevin Powers
Primary

Kevin Powers is retired and lives in Plymouth, Massachusetts. His marine career began in 1976 with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Anchorage, AK cataloging coastal seabird breeding colonies on the Alaskan Peninsula as part of an Outer Continental Shelf Biological Assessment Study prior to the completion the Alaskan pipeline. He was a scientist at the Manomet Bird Observatory (1976-1983) in Manomet, MA where he studied the distribution and abundance of marine birds on the continental shelf of the Northwest Atlantic. He described the effects of the Argo Merchant oil spill on bird marine bird populations off the New England coast in 1977. He has authored publications on the distribution, abundance, and ecological role of marine birds in the Gulf of Maine (including Stellwagen Bank), Georges Bank and mid-Atlantic Bight. Since 2014 he has worked directly with SBNMS research staff studying the role of great shearwaters in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem using satellite tracking. Kevin also serves on the advisory committee for MassWildlife's Natural Heritage Endangered Species Program.

James Bailey
Alternate

James Bailey is a 2020 graduate of the Marine Affairs program at the University of Rhode Island. This interdisciplinary field allowed him to familiarize himself with environmental science, with a focus on maritime policy, law, and management, as well as the social and economic aspect of the coastal and marine environment. Also, he has studied coral reef ecology in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Growing up as a recreational fisherman and boater in Woods Hole on Cape Cod, James has developed a passion for the ocean and environmental conservation. He looks to be a voice for the younger generations of stakeholders.

Jeff Rosen
Primary

Jeffrey Rosen is a long-time resident of Scituate, Massachusetts. He has Masters degrees in both Oceanography and Statistics from the University of Rhode Island. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of both Corona Environmental Consulting Inc. and WaterSuite a cloud based software company. Over his 43 year career he has supported a wide variety of water related projects for the US EPA, NOAA and many water utilities. He is dedicated to supporting responsible resource management decisions based on science and sound statistical analysis of data. Over his career he has supported the National Marine Sanctuary Program in many capacities. He helped develop the Sanctuary Condition Reports. He led or supported the implementation of the first round of condition reports at many of the Sanctuaries including the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. He was the program manager for the information technology program at the Papahanoumokuakea Marine National Monument in Hawaii. He also led a contractor team supporting the National Marine Fisheries Statistics office in Gloucester. As part of this contract his team helped record and manage fisheries related data for the northeast including Stellwagen Bank.

Mr. Rosen has been involved in supporting the Town of Scituate where he served as the Chairman of Scituate's Water Resource committee for 8 years. He is active in the South Shore Chamber of Commerce in water related issues.

Randall Lyons
Alternate

Randall Lyons is the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association (MMTA) starting in this role in early 2017. The MMTA represents approximately 200 Boating Industry businesses in Massachusetts with a focus on growing the boating industry through Communication, Collaboration and Education. Randall has over 20 years of marine industry experience working for the Nantucket Boat Basin for ten years, Russo Marine for one year, and Newburyport Marinas for ten years. Randall was on the Board of Directors for the MMTA for five plus years most recently as the 2nd Vice President of the Association before leaving the board to accept a position working for the MMTA earlier in the year. In 2012 he was awarded the designation of being a Certified Marina Manager (CMM) from the Association of Marina Industries. In 2016, he focused on a new initiative to get more kids on the water to bolster the sustainability of the boating industry. He created the "Merrimac River Youth Boating Task Force" and also created a new committee within the MMTA to focus on Kids in Boating. This initiative offers grant opportunities to non-profit youth boating programs within the state and remains one of the main focuses for the Association.

Iben Munck
Primary

Iben Caroline Munck was born in Denmark and moved to Cape Cod in her teens. A dual US and Danish citizen, she received a BA from Smith College and an MA from Regis University.

Iben is the Executive and Communications Manager for Conservation International’s Center for Communities and Conservation which works at the intersection of human rights, social policy, and nature conservation.

She is also the Executive Officer for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy - bringing to the Advisory Board an extensive global network of environmental leaders, scientists, economists, climate change experts, and thinkers on conservation best practices.

Iben’s first career was in tourism. She led land tours in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, then spent four years at sea as a shore excursion manager, witnessing the often negative environmental, economic, and social impacts of poorly or unregulated development along

Wayne Petersen
Alternate

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.

Chris McGuire
Primary

Chris McGuire is the Marine Program Director for The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts.  He is focused on implementing collaborative solutions to pressing fisheries and ocean conservation challenges.  The Conservancy is a global leader in improving natural resource management for the benefit of both people and nature, and here in Massachusetts Chris leads monitoring projects in the New England groundfish fishery, and has recently been the principal investigator on collaborative research projects focused on iconic New England species like Atlantic cod and halibut.  Chris serves on state, regional and federal advisory committees and working groups, and regularly presents his work at national and international workshops and conferences.  Before joining the Conservancy in 2011 he was a faculty member and Captain aboard oceanographic research vessels at Sea Education Association for more than a decade.  He has a B.A. from Connecticut College, earned a Master's in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island, and holds a 1600 Ton US Coast Guard Ocean Master's License.

Kimberley Crocker Pearson
Alternate

Kim Pearson is a physician specializing in occupational and environmental health and a consultant in environmental science and policy. She has served as an environmental health and safety advisor to major construction projects including the Central Artery Construction Project, as well as a consultant to the Massachusetts Bureau of Environmental Health Assessment on topics such as cancer clusters and other environmental health concerns. She holds a bachelor's degree in geology from Wellesley College and a master’s degree in geochemistry from UCLA. Dr. Pearson received her medical degree from Boston University, completed residency training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and fellowship training in Occupational and Environmental Medicine in addition to an MPH at the Harvard School of Public Health. She has held teaching appointments at Harvard Medical School, Northeastern University School of Nursing, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Following a parenting hiatus during which she taught science and mathematics in D.C. schools and served on the board of several educational and environmental non-profit organizations, she pursued a master’s degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Johns Hopkins University which she completed in 2020. Her research interests include the development of evidence-based conservation strategies and the implementation of citizen science in the approach to climate change and biodiversity conservation. A ninth generation Cape Codder, Kim is based in Brewster, Massachusetts, where she consults on conservation science and policy.

Heather Knowles (Chair)
Primary

Heather Knowles is a co-founder of Northern Atlantic Dive Expeditions, Inc. and co-captain of the dive vessel, GAUNTLET, based out of the North Shore of Massachusetts. Heather is a technical diving instructor through NAUI and TDI, with qualifications in mixed gas, closed-circuit rebreather diving. In addition to exploring and making shipwreck discoveries in the Gulf of Maine region, Heather has had the privilege of exploring some of the world's notable shipwrecks, such as the Andrea Doria, Empress of Ireland, SS Republic, and shipwrecks in the Mediterranean and the South China Sea. Heather is a member of the Explorers Club and has presented on shipwreck research and exploration. Heather received her Bachelor's Degree in Biochemistry from Bowdoin College.

Marissa Marcoux
Alternate

Marissa is co-owner of Cape Ann Charters and captain of the Daybreaker, a dive charter boat based in Gloucester, MA. She is also a dive instructor, and manages the scuba program at MIT, allowing her to share her enthusiasm of our local underwater world with both new and experienced divers. Aboard the Daybreaker, Marissa has been bringing divers to Stellwagen Bank for several years, visiting different sites and wrecks within the Bank's borders. Marissa is also a mixed gas technical rebreather diver, and loves to explore wrecks and caves alike. Marissa has dived include; Andrea Doria, San Francisco Maru, USS Monitor, Empress of Ireland, among others. Marissa also has dived caves in the Yucatan Peninsula, Florida, including Eagle's Nest, and local subterranean mines. Marissa has a bachelor's degree from Carnegie Mellon University and is completing a master's degree in public/environmental policy at Tufts University. Marissa has a great love of the outdoors and nature, and when not diving, you can find her hiking, skiing or caring for her bees.

Susan Farady (Vice Chair)
Primary

Susan Farady is an Associate Professor of Ocean Studies and Marine Affairs at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. She teaches courses in interdisciplinary marine law and policy, oversees curriculum offerings, and researches ocean governance and marine spatial planning issues.

Previously, she was 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. In that capacity, she was responsible for 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, regularly presents on marine policy and law topics, and is co-author of a textbook, Marine and Coastal Law (2d 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 holds a 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.

Laura Lilly
Alternate

Laura Lilly is a lifelong advocate for animal welfare and healthy ecosystems with a belief that education is fundamental in promoting conservation. While on summer break from teaching kindergarten, she embarked on a whale watch trip out of Gloucester, MA, and the experience reignited a lifelong desire to work on the ocean. She began as a Research and Education Intern a few short weeks later, working her way to become a Naturalist, leading over 1,000 trips to date. The seasonal nature of the work allowed her to continue teaching in elementary schools, leading to her current position as a second grade teacher in Hingham, MA. She has taught professional development workshops encouraging educators to incorporate marine life into their classrooms and has facilitated school group whale watches and whale themed presentations, hoping to inspire the next generation of ocean advocates.

Rich Delaney
Primary

Richard F. Delaney is the President and CEO of the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, MA. 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.

Mr. Delaney has provided consultations to governments in over 20 countries, regarding coastal and ocean management, capacity building, institutional strengthening, and public education 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 also serves as Chair of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council; Chair for the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission and Chair of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce's Wastewater Task Force.

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.

Monica Pepe
Alternate

Monica Pepe acquired a Bachelor's degree in marine science from Stockton University in 2009 and, shortly after, joined Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) as a field research intern. After continuing to volunteer, she was hired as staff in 2011. She is now the Policy Manager for Conservation and Education at WDC's North American office and spearheads the Whale SENSE, Sharing the Seas, and See A Spout, Watch Out! boater outreach programs. She manages WDC's internship program, is a key contributor to the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium's Education Committee, and serves as WDC's international Education Manager. WDC reaches thousands of school-aged children each year through in school presentations (with a life-size inflatable right whale!) and virtual sessions.

William Alder
Primary

Bill Adler has actively owned and operated a lobster business and continues to fish on his vessel the F/V Valhalla. He is the former Executive Director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association (MLA) and past Executive Consultant to the MLA (2014-2016). He is also a past member of the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Advisory Commission (state regulatory body), formerly as its Chair as well as Vice-Chair (1989-2015). Mr. Adler is a past Governor's Appointee to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (1996-2015). 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. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Advisors for the Lobster Institute of the University of Maine but remains as a member of the board of advisors (1990-present). He is a member of the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation-Board of Directors. Mr. Adler is also currently a member of the Massachusetts Fishermen's Partnership.

Eric Meschino
Alternate

Eric is a Plymouth MA lobsterman who grew up on his father's boat. He worked deep sea boats and has been running his own for 11 years. Previously, he worked 5 years in Manhattan in financial services. Eric is a graduate of UMass Boston and Boston College high school.

Carol Voigt
Primary

For the last 25 years at CITGO Petroleum, Carol has been a Port Captain, Crisis Resource Manager, and Assistant Terminal Manager at the CITGO Braintree, MA Terminal. Born in San Diego to a California Maritime Academy 3rd Assist Engineer father, Carol grew up surrounded by the wonder and power of the ocean and worshipped Jacques Cousteau. She graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Marine Science and a 3rd Mates Unlimited License. Carol also holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.

Sailing as a deck officer for ARCO on all of classes of vessels in their fleet, from 1000’ 265,000 DWT tankers to their Seismic Vessel, she traveled waterways and conducted cargo operations in ports from Valdez Alaska, along the US West, Gulf, and the East Coast. While sailing, she taught at Maine Maritime Academy, received a Master’s in Maritime Management, and obtained an Unlimited US Master’s License.

As a Lecturer at Texas A&M University at Galveston, TX Maritime Academy, Carol had the opportunity to prepare cadets for a career at sea, teaching courses ranging from ship handling and voyage planning to nautical rules of road with an emphasis on court interpretation. In addition, while teaching at the University’s Center for Marine Training and Safety (CMTS), Carol was co-developer of barge spill contingency plans; trained EXXON employees in advanced tanker operations; trained barge operators in basic and advanced tanker safety and operations.

Carol believes Advisory Council participation is a privilege and a responsibility in continuance of a lifetime mission to protect the waterways and oceans, and specifically the significant resources of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

Dawn Stancavish
Alternate

Dawn is third Generation at Massa. Her talents are in Business Strategy and she serves to develop the business both internally and externally. She is responsible for increasing the amount of new product sales at Massa and getting customers and partners alike to be proud to sport the MassaSonic® Brand for Co-branded Developments. She is a published writer and artist, and holds a master’s degree in Psychology with a focus on Systems Dynamics (FDU), and a Certificate in Finance (Harvard Business School). She is in charge of all New Product Development/Innovation/Marketing, and is the liaison between the needs of the industrial/consumer world and the technical capabilities of Massa. Dawn is also responsible for preserving and sharing the family values, traditions, and culture at the company and with her own family. She is both the Chief Innovation Officer and the Chief Operating Officer for Massa Products Corporation, and holds a seat on the Board of Directors. Additionally, she is the mother of two wonderful boys. Dawn serves the Overseers’ Leadership Council & Governance Committee for The South Shore Conservatory. She works closely in partnership with Northeastern University in Boston to bring in new COOP students to Massa, and is engaged in the community to bring science, innovation, and career awareness to kids Middle School through College aged.

John Galluzzo
Primary

John Galluzzo is the Development Writer for the South Shore YMCA, and the former Director of Education and Camping for the YMCA's South Shore Natural Science Center in Norwell, Massachusetts. He is also the awards committee chairman for the Foundation for Coast Guard History, a member of the Executive Board of Manet Community Health Center in Quincy, Massachusetts, and a founding member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Pine Barrens Alliance in Plymouth, Massachusetts. 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 the northeastern United States, including coauthoring Shipwrecks of Stellwagen Bank: Disaster in New England's National Marine Sanctuary with maritime archaeologists Matthew Lawrence and Deborah Marx. Working for Mass Audubon between 2004 and 2013, John 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 report 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, is the lead writer for the Captain's Guide cruising guides to the northeast and the Caribbean, and edited Wreck & Rescue Journal for the United States Life-Saving Service for 14 years, during which time he also served as that organization's executive director. He 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."

Martin Klein
Alternate

Martin Klein, known as "The Father of Side Scan Sonar", is the Founder and former President of Klein Associates, Inc. (now Klein Marine Systems) of Salem, New Hampshire. An MIT graduate, he was Program Manager for Sonar Systems at E.G.&G. International where he developed the first commercially successful side scan sonar systems. Klein's sonars have been used around the world to help find many famous shipwrecks including the Titanic, the Atocha, the Lusitania, the Edinburgh, the DeBraak, the Breadalbane, the Hamilton and Scourge, the Lake George Radeau (oldest warship in the U.S.), Sir John Franklin's HMS Erebus and countless others. He is a Life Member of the IEEE. He was chosen as the New Hampshire Small Business Person of the Year in 1983. He is a fellow of the Explorers Club and the Marine Technology Society and is the former Director of Budget and Finance for the Marine Technology Society. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering "for the development of underwater imaging systems that have contributed to ocean exploration and the recovery of high value objects." He is on the Advisory Board of the MIT Sea Grant Program and is on the Collections Committee of the MIT Museum. He serves as a judge and mentor for the Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) ROV Competition and a judge at the Massachusetts State Science Fair. He has many publications and patents and has received many other awards and recognition for his pioneering work in sonar and ocean exploration.

Marc Gustafson
Primary

Marc Gustafson is a second generation fisherman and captain of the F/V Cheryl Ann. He grew up in Scituate fishing on his father’s boat the Saint Anna as a kid and later the Cheryl Ann. After high school he went to work full time on the Cheryl Ann eventually becoming captain. He has worked on many local boats and has also captained Gill net boats. He has been the captain of the F/V Cheryl Ann for the past eight years fishing in the Gulf of Maine and waters east of Cape Cod. Marc serves as a board member for Northeast Fisheries Sector Twelve.

Frank Mirarchi
Alternate

Frank Mirarchi found his love for the sea early in life fishing with his dad from the rocky shore of the Glades and, later, from his family's pleasure boat. After graduating from Boston College in 1965 he found work as a deck hand aboard the "Frances Elizabeth" a Scituate based dragger. Beginning in 1967, Frank owned and operated a succession of draggers,fishing primarily in the Gulf of Maine. In later years, he fished in partnership with his son, Andrew. As diminishing catches and increasingly restrictive regulation made exclusive dependence on fishing difficult during the late 1980's, Frank diversified into fisheries research both as in income supplement and as a means of resolving some of the problems afflicting the industry. Beginning as simple conservation engineering projects, this work evolved into more complex areas such as environmental monitoring, characterization of gear impacts on habitat and electronic monitoring of fishing operations. While no longer at sea, Frank remains active in fishery policy issues. He is a member of the Northeast Seafood Coalition, a director of the Northeast Sector Service Network and treasurer of Northeast Fishery Sector Twelve. He also serves on boards for organizations including the Massachusetts Fishermen's Partnership, the South Shore Seafood Exchange and the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute. More recently, Frank was appointed to serve on the Northeast Trawl Advisory Panel and the Massachusetts Seafood Marketing Commission.

Kevin Blinkoff
Primary

Kevin Blinkoff is an avid angler and the Executive Editor at On The Water, the Northeast's largest recreational fishing media group. On The Water produces a monthly print magazine, a television show on Comcast SportsNet, and a highly trafficked website and social media presence. Kevin writes a weekly fishing column for the Boston Herald and contributes a weekly segment to the Cape and Islands NPR station. He has a graduate degree in Marine Biology from the Boston University Marine Program, where he worked in Dr. Les Kaufman's lab to complete a master's thesis on fish sampling inside and outside of the Western Gulf of Maine closed area on Stellwagen Bank. He received a B.S. in Natural Resource Management at Cornell University and has worked for the Conservation Law Foundation, the New England Aquarium, and the Fisheries Observer Program.

Tim Brady
Alternate

Captain Tim Brady, Jr., holds the world's largest tonnage Captain's license from the International Maritime Organization as well as the U.S. Coast Guard's highest tonnage license. He has a Bachelor's Degree from Mass. Maritime Academy (MMA) and a Master's Degree from Cambridge College. Captain Brady is a professor at MMA and teaches all of the tanker operations courses. He has been working on party boats out of Plymouth MA since the age of 10. Earning his initial captain's license at age 19, he has sailed throughout the world in the merchant marine and is a merchant marine veteran of the Persian Gulf War. Captain Brady owns and operates Capt. Tim Brady and Sons Deep Sea Fishing out of Plymouth and has been fishing and whale watching on Stellwagen Bank since 1973.

Vacant – Recruitment to be determined
Primary

 

Les Kaufman
Alternate

Les Kaufman is marine ecologist with a broad range of interests related to the evolution, ecology, and conservation of aquatic species. He is a Professor in the Boston University Marine Program, and has been conducting research and teaching about marine ecological and fishery-related issues in Massachusetts since 1980. He also holds posts as Marine Conservation Fellow with Conservation International, Research Scholar with The New England Aquarium, and Associate in Ichthyology at Harvard University. Les studies all manner of things that influence the diversity of aquatic life (fishes are his favorites), and the relationships between aquatic ecosystems and human well-being. He has conducted field, laboratory, and modeling studies for decades on Stellwagen Bank and the watersheds of Massachusetts Bay. Away from home, Les specializes on coral reefs and tropical great lakes, particularly coral reefs of the northern and southern west Atlantic, Lake Victoria in East Africa, and the Tonle Sap (Great Lake) and lower Mekong of Cambodia. The research in his lab centers on the dynamics of human-natural coupled systems- that is, how people live with, depend upon, and steward nature. His larger goal is to do science that helps us to sustain natural resources such as healthy ocean ecosystems and fisheries, and enables us adapt to climate change. His current projects are addressing human impacts on forage fishes and their predators in Massachusetts, coral reef recovery, and sustainability of food, energy, and water production systems. In addition to his responsibilities for BUMP, Les leads the program on Coupled Human and Natural Systems at the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future (a BU interdisciplinary thinktank), and teaches interdisciplinary courses on science, ethics and decision-making in the Kilachand Honors College. He also heads the MIMES/MIDAS research team on coastal ecological economics, with study areas in the US, East Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean. He has long served on New England Fishery Management Council committees, works with NOAA colleagues and fishermen to modernize federal ocean science and fisheries management, and is on the leadership team for the Coral Restoration Consortium. Les writes popular books, magazine articles and for television, including multiple stints as either author or subject with NOVA and National Geographic. He is an avid sportfisherman, diver, naturalist, aquarist, and outdoorsman and is particularly concerned with the challenges of balancing the present and future needs of our ocean wildlife, fisheries, and fishery-dependent families.

Mason Weinrich
Primary

Mason Weinrich is the founder, executive director of The Whale Center of New England based in Gloucester, MA, and is also adjunct faculty at Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown. During his tenure at WCNE, Mason has provided the community with a powerful educational presence, in addition to achieving seminal international research publications and presentations on humpbacks and right whale populations for over 34 years. He also trained over 200 naturalists and interns, and served as an active marine mammal strandings organizer for Gloucester waters and Jeffreys Ledge and land based strandings from Nahant MA through Seabrook NH. He has been a vital supporter of ocean based conservation in Massachusetts serving on various government committees and working with the fishing industries and NOAA.

Conor McManus
Alternate

Dr. Conor McManus received his BA from Boston University and both his MS and PhD in Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography. His research has spanned over a variety of topics including fisheries oceanography, population dynamics, estuarine ecology, biological oceanography, and fisheries management, which is published in several marine science peer-reviewed journals. Much of his research has focused on how marine fish, invertebrates, and habitats of the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf have responded to changes in climate, harvest, ecosystem dynamics, and anthropogenic stressors through time. He serves on multiple technical committees for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, including those for American lobster, spiny dogfish, and coastal sharks. Dr. McManus sits on the Board of Directors for the Southern New England Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography, and serves as a Coordinating Commissioner for the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries Institute.

Laura Howes (Secretary)
Primary

Laura has been involved in many aspects of the whale watching community in the Gulf of Maine as a researcher and naturalist, beginning in 2005. She is currently the Director of Research and Education at Boston Harbor Cruises (BHC), and is also pursuing her PhD in Environmental Biology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her work at BHC entails directing the naturalist program and data collection onboard the whale watch, and maintaining their extensive whale sightings database. Laura received her B.A. in Human Ecology in 2009 at College of the Atlantic, where she concentrated in Marine Science and Conservation. As a human ecologist, one of the things she cares most about is protecting our environment, while at the same time not forgetting that humans are a part of that environment. As an undergrad Laura worked with Allied Whale, developing a senior thesis comparing humpback entanglement rates in fishing gear. Laura got her start whale watching in Bar Harbor, where she worked as a marine mammal research assistant. After working a few seasons up north, she moved to Massachusetts in 2011 to work for the Whale Center of New England managing their research database and then began working with BHC in 2013. Since then she has spent the majority of her field season out in the Sanctuary, where in her free time she also works with Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary on the large whale tagging study. Her graduate work entails testing whale auto-detection methods to help reduce ship strikes.

Jonathan Brink
Alternate

Jonathan Brink holds a life-long fascination with the natural world and the human place in it; along the way he develop a passion for share that knowledge with others. He began leading whale watches as a naturalist in Bar Harbor, Maine in the 1990s and has led comparative ecology field trips domestically, and internationally. Jon has worked for Hyannis Whale Watcher Cruises as a captain/operator (USCG 100 Ton Near Coastal) and as senior naturalist for 18 years. Hundreds of hours operating in SBNMS have provided him with a unique perspective of the area’s ecology and usage and an intimate working knowledge of the sea life that visit.

Along with vessel operation and maintenance, Jon coordinates with research groups to facilitate meaningful collection of opportunistic data. This includes marine mammal internship programs and citizen science efforts, most notably Stellwagen Bank’s S4 seabird monitoring program. He has also assembled an ambassador program composed of local volunteers to assist in interpretive education during whale watches. He has coordinated and promoted inclusion in the Whale SENSE program since its inception. He also coordinates attendant stewardship programs: on-board recycling and other green initiatives and coordinates community outreach education programs.

Locally Jon serves on the Board of Directors for Friends of Barnstable Harbor, as a consultant for Barnstable Harbor Eco-Tours and volunteers with Mass Audubon’s Long Pasture Audubon Sanctuary and is an avid birder.

Allen Hale
Primary

Allen Hale is a student at Scituate High School. Growing up in a coastal community, he has always been fascinated by the diversity of marine life and the hundreds of unique organisms that inhabit our oceans, learning about the ecosystem as a kid through books from the library and shows on TV. He is very interested in youth involvement when it comes to maintaining our natural resources and beautiful ecosystems for future generations. Additionally, studying ecology, climate change, and the variety of organisms in our world has been one of his interests for a long time. He hopes to tie these interests into his service on the council, and to understand the ways in which government and our laws affect the environment. In addition to marine biology, ecology, and politics regarding the environment, Allen enjoys traveling, music, reading, and being with his friends and family. Stellwagen Bank was first introduced to Allen at Gates Middle School and other events such as the Scituate Science Spectacular. He hopes to expand and maintain this outreach to local communities as best he can. Inspiring and involving his peers is very important to him, and his goal is to help them understand how and why we should protect resources like Stellwagen by spreading information to those around him the best way he can. Connecting and organizing with the public and his peers is his main goal as a member of the sanctuary advisory council, and he wants to make it his duty to fulfill this goal as best he can. In the future, he hopes to either pursue a career related to biological or ecological field research, and to help protect our planet for generations to come.

Rory Simpson-Brown
Alternate

Aurora (Rory) Simpson-Brown lives in Scituate Massachusetts, and is a sophomore at Scituate High school. She has always been intrigued by the beautiful and mysterious ocean that is right in her backyard. During the summer, she attends the Harbor Discoveries camp at the New England Aquarium, along with being a 'counselor-in-training' at Dalby farm, and Massachusetts Audubon's North River sanctuary. She is most interested in whales, corals, and climate change. Environmental engineering is a newfound passion that she hopes to tie into her future career as a marine biologist. She hopes to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has worked on the Boston Harbor cruises volunteering on wildlife tours. She first learned about Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary through her middle school environmental club and hopes to make a better one at the high school in Scituate. She enjoys science, math, writing, playing lacrosse, and exploring the outdoors in every and any way possible. In the future, she hopes to accomplish something special that inspires people everywhere to help change the world and save our oceans, such as writing book, having a TV show, or any other way possible.

Bob Boeri
Acting Assistant Director

Todd Callaghan
Designee

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.

Dan McKiernan
Director

Dan McKiernan is a graduate of UMASS-Dartmouth and earned a Master of Science degree in fisheries biology from Auburn University. He began his professional career as a field biologist for DMF in 1985, engaging in numerous recreational and commercial fisheries issues. He brought his field experience to DMF's headquarters and has worked on fisheries management and policy for over three decades. Since 2003 he has served as the agency's Deputy Director, gaining valuable managerial experience. McKiernan is practiced in the arenas of federal and interstate fisheries management. As a long-standing representative to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, he has chaired numerous species management boards (including lobster at present) and was recognized for his management efforts with an award of excellence in 2018. He is also the Chair of the ongoing Massachusetts Shellfish Initiative, a multi-agency and stakeholder effort to develop a strategic plan for Massachusetts shellfish fisheries.

Kelly Whitmore
Designee

Kelly A. Whitmore is a policy analyst with Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries in Gloucester, representing DMF on several New England Fishery Management Council management plans including sea scallops, monkfish, and skates. She brings a technical background to the policy role with years of experience as an invertebrate fisheries biologist collecting data, conducting stock assessments, and participating on Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission committees and working groups related to Northern shrimp and American lobster. She led DMF efforts to monitor lobster settlement and artificial reefs, assess ghost-gear fishing, and reduce invasive species. Prior to state work, she conducted offshore aerial and shipboard marine mammal surveys with NOAA Fisheries, and studied estuarine and reef ecology in Maryland and Louisiana. Kelly earned her MS in Conservation Biology from the University of New Orleans and her BS in Biology from Union College in Schenectady, NY.

Thomas E. Nies
Executive Director

Designee to be appointed
Designee

 

Michael Pentony
Regional Administrator

Michael Pentony is the Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries' Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office (GARFO). He stepped into this position on January 22, 2018, replacing John Bullard, who retired. Mike has been with the agency since 2002, working in a number of capacities. Most recently, he served as Assistant Regional Administrator for the Sustainable Fisheries Division, a post he held from 2014 until becoming Regional Administrator. In that capacity, he oversaw all aspects of 14 management plans under the wings of both the New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils. Prior to 2014, he served for 12 years as a team supervisor for the Sustainable Fisheries Division. Before joining NOAA Fisheries, he worked for four years as a policy analyst for the New England Council, primarily on issues related to habitat, marine protected areas, and the Atlantic deep-sea red crab fishery. Mike has a B.S. in engineering from Duke University and a M.S. in environmental management from Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment. He spent six years as an officer in the U.S. Air Force between earning his college and graduate degrees. These days, as GARFO Regional Administrator, Mike oversees approximately 200 staff members who are based at GARFO's main office in Gloucester, Massachusetts and in field offices in Maine, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. GARFO's jurisdiction spans from Maine to Cape Hatteras and includes the Great Lakes. It also covers rivers and estuaries within this range.

Moira Kelly
Designee

Jeffrey Ray
Acting Assistant Director

Jeffrey Ray is currently the Acting Assistant Director of NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement Northeast Division where he is responsible for federal fishery enforcement from Maine to Virginia and out to the Great Lakes.  Jeff is a veteran of marine fisheries enforcement.  He started his career in 1989 as a New Jersey Conservation Officer assigned to the Marine Enforcement Unit.  In New Jersey, he worked cases from monkfish to menhaden and engaged with industry sectors from pound nets to party boats. He joined NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement in 2000 where he has investigated criminal organizations engaged in trafficking marine species as varied as oysters from New Jersey, Patagonian toothfish from Antarctica, and sperm whale teeth from the Ukraine.  He joined with the Republic of South Africa in U.S. v. Bengis, which serves as the preeminent Lacey Act case involving a foreign fishery law.  He advised the governments of Mozambique and Tanzania on some of the most globally significant marine fishery prosecutions in sub-Saharan Africa.  Jeffrey views his role in government as value added service delivery. His duties include optimization of enforcement resources through stakeholder engagement, and strategic objective execution through federal and state partnerships. He regularly represents the Northeast Division at the Mid-Atlantic and New England Fishery Management Councils, the Atlantic States Marine Fishery Commission's Law Enforcement Committee; and has appeared before the President's Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking to discuss Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing. Jeff has a B.S. in Environmental Studies from Stockton State College and has proudly served in the United States Coast Guard Reserve for more than 20 years.

Tim Wilmarth
Designee