Board of Directors
Todd Steiner
Todd Steiner is an ecologist and the founder and executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network, an ocean advocacy and research NGO with offices in California, Texas and Hawaii.
Carole Allen
Carole Allen is the founder and director of Help Endangered Animals - Ridley Turtles (HEART).
Dr. Alex Hearn
Dr. Alex Hearn joined Turtle Island as Director of Conservation Science in early 2013, and now serves on our Board of Directors.
Deb Castellana
Deb Castellana is the Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Sylvia Earle Alliance / Mission Blue.
Staff
Todd Steiner
Todd Steiner is an ecologist and the founder and executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network, an ocean advocacy and research NGO with offices in California, Texas and Hawaii.
Scott Artis
Scott Artis joined the Turtle Island Restoration Network staff in 2018 and brings more than a decade’s worth of experience spanning for-profit and nonprofit sectors in wildlife conservation, habitat protection, biotech, management and fundraising.
Preston Brown
Preston's work is focused on developing and facilitating stream restoration projects and administrating salmonid population monitoring programs.
Joanie Steinhaus
Joanie Steinhaus attended Houston Community College in Houston Texas studying Animal Health Management and Veterinary Technology.
Audrey Fusco
Audrey is the manager of the SPAWN's native plant nursery and an enthusiastic supporter of ecological restoration.
Ayano Hayes
Ayano strives to protect and restore the natural environment through action, education, and connection.
Rebekah Staub
Rebekah strives to make the world a better place by remaining dedicated to the evolving nature of storytelling.
Mariano Castro
Mariano Castro is a Costa Rican lawyer with an LLM in public international law from Leiden University, and current candidate for a Mphil in Conservation Leadership in Cambridge University.
Benedict Tagle
Benedict is a communications professional from Northern California.
Kimber De Salvo Anderson
As a lifelong ocean lover, Kimber is passionate about marine conservation, stewardship, and education.
Scott Webb
Scott is ecstatic to join the Turtle Island Restoration Network team as the Advocacy & Policy Manger.
Phoebe Bryan
Phoebe grew up in West Marin and always finds herself drawn back to the ocean no matter how far she travels.
Interns
Elizabeth Purcell
Elizabeth is currently studying environmental science with an aquatic biology tract.
Zoe Vavrek
Zoe Vavrek is a college student at Pitzer College studying Environmental Science. She is passionate about ecological restoration and is so grateful that she is able to help build back habitat in her local watershed this summer.
Kayla Roberts
Kayla is an undergraduate at Texas A&M University at Galveston pursuing a B.S. in Coastal Environmental Science & Society. Born and raised on the Texas Coast, she is passionate about preserving marine habitats and participating in conservation endeavors.
Science and Policy Advisory Board
César Peñaherrera, Ph.D
César Peñaherrera is an Ecuadorian Marine Biologist specialized in Quantitative Marine Science (QMS) and currently serves as the Academic Director at Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador – Manabí.
Frank Paladino, Ph.D
Frank Paladino is the Biology Department Chair and Professor at Indiana University- Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Myra Finkelstein, Ph.D
Myra Finkelstein is a David H. Smith Conservation Fellow at the University of California Santa Cruz whose research focuses on human impacts on marine ecosystems.
Kerstin Forsberg
Kerstin Forsberg is the Founder and Director of Planeta Océano, a growing marine conservation non-profit based in Lima, Peru.
Jonathan R. Green
Jonathan R. Green is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of London as well as a notable photographer.
Wallace J. Nichols, Ph.D
Wallace J. Nichols is a Research Associate at California Academy of Sciences and founder/co-director of Ocean Revolution, an international network of young ocean advocates and author nearly 100 publications on ocean ecology
William Loftus, Ph.D
William Loftus is the President of Aquatic Research & Communication, LLC, which involves different institutions and agencies to restore fish communities via sampling techniques and communication of scientific issues
George Shillinger, Ph.D
George Shillinger is the Executive Director of Upwell. He has worked in environmental conservation since 1986.
Boris Worm, Ph.D
Boris Worm is a Biology Professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is a Marine Research Ecologist whose lab includes students and postdoctoral fellows studying the causes, consequences of change, and conservation of marine biodiversity.
Shaya Honarvar, Ph.D
Shaya Honarvar is the Founder and Director of the Bioko Marine Turtle Program, a Research Associate at Purdue University Fort Wayne, and affiliate graduate faculty at the University of Hawai'i.
Mark Stabb, Ph.D
Mark Stabb is a professional engineer, small business owner, environmental conservationist and long time scuba divemaster.
Kevin Weng, Ph.D
Kevin Weng is an Associate Professor at College of William & Mary Virginia Institute of Marine Science where he studies the impact of fisheries on sharks and other marine species.