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Staff

Duane
Silverstein

Executive Director

Kevin
Claassen

Accounting Manager

Joseph
Clerici

Communications Director

Erin
Coyne

Institutional Giving Officer

Katharine
Gripp

Communications Associate

Amanda
Kirkhart

Program Associate

Karen
Peterson

Senior Manager of Special Initiatives

Mary
Randolph

Program Manager

Maximilian
Rojas-Domke

Individual Giving Manager

Field Representatives

Seacology’s network of field representatives stretches around the globe. It’s no exaggeration to say that our field reps, with their knowledge of both local environmental issues and culture, make our work possible. They reach out to local communities to discuss and develop possible projects, and then work to ensure the success of both the environmental and community benefits of each project.

Leela
Padmini
Batuwitage

Sri Lanka

Tyrone
Buckmire

Grenada

Leida
Buglass

Dominican Republic

Pisit
Charnsnoh

Thailand

Lynn
Costenaro

Dutch Caribbean

Claudio
Delgado

Chile

Krishna
Desai

Jamaica

Simon
Ellis

Micronesia

Marilen
Enseñat

Spain

Sione
Faka'osi

Tonga

Michelle
Fernandez

Honduras

Marcio
Halla

Brazil

Vineeta
Hoon

India

Zafer
Kizilkaya

Turkey

Ferdinand
Marcelo

Philippines

Arnaz
Mehta

New Zealand

Irman
Meilandi

Indonesia

Enrique
Michaud

Peru

J-Hude
Moudingo

West Africa

Dishon
Lionel
Murage

East Africa

Erik
Patel

Madagascar

Samuel
Ledo
Pontes

Guinea-Bissau

Marisol
Rueda
Flores

Mexico

Pettine
Simpson

Fiji

Cecilia
Suárez

Uruguay

Marcos
Terete

Guatemala and El Salvador

Tuaine
Tuara

Cook Islands

Christopher
Wright

Malaysia

Board of Directors

Our board of directors is made up of people who are passionate about island conservation and are steadfast and generous supporters of our work.

Seacology was founded by ethnobotanist Dr. Paul Alan Cox, whose scientific research focuses on the ecology of island plants and the ethnobotany of island peoples. Receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard University, he served as a Miller Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley and as a University of Melbourne Research Fellow. He subsequently was appointed as a professor and dean at Brigham Young University and later became the first King Carl XVI Gustaf Professor of Environmental Science at the Swedish Agricultural University and the University of Uppsala. For seven years he was Executive Director of the Congressionally chartered National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii and Florida. He is currently Executive Director of the Brain Chemistry Labs, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he searches for cures for ALS, Alzheimer’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases. He has published over 220 scientific papers. Dr. Cox was chosen by TIME Magazine as one of eleven “Heroes of Medicine” for his search for new medicines from plants. In 1997, he received the Goldman Environmental Prize for the conservation efforts described in his book Nafanua: Saving the Samoan Rainforest (New York: W.H. Freeman). He speaks a variety of island languages and is internationally renowned for his advocacy of indigenous peoples.

Rachel Dibner is co-president of The Argus Fund, a family foundation that she and her husband Mark established in 2007. She is deeply involved in the research, gifting, and financial responsibilities associated with day-to-day, long-term, and strategic fund operations. Due to its broad mission statement, The Argus Fund has supported a diverse palette of global, national, and local organizations that include the arts, healthcare, education, environmental concerns, and food insecurity. Rachel and Mark have been married for 37 years and together raised two adult daughters and a beloved dog that they adopted seven years ago. In her free time, she enjoys reading, swimming, and baking.

Scott is the founder of Revelation Partners, a venture capital fund that invests in emerging growth healthcare companies. He grew up cruising on sailboats, and it is there that he developed his appreciation for islands and their unique biodiversity and cultures. Along with his wife Lisa and four children, he continues to make regular visits to the islands of the South Pacific, Caribbean, Mexico, and the United States. Through the Bindon Foundation, Lisa and Scott are active impact investors in the areas of women’s empowerment, child slavery prevention, and health care in low-resource settings. Scott received an A.B. in biomechanical engineering from Dartmouth College in 1981, and a B.E. from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth in 1982, also in biomechanical engineering. In 1987, he received an M.M. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Doug is CEO and Chairman of Herst Ventures, a real estate development firm that emanated from his sale of Peerless Lighting to Acuity Brands in 1999. He is a pioneer of indirect lighting systems for schools and offices and holds over 20 utility patents and 45 design patents in the field of illumination in the US, and ten patents in other countries. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Lumenetix, a lighting technology company. Doug attended the University of California at Berkeley, where he received a B.S. in business administration. He is past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Northern California Chapter of the World Presidents’ Organization and the Golden Gate Chapter of the Illuminating Engineering Society. He was a founder and board member of the Barbary Coast Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization, a board member of the Northern California Chapter of YPO, and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Graduate Theological Union. Doug has a keen interest in the environment and enjoys being in and around nature as an avid hiker, mountain biker, skier, scuba diver, and photographer.

Kimberly Myers Hewlett is president of the Myers Family Foundation and a council member of the Flora Family Foundation. Kimberly is treasurer and a board member of the National Center for Family Philanthropy. Kimberly is also a corporate and foundation relations officer at the Stanford University Medical Center. Previously, Kimberly worked for Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and served as alumni relations director for the Stanford University Medical School. She is an alumna of The Philanthropy Workshop West, a “boot camp” for emerging philanthropists. Kimberly received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. Kimberly lives in the Bay Area, but tries to spend as much time as possible SCUBA diving with her husband and snorkeling with her two children.

Ken is the co-founder of Seacology. Ken founded Nature’s Way, one of the world’s leading herbal companies, after his mother was cured of a serious illness by plants. He spent several years in Samoa doing volunteer work, residing in the remote islands of the Manu’a group where he became fluent in the language. Ken has always had a special place in his heart for the Polynesian people. When he learned of the impending destruction of the Falealupo rain forest, Ken immediately offered to help stop the logging. In addition to winning major environmental awards, Ken’s former company, Nature’s Way, funded all of Seacology’s administrative costs for three years and has played a key role in Seacology since its inception.

Peter is a partner of Read Investments, specializing in commercial real estate acquisitions and development. He is a former co-owner of Grocery Outlet Inc., a retail grocery business with 135 stores throughout the western states and Hawaii. Peter attended high school and college in Switzerland and in the United States, and completed his education as an economics graduate at the University of San Francisco. He is a board member of the San Francisco SPCA, advisory board member of the California Shakespeare Theatre, and former member of the advisory board at Santa Clara University Leavey School of Business. The Otter Cove Foundation, which was established by Peter and his family, supports a number of philanthropic causes in the San Francisco Bay Area, such as the Alta Bates Summit Foundation, the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, and the Marine Mammal Center. Peter, who resides in Piedmont, California, most enjoys spending time with his family. He has three grown daughters: Gilan, Megan, and Carrie. Peter’s passion for skiing, car racing, and travel are surpassed only by his passion for his eight grandchildren.

A trained social scientist interested in the nexus between human rights and environment, Kristin Reed has advised on development of alternative livelihoods with fishing communities in Mexico and directed the University of California Human Rights Fellowship program. She has also taken a leadership role on variety of humanitarian initiatives and environmental projects in multiple African countries (including Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, and Uganda), campaigns to protect endangered wildlife in Cambodia and Costa Rica, and research on fisheries development in Papua New Guinea. She earned a Ph.D in environmental science, policy and management (concentration in society and environment) from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006. Her doctoral research, published by UC Press in 2009 as Crude Existence: Environment and the Politics of Oil in Northern Angola, examined the effects of offshore oil production on artisanal fishing communities. Kristin received a B.S. in science, technology and international affairs and a certificate in African studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in 1999.

Michael Staffieri has served for over four decades as Founder and Chairman of Financial Advisory Corporation, dba Rovin Capital, a financial consulting practice specializing in managing a broad range of financial services to closely held businesses, trust estates and foundations. He has served on several community and corporate boards; including the San Diego Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Alumni Executive Council of Brigham Young University, and the Advisory Board of Chubb & Sons. Michael is a former collegiate All-American athlete and recipient of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship before his four-year tenure with the Cincinnati Reds organization. He is married to the former Marilyn Black; they have six children and 18 grandchildren.

A cofounder of Nu Skin Enterprises, a leading personal care and nutrition company, Sandie has always been deeply interested in improving the quality of people’s lives throughout the world. She was named one of the top ten female business owners in the United States by Working Woman magazine. As a Seacology Board member, she helps to administer the Nu Skin Force for Good Foundation, an innovative program that links sales of the Epoch line of Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. ethnobotanical products to preservation of indigenous cultures and peoples. Sandie played an important role in expanding Seacology’s donor base, and personally launched the Falealupo water supply campaign. Sandie has traveled throughout the world visiting projects supported by both Seacology and the Nu Skin Force for Good Foundation.

James Leslie Walker IV, known as Jake, grew up in San Francisco and now lives in Kentfield, California. Jake attended the University of Virginia (B.A. Economics 1973), Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco (J.D. 1976), and Golden Gate University (MBA in tax) in 1982. He has been an attorney since 1976, is a California State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law, and is a partner in DeMartini & Walker LLP of San Rafael, California. He is a current or former member of several community and charitable organizations, both public and private, but considers Seacology the most effective organization with which he has had the pleasure to serve.

Michael Ward started writing software as a teen and has been involved with technology and software development for more than 35 years. After receiving a B.A. from Brigham Young University, he wrote custom software applications for entertainment-industry clients including television and film production companies, movie producers and film distributors. In 1995 he joined video game publisher Activision and spent the next 20 years working on a wide variety of entertainment software titles. He is a member of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences and is listed in the credits of over 75 video games, with combined sales well over the billion dollar mark. Michael grew up in Utah where, ironically, he learned to scuba dive. He currently lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife, Carolyn; they have four children and two grandchildren.

Scott Wilson is Head of U.S. Capital Markets and Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Private Wealth Management for the Canadian Imperial Bank Of Commerce. CIBC is one of the largest banks in Canada. Scott also oversees the management and development of the U.S. Private Wealth operating platform, and serves on the CIBC U.S. Region Executive Committee, global Capital Markets Management Committee and U.S. Wealth Operating Committee.

Scott began his career working for law firms in Washington, D.C. He later joined a global investment bank in New York and Hong Kong as a legal and regulatory advisor to the Emerging Markets division. He earned a BA in history from the University of California, Berkeley, and a JD from UCLA School of Law. He received his MBA issued jointly by Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Along with his wife, Lucy Cummings, Scott is a co-founder and director of the United Kingdom Seacology affiliate. He has been a Seacology fellow for many years. Scott lives in New York City.

Originally from New York, Karen received a BA from SUNY-Binghamton and an MBA from NYU. She now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She worked in marketing and product management for several financial institutions and has been an active volunteer with many youth-focused nonprofit organizations.

Karen is an avid snorkeler and diver. She and her husband have traveled very widely—to Europe, the Galapagos, Patagonia, Peru, Palau, Tahiti, and more—and have been moved by the need, both environmental and social, they have seen around the world. When she’s not on the road (or water), Karen enjoys reading, dancing, drawing, and spending as much time as possible with her daughters and granddaughter.

Scientific Advisory Board

We’re able to rapidly translate new research into conservation initiatives through the recommendations of our distinguished scientific advisory board. Each member of the scientific advisory board has significant expertise and experience in research affecting the conservation of island ecosystems, both terrestrial and oceanic.

Dr. Cox is a botanist whose scientific research focuses on the ecology of island plants and the ethnobotany of island peoples. Receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard University, he served for many years as professor and dean at Brigham Young University and later became King Carl XVI Gustaf Professor of Environmental Science at the Swedish Agricultural University and the University of Uppsala. For seven years he was director of the Congressionally Chartered National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) in Hawaii and Florida, and is currently executive director of the Institute for Ethnomedicine, which is affiliated with the NTBG. He is the author of over 150 scientific papers and reviews, and was chosen by TIME Magazine as one of eleven “Heroes of Medicine” for his search for new medicines from plants. In 1997 he received the Goldman Environmental Prize for the conservation efforts described in his book Nafanua: Saving the Samoan Rainforest (New York: W.H. Freeman), which has been translated into German, Japanese, and Samoan. He speaks a variety of island languages and is internationally renowned for his advocacy of indigenous peoples.

A professor of physiology at UCLA since 1966, Dr. Diamond is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the widely acclaimed Guns, Germs and Steel, in which he explores the early geographical and environmental forces that, he argues, led to the differing rates of technological development around the world. A devoted conservationist, Dr. Diamond created a comprehensive plan, most of which was implemented, for Indonesian New Guinea’s national park system. In addition to roughly 20 field expeditions in New Guinea, he has done fieldwork all over the world and is a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. He received his doctorate from Cambridge and is a MacArthur Fellow. He has published more than 200 articles in Discover, Natural History, Nature and Geo magazines.  His other books include The World Until YesterdayCollapseThe Third Chimpanzee, and Why Is Sex Fun?

Dr. Earle is a marine scientist, author, and lecturer, as well as a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. Dubbed “Her Deepness” by the New Yorker and the New York Times, she was named in 1998 as TIME Magazine’s first “Hero for the Planet” in recognition of her pioneering work as an oceanographer. She is author of Sea Change: A Message of the OceansDIVE! My Adventures in the Deep Frontier, and Wild Ocean: America’s Parks Under the Sea, as well as numerous other scientific, technical, and popular publications. Dr. Earle holds the world’s record for the deepest solo dive for a woman: 1,000 meters.

Thomas Elmqvist, Ph.D, is a professor in Natural Resource Management in the Department of Systems Ecology and Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University. His research is focused on ecosystem dynamics, ecosystem services, land use change, natural disturbances, and components of resilience including the role of social institutions. He is coordinating two major interdisciplinary research themes as part of the new Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University. He was involved in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and is also principal investigator of multidisciplinary projects in Madagascar and in the south Pacific. With Seacology founder Paul Alan Cox, he helped establish four indigenous reserves in Samoa and also helped with one reserve in Madagascar. He and Dr. Cox have also advocated the importance of involving indigenous leaders in conservation initiatives.

Dr. Jansen is Director of the Billie L. Turner Plant Resources Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Until 2015, he was the chair of the Department of Integrative Biology there. He is an authority on the origin and evolution of oceanic island plants. This is extremely important, as one third of the endangered plants in the world occur on volcanic islands. Dr. Jansen has extensively studied the plant life on the archipelagos that comprise Macaronesia. This includes the 32 islands of the Azores, Canaries, Cape Verde, Madeira, and the Selvagens. Dr. Jansen received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University and his postdoctoral education at the University of Michigan. His articles have been published in Science Magazine and a wide range of scientific journals.

Dr. McCosker has been senior scientist and the first occupant of the Research Chair of Aquatic Biology at the California Academy of Sciences since 1994. Prior to that, he was director of the Academy’s Steinhart Aquarium for 21 years. Dr. McCosker’s research concerning attacks upon humans by great white sharks has influenced public safety plans, and his work was featured on BBC and NOVA television programs. He is the author of more than 175 popular and scientific articles. Dr. McCosker is one of the world’s leading authorities on great white sharks, with which he has dived on numerous occasions. He is also a widely recognized expert on the Galapagos Islands. Dr. McCosker and his wife reside in Mill Valley, California and have explored all of the world’s oceans and seas.

Dr. Ogden is Emeritus Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida and former director of the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO). He began his continuing fieldwork on global coral reefs and associated ecosystems after building the West Indies Laboratory (WIL) in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, where he was director from 1981 to 1988. Dr. Ogden has published over 100 scientific papers, contributed to numerous books, and produced several television films on tropical ecosystems. He was a member of the founding Advisory Council of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and currently serves on the Florida Ocean and Coastal Council and the boards of the Florida Ocean Alliance and SeaWeb. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Rainey is an endangered species biologist and has spent years studying endangered species in the islands of the Caribbean and the South Pacific. He received his Ph.D from the University of California, Berkeley in 1984. Dr. Rainey has helped develop tracking procedures for endangered sea turtles and has studied interactions between endangered flying foxes and the plants they pollinate. He is renowned as a forensic biologist, using new DNA techniques to apprehend criminals who traffic in rhino horns and other endangered species.

Dr. Raven, who received his Ph.D at the University of California, Los Angeles, has been director of the Missouri Botanical Garden and Engelmann Professor of Botany at Washington University since 1971. He was a member of President Clinton’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology, and is the chairman of the National Geographic Society’s Committee for Research and Exploration. He is active internationally in science, science policy, and particularly conservation, where he has emphasized the need for a transition to global sustainability. He is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the Tyler Prize and the Sasakawa Environment Prize, and has held Guggenheim and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowships.

Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology, Department of Entomology biologist Dr. Edward O. Wilson was a leading figure in the global effort to prevent species extinction. Dr. Wilson received two Pulitzer Prizes, the National Medal of Science, the International Prize for Biology, and founder of the field of sociobiology. He is the author of many books, including Half Earth, The Social Conquest of Earth, Letters to a Young Scientist, The Diversity of Life, Biophilia, On Human Nature, The Ants and Naturalist. His research interests included evolutionary biology, the biology of social insects, biogeography, and ethical philosophy. Fundamental to Dr. Wilson’s achievements was his lifelong fascination with and exhaustive research into ant and other insect societies. Dr. Wilson passed away in late 2021, leaving a legacy that has impacted generations of scientists and conservationists.