Voting members

"Leilei" Joy Shih (she/her), Chair

 Dr. Joy L. Shih has a PhD in Oceanography from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, a master's degree in Marine Biodiversity and   Conservation from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and a bachelor's degree in Astrophysics from UC Berkeley. Her research has focused on coral reefs in French Polynesia, Hawaiʻi, and the Florida Keys, invasive species, symbionts, and microbial nutrient cycling. Additionally, she works actively on plastic pollution policy at the local, state, and national levels. She has served on chapter Executive Committees of the Surfrider Foundation and the Sierra Club in both California and Hawaii. She is a Master, Rescue, and Scientific Diver, and enjoys freediving and hiking with her two dogs and family in her free time. 

Judith Weis

Dr. Judith S. Weis is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, Newark. She received her bachelor's degree from Cornell University, and MS and PhD from New York University. Her research focuses mostly on estuarine ecology and ecotoxicology, and she has published over 200 refereed scientific papers, as well as three books (“Salt Marshes: A Natural and Unnatural History”, “Do Fish Sleep?” and “Walking Sideways: The Remarkable World of Crabs”).  She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), was a Congressional Science Fellow with the U.S, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and was a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Indonesia in 2006.

Robert Stephen Mahoney

Drew Martin

Renee Owens

Les Kaufman

Les Kaufman, core faculty with the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS) and Professor in the Boston University Marine Program, is an evolutionary ecologist who studies basic processes that drive the creation, collapse, and conservation of aquatic species diversity on coral reefs and tropical great lakes. His interests are increasingly turned toward clinical research on the dynamics of human-natural coupled systems, to create supporting science for global sustainability and climate change adaptation. Kaufman is Senior Marine Scientist for Conservation International, a Research Scholar with The New England Aquarium, and an Associate in Ichthyology at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. He serves on the Science and Statistics Committee for the New England Fishery Management Council and is working with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) colleagues to modernize federal ocean science. Kaufman also writes popular books, magazine articles, and television, including multiple stints as either author or subject with NOVA and National Geographic.

Bonnie Monteleone

Holly Parker

Holly Parker Curry is the Marine Protected Areas Campaign Director at the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC). For more than 45 years, ASOC has been the leading voice for responsibly managing human activities that threaten Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. As the only environmental NGO invited to observe Antarctic Treaty System meetings, ASOC works at the highest levels of Antarctic governance to effect change from within. Prior to joining ASOC, Holly clerked for U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida and later practiced land use and local government law at Theriaque & Spain Law Firm. Additionally, Holly has worked for the Surfrider Foundation, the Nature Conservancy, the Office of U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, and Leadership Florida. She holds a B.S. in International Affairs, M.S. in Applied American Politics & Policy, and J.D. summa cum laude with a certificate in Environmental and Land Use Law.  Holly is a policy wonk, outdoor enthusiast, and nature nerd and can frequently be found hiking the Florida Trail.

Katie Davis

Non-voting advisory core members

Dave Raney

Doug Fetterly