WHALE - Key Persons
Science Manager Andy Rogan has worked in marine mammal science/conservation for over ten years. He is a regular attendee at conferences such as the Society for Marine Mammalogy conferences, and International Whaling Commission Science Committee meets and is well-versed in the most up-to-date information and most pressing needs for specific populations of whales. He is responsible for determining what data to prioritize collecting (i.e., the data with the most crucial conservation implications) and outlining our research objectives. He has a master's degree in animal behavior from the University of Exeter.
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
Ann Cortissoz has a BA from Stanford University and attended the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She spent more than 15 years as an editor and writer at The Boston Globe before leaving journalism to work at the New England Aquarium in the Marketing and Communications Department, and also volunteered with the aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue Team, helping rehabilitate cold-stunned sea turtles. Ann's concern for the plight of marine mammals and their habitat led her to Ocean Alliance, where she oversees Ocean Alliance's branding, messaging, and editing.
Job Titles:
- Programs Manager
- Research Program Manager for Ocean Alliance, Inc
Chris Zadra is the Drones for Whale Research Program manager for Ocean Alliance, Inc. After receiving a Master's in Engineering from Lehigh University, he jumped on the opportunity to combine his interests in UAVs with his love of whales and the ocean. His skills in rapid prototyping, software development and entrepreneurship help Ocean Alliance develop new, noninvasive tools for marine mammal research and conservation.
Based in Australia, Christian is an award-winning photographer and drone pilot who has contributed images and video to many conservation organizations, including Ocean Alliance and Parley for the Oceans. Christian is also a talented illustrator and has written a children's book about a green sea turtle called Ella's Adventure in the Barrier Reef.
Dr. Iain Kerr has a Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of London and a D.H.L. from the University of Southern Maine. Iain began his career at Ocean Alliance as a volunteer and has grown with the organization over the last 30 years. He is listed as author on over 35 scientific papers and has ensured that Ocean Alliance messages reach the general public through international television and films. Iain has led international conservation research efforts across the globe. As a result of exposing illegal sea cucumber fishing in the Galapagos, Iain received the SOS Grand Blue award in 1994. Iain was awarded the Chevron Conservation Award in 2006 and in 2014 the Annenberg Foundation listed Iain as one of 25 visionary leaders. In 2013, Iain recognized that drones could be the future of whale research and conservation.
Job Titles:
- Research Consultant
- Founding Member and Scientific Director of the Instituto De Conservación De Ballenas
Dr. Mariano Sironi is a Founding Member and Scientific Director of the Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas (ICB), a non-profit organization based in Buenos Aires, dedicated to the conservation of whales and their habitat through research and education. He received a degree in Biology from the National University of Córdoba, Argentina, where he is currently an Associate Professor in Vertebrate Zoology.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- President
- Ocean Alliance President
Roger Payne is best known for his discovery that humpback whales sing songs, and for theorizing correctly that the sounds of fin and blue whales can be heard across oceans. Dr. Payne has studied the behavior of whales since 1967. He has led over 100 expeditions to all the Earth's oceans and studied every species of large whale in the wild. He pioneered many of the benign research techniques now used throughout the world to study free-swimming whales, and has trained many of the current leaders in whale research in America and abroad. He directs longterm research projects on the songs of humpback whales, and on the behavior of 1,700 individually known Argentine right whales - the longest such continuous study.
Ocean Alliance President Dr. Roger Payne is currently on the RV Odyssey in the Gulf of Mexico for Operation Toxic Gulf, our joint campaign with Sea Shepherd USA, to study the effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster on the whales of the Gulf.
Our founder Dr. Roger Payne, and our CEO Dr. Iain Kerr our both recognized as ocean elders, leaders in our efforts to save the ocean. MacArthur Genius Award winner Dr. Payne is widely considered the father of modern whale biology. His discovery in the 1960's that humpback whale's sing songs was crucial in the success of the global Save the Whale movement. Dr. Kerr is known as a pioneering proponent of the role of technology in marine science, as well as an eternal source of ocean optimism. Dr. Kerr has given multiple talks on these themes over the past decade, including speaking at the UN General Assembly HQ in New York on three occasions. In 2014, both Dr.'s Payne and Kerr were labelled Visionary Leaders by the Annenberg Foundation.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Director
- Right Whale Program Director
Dr. Vicky Rowntree is a co-founder of the Ocean Alliance and director of the Southern Right Whale Program. Before Joining Ocean Alliance she curated wasps for Howard Evans at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology and assisted C. Richard Taylor in experiments on the energetics of animal locomotion and thermoregulation at Harvard's Concord Field Station.
Harry served as IT consultant to Roger Payne at his home office in Vermont from 2000 to 2007. That period coincided with the Voyage of the Odyssey (2000-2005), and Roger's descriptions of the voyage inspired Harry to become a sailor and activist. Harry has since served as volunteer crew on a variety of yachts and ships, including R/V Odyssey in Operation Toxic Gulf 2014, S/V Ceres of the Vermont Sail Freight Project, Sea Shepherd vessels M/V Farley Mowat and R/V Martin Sheen, S/V American Promise of the Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean, and S/V Grace of Aberdeen of Ocean Conservation and Research.
Job Titles:
- Consultant / Aerial Photographer
In 1987, while travelling with Iain Kerr in Patagonia, John Atkinson was introduced to Dr. Roger Payne. John assisted in an aerial photographic survey of the local population of endangered Southern right whales and the following year, he took over the role of primary aerial photographer. John has participated in numerous documentary and research expeditions around the world.
Job Titles:
- Research Consultant
- Principal Investigator of the Wise Laboratory of Environmental
Dr. John Wise is the Principal Investigator of the Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology. He is a Professor of Toxicology and Molecular Epidemiology in the Department of Applied Medical Sciences, and Director of the Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health at the University of Southern Maine.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board President, Ex Oficio
- President, Ex Officio
Laura Engleby, Ph.D., President, ex officio; Iain Kerr, CEO, ex officio; Andrew Morse, Chairman; Jeffrey Kunz, Secretary & Treasurer; Linde McNamara, Development; Muffy DiSabatino; Andy DiSabatino; Geoffrey Richon
Laura has more than 35 years of experience working with marine mammals at the intersection of policy and science. Throughout her career, she has focused on understanding the behavior, ecology, and conservation needs of marine mammals. Laura was the first to document cooperative mud ring feeding by bottlenose dolphins and has lent her expertise to numerous documentary projects, including the acclaimed BBC "Blue Planet" and the Disney IMAX film "Dolphins." She has collaborated within and among government agencies, non-profit organizations, and stakeholder communities to develop and implement initiatives aimed at conserving marine mammals and their habitats. Laura has also been an integral part of Ocean Alliance, first as a research assistant and crew on the Voyage of the Odyssey and rising through the ranks. She played a key role in developing an educational toolbox to accompany the IMAX film "Whales: an Unforgettable Journey" and later joined the Ocean Alliance Board of Directors. Laura's love for the ocean permeates every aspect of her life. Whether spending time in or near the water or engaging in public outreach efforts, she remains committed to raising awareness about the importance of whales and our oceans.
Job Titles:
- Board of Directors, Development
Growing up on the water in Greenwich, CT, Linde and her family all shared a love of the ocean. Already a lifelong sailor, a chance meeting with Roger Payne inspired her to help conserve what was so close to her heart. She has since completed an MA in Marine Biology with a thesis on the effect of anthropogenic noise on the reproductive system of female humpback whales. Linde has served on the board of Ocean Alliance for several decades. As Director of Development, Linde's fundraising abilities, along with her enthusiasm and dedication to the mission of Ocean Alliance, continue to be a substantial asset to the organization.
Sidney Holt, the biologist who orchestrated the world-wide effort to save whales, died on December 22, 2019. He was 93. Several laudatory obituaries honoring his life have appeared, but I feel there is much more to add about his extraordinary contributions.
As I pointed out in the first part of this series, Sidney Holt was the natural leader of most aspects of the movement to end whaling. But I have not yet seen recognition of one of his many unique contributions - his willingness to work with organizations and individuals that most other scientists lacked the courage or imagination to engage with. In my opinion, this was, in a very basic way, the most important facet, the secret weapon, the leading role that Sidney Holt played throughout the 60 years his contributions guided and dominated the Save-the-Whales movement.
How do you measure the loss of a man such as Sidney Holt, a presence, a mind, a force?
As Chief Financial Officer, Mark Hayes brings over thirty years of experience to the Ocean Alliance management team. Mark has worked in many public and private industries, with specific expertise in the financial structures of non-profit organizations. He has studied the arts, business, homeopathy and social sciences at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, South African College of Music, New England School of Homeopathy, North Shore Community College and Salem State College. Mark holds a degree in Business Science. In addition to serving the Ocean Alliance management team since the mid 1990's, Mark is the owner/principal of an Accounting & Tax Service practicing in Gloucester, Massachusetts.