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  • Whale Aid
  • The Team
  • The Whales
  • Deeper Dive
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The Team

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Lori Marino

Founder and President

Dr. Lori Marino is a neuroscientist, internationally known for her work on the evolution of the brain and intelligence in dolphins, whales, primates and farmed animals.

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Charles Vinick

Executive Director

Charles brings extensive experience in business, ocean policy, environmental policy, project management and government relations to his role as Executive Director.

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David Phillips

Board Member and Treasurer

David Phillips is Executive Director of the Earth Island Institute. He founded the Free Willy Keiko Foundation, and directs the International Marine Mammal Project.

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Naomi Rose

Board Member

Naomi Rose is the marine mammal scientist for the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, DC., specializing in issues regarding cetacean live capture, trade and captivity.

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Amanda Babin

Environmental Analyst

Amanda Babin is the Whale Sanctuary Project's environmental analyst and an aquatic biologist with experience in both marine and freshwater systems.

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Don Baur

Legal Counsel

We are sad to report that our legal counsel, Don Baur passed away in December 2022. He will be greatly missed. Please see his full bio.

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Jeffrey Foster

Site Search, Animal Transfer & Rehab Coordinator

Jeff Foster has worked in all facets of the marine mammal field including capture, animal husbandry, training, rehabilitation, research and reintroduction.

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Katy Foster

Site Search & Rehab Coordinator and Communications

Katy Laveck Foster is a marine mammal field researcher with expertise in rescue and rehab projects with sea turtles and marine mammals, and with large whale disentanglements.

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Catherine Kinsman

Nova Scotia Site Coordinator

Catherine Kinsman is co-Founder of the Whale Stewardship Project. She co-initiated the world’s first long-term study of human-whale interactive behavior for this species.

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Michael Mountain

Co-Founder and Member Communications

Michael Mountain is the former President of Best Friends Animal Society and one of the pioneers of the no-kill movement for abused and abandoned companion animals.

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Caroline Saxon

Communications Associate

Caroline has served as Communications and Administrative Coordinator for several non-profits, in particular on behalf of elephants and cetaceans.

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Amber Schellinger

Amber Schellinger is the Development Assistant for The Whale Sanctuary and assists in all aspects of donor relations.

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Amy Simon

Amy Simon is the Whale Sanctuary Project’s communications assistant in the Port Hilford area.

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Liv Baker

Liv Baker is the animal welfare research fellow at the Centre for Compassionate Conservation at the University of Technology of Sydney, Australia.

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Giovanni Bearzi

Giovanni Bearzi, President of Dolphin Biology and Conservation, Italy, has been studying and trying to protect Mediterranean cetaceans since 1986.

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Maddalena Bearzi

Maddalena Bearzi is President of the Ocean Conservation Society, and has been studying the ecology of marine mammals with a strong conservation bias since 1990.

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Samantha Berg

Samantha Berg worked for three years as a trainer of killer whales and other marine mammals at SeaWorld Orlando. She is co-owner of the Alaska Center for Acupuncture,

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David Casselman

Attorney David Casselman has handled many animal related cases, including the highly publicized litigation over the premature deaths of elephants at the Los Angeles Zoo.

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Jean-Michel Cousteau

Jean-Michel Cousteau is a dedicated advocate for the protection of the water planet, inspiring and educating audiences worldwide about the need to preserve ocean ecosystems.

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Chuck Davis

From the freezing climes of Antarctica to the heat of the Amazon, Chuck Davis has worked for nearly 40 years as a specialist in marine photography and cinematography.

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Catherine Doyle

Catherine Doyle is the director of science, research and advocacy for the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), which cares for captive wild and exotic animals.

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Chris Draper

Dr. Chris Draper is Chief Operating Officer of the Performing Animal Welfare Society and sits on the Accreditation Committee for the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.

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Sara Dubois

Sara Dubois is Chief Scientific Officer for the British Columbia SPCA, where she directs province-wide welfare science operations, education and advocacy projects.

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Michelle Duncan

Site Selection GIS Advisor

Michelle Duncan is the Founder of Duncan GIS, which provides geographic information services to help people organize, analyze and visualize their data.

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Sylvia Earle

Oceanographer, explorer and author Sylvia Earle has served as a field research scientist, government official, and director for several corporations and non-profits.

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Toni Frohoff

Toni Frohoff is a wildlife behavioral biologist specializing in marine mammals.  She is currently the staff scientist for cetaceans and elephants for In Defense of Animals.

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Pierre Gallego

Pierre Gallego is a veterinarian specializing in marine mammal medicine. He is President of Odyssea, a marine mammal research and conservation organization in Luxembourg.

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Samantha Goddard

Samantha Goddard is Captivity Campaigns Officer of the Born Free Foundation and a member of the Dolphinaria-Free Europe coalition and of the China Cetacean Alliance.

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Joan Gonzalvo

Joan Gonzalvo is a biologist whose main research interest is the study and conservation of cetaceans. He is a member of the board of the Tethys Research Institute.

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David Hancocks

David Hancocks, a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, specializes in exhibit design for zoos, botanic gardens, nature centers and natural history museums.

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Terry Hardie

Terry Hardie is the chief field researcher for the Orca Research Trust, which works to protect orca and their habitat through conservation, education and scientific research.

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Denise Herzing

Denise Herzing, the Founder and Research Director of the Wild Dolphin Project, is known for her pioneering studies on communication with free-ranging dolphins.

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Steve Huxter

Steve was head of the animal care division at Sealand of the Pacific and oversaw operations at the Victoria Marine Animal Rescue Centre. He now promotes animal rights causes.

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Michael Jasny

Michael Jasny is a Senior Policy Analyst and Director of NRDC’s Marine Mammal Protection Project and an expert in the law and policy of ocean noise pollution.

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John Jett

John Jett is a research professor at Stetson University and former marine mammal trainer at SeaWorld of Florida, has co-authored several papers on killer whales in captivity.

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Ron Kagan

Ron Kagan is the CEO of the Detroit Zoological Society and an advocate for compassionate conservation, animal welfare, and humane education.

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Curt Lahti

Captain Curt Lahti has spent his life on and around the sea on tugboats, sailboats and private yachts, as well as with ship building companies.

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Rob Laidlaw

Canadian Advisor

Rob Laidlaw is Director of Zoocheck and has also worked for the World Society for the Protection of Animals, Toronto Humane Society and other animal protection organizations.

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Sandro Mazzariol

Sandro Mazzariol is a veterinary pathologist and coordinator of the National Stranding Network in Italy. He has served as a member of the International Whaling Commission.

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Michael Parks

Site Search Consultant

Captain Michael Parks is leading the search for suitable sites for a seaside sanctuary. He served as chief of marine operations for the rehabilitation of the orca Keiko.

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Michael Partica

Michael Partica worked as part of the Back to the Blue project, which resulted in the successful release of two dolphins off the coast of Turkey.

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Matthew Payne

Matthew is working with us to develop education programs for children, teenagers and adults. He is Community Engagement Officer for the UK organization Cats Protection.

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Harry Rabin

Harry Rabin is a photographer/filmmaker whose career has spanned science, environment and public entertainment, with a notable strength in drone photography.

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Heather Rally

Dr. Heather Rally is a wildlife veterinarian with specific training in marine mammal medicine, currently working as a veterinarian with the PETA Foundation.

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Carol Ray

Carol Ray worked for three years training cetaceans at SeaWorld of Florida. She is the owner/director of three pediatric speech therapy clinics in the Seattle area.

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Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara

Giuseppe Notarbartolo di Sciara is a marine conservation ecologist and the Chairman and Director of the Tethys Research Institute.

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Ed Stewart

Ed Stewart is the President and Co-Founder with Pat Derby of the Performing Animal Welfare Society and its 2,300-acre captive wildlife sanctuary.

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Matthew Spiegl

Matthew Spiegl is an attorney, environmental blogger and ocean advocate with a focus on the health of the ocean.

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Paul Spong

Paul Spong is co-director of OrcaLab, a land based whale research station on Hanson Island in British Columbia, and president of the Pacific Orca Society.

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Kathryn Sussman

Kathryn Sussman, founder of The Writing Space, focuses on animal advocacy and works with Zoocheck to help bring an end to the captive display of cetaceans.

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Helena Symonds

Helena Symonds is Co-Director of the orca research station OrcaLab on Hanson Island, and a director of the non-profit Pacific Orca Society.

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Gia Brazil Vacin

With expertise in environmental science and management, Gia has worked with more than 70 groups, including The Nature Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

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Courtney Vail

Courtney Vail is a senior policy professional, tactical advisor and campaign manager who has worked within the conservation and animal welfare field for more than 30 years.

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Jeffrey Ventre

Jeffrey Ventre is a medical doctor in Washington State who formerly worked as a marine mammal trainer at SeaWorld, spending eight years with cetaceans and pinnipeds.

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Kimberly Ventre

Kimberly Ventre is a brand consultant, specializing in brand identity, marketing operations, conservation marketing and impact production.

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Valeria Vergara

Valeria's work since 2002 has focused predominantly on acoustic communication in beluga whales, first in captivity and later in the wild.

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Ingrid Visser

Ingrid is the Founder and Principal Scientist of the Orca Research Trust, which works to protect orca through conservation, education and scientific research.

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Hal Whitehead

Hal's research focuses on social organization and cultural transmission in the deep-water whales, and on their ecology, population biology and conservation.

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