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200+ community outreach campaigns |
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900 presentations of Surfrider's
education program, Respect the Beach |
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8,000+ beach water tests taken |
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600 beach cleanups, 125+ meetings
and events involving city, county, and state governments were
attended by Surfrider Chapter representatives |
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140,000+ volunteer hours!! |
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| OUR STAFF |
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The Surfrider Foundation
staff at the National Office in San Clemente, CA represents
a powerful combination of skills in the areas of coastal
science and oceanography, environmental law, communications,
management and business administration. Read about the
Surfrider Foundation staff's core
values and beliefs. Surfrider Foundation's streamlined
staff of fewer than 20 full-time employees, plus interns
and support people include:
 Jim
Moriarty, CEO, is an avid
surfer, entrepreneur and innovator. Moriarty has
more than 15 years management experience in corporate
start-ups, specializing in e-learning, e-commerce,
infrastructure software, and business-to-business
ventures. He lives with his wife and two children
in Solana Beach, CA, where he is also active leading
and mentoring high school students on surfing and
home-building trips to the Baja Peninsula. He brings
to the position a wealth of international, fundraising
and team-building experience that translate to
leading the Surfrider Foundation. Jim holds a B.S.
in Information
Systems from The Ohio State University, and has had
speaking engagements in the US, Europe, Australia
and Latin
America. His home break is Cardiff Reef. Read Jim's OceansWavesBeaches blog.
Michelle Kremer, Esq., Chief Operating Officer, holds a B.A. in Print
Journalism and a B.A. in Political Science from
the University of Southern California and a J.D.
from Western State University. Michelle recently
completed an Executive Program for Nonprofit
Leaders fellowship at Stanford University's Graduate
School
of Business. Michelle has over twelve years of
nonprofit management and leadership experience.
She is responsible for all general counsel duties
as well as a myriad of administrative and financial
programs for the Foundation and coordinates Surfrider
Foundation's advocacy program, assisting chapters
in their battles to protect their coastal environment.
Born and raised in Laguna Beach, California,
Michelle grew up on the beaches of Southern California.
 Chad Nelsen is
the Environmental Director at the Surfrider Foundation
where he has worked since 1998. Prior to joining Surfrider,
Chad was a NOAA Coastal Zone Management Fellow working
with Oregon’s state coastal zone management program.
He is an alumni of Brown University and Duke’s
Nicholas School of the Environment and is currently pursuing
is Doctorate at UCLA in the Environmental Science and
Engineering program. Chad is an avid surfer, swimmer,
and beach enthusiast who lives in Laguna Beach with his
wife and twin boys.
 Edward Mazzarella,
Director of Chapters, joined the staff in April 1992.
Ed brings over a decade of nonprofit experience
in grassroots organizing, campaign development
and organizational management. He is responsible
for developing the strategic and tactic focus
of the grassroots organization and processes
the daily needs of the chapter network. This
includes long-range planning, grassroots organizational
objectives, fundamental strategies, and total
departmental budget development.
 Mark Rauscher,
Assistant Environmental Director, grew up on the beaches of Florida where he learned to appreciate all that the ocean had to offer. He studied oceanography at Florida Institute of Technology then specialized in coastal geology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. While in Wilmington he was chairman of the Cape Fear Chapter. His work at Surfrider Foundation focuses primarily on beach preservation issues including seawalls, beach fill and surf spot protection. He provides scientific and technical assistance to the chapter network for many ongoing campaigns. He also manages Surfrider's educational activities through Respect the Beach.
 Lori Booth,
National Grants Manager, manages Surfrider Foundation National's grant activities including proposal writing, reporting and administration, and foundation research and information gathering. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Michigan Technological University and an MBA degree from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Lori grew up in the forests of Michigan's Upper Peninsula surrounded by Lakes Superior and Michigan and hundreds of inland lakes and streams. While she hasn't yet tried surfing the Great Lakes, she is an avid runner and cyclist and enjoys participating in half-marathons and triathlons.
 Steve Blank,
Director of Development, manages all fundraising efforts
for the national
office including individual, foundation and
corporate philanthropic giving. He also oversees
the grant
writing and membership departments. Steve
received his B.A. in International Relations from Johns
Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD and his
Masters in International
Business Management from the Graduate School
of International Relations and Pacific Studies
(IR/PS)
at UC San Diego.
Prior to joining the Surfrider Foundation,
Steve spent five years in development at
UCSD
culminating
in a position in the Health Sciences division
focused on fundraising for the University's
two hospitals and a number of medical departments. Steve
was born and raised in San Diego and has
spent all
but seven
years of his life there. He still resides
there and is a beach and ocean enthusiast who can
often be
found sailing, surfing, windsurfing or fishing.
 Toni Craw,
Controller, holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting
from Lamar
University in Beaumont, Texas. She is responsible
for all
accounting
functions of the foundation. Raised on
the Texas Gulf Coast, she and her husband, Chris
(a dedicated
surfer), moved to Southern California in
1997.
 Jenna
Holland, National Direct Mail
Manager, is a native Californian now living
in San Clemente with her husband and two
children.
Jenna holds a Bachelors
degree in both Cultural Anthropology and Religious
Studies from UC Santa Barbara. After many years working in non-profit agencies,
such as domestic violence shelters and the San Diego Wild Animal
Park, Jenna has been using her non-profit experience
to help protect and preserve the world's oceans, beaches and waves since 2003.
Jenna is a wholehearted beach enthusiast and also enjoys snowboarding.
As Direct Mail Manager, Jenna oversees membership
communications and works to grow Surfrider Foundation's membership base.
 Matt McClain,
Marketing & Communications Director, is a 20 year veteran of the action sports industry. After starting out in the mid 1980s as a buyer for skate retail giant CCS, Matt spent much of the next decade leading sales and marketing efforts for two of the most prestigious ski areas in the country; Mammoth Mountain in California and Telluride in Colorado. Matt holds a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in linguistics from California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. He is a freelance writer and has contributed to several magazines, including Thrasher, Blunt, Transworld Surf, Happy Magazine and Beach House. Matt also sits on the board of directors for Life Rolls On, a nonprofit organization that works to advocate for young people who have received spinal cord injuries.
 Rick Wilson,
Coastal Management Coordinator, is a 4th generation Californian and a surfer for 40 years (he started very young). Rick has a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and a Masters degree in Business Administration from California State University, Long Beach. He is a Professional Chemical Engineer in California. Rick joined the staff at Surfrider in October 2002. His responsibilities include researching and updating Surfrider's State of the Beach report, writing Coastal A-Z articles, assisting chapters with water quality issues, and responding to general environmental inquiries from members and the general public.
 Joe Geever,
Southern California Coordinator, grew up surfing the
beaches of
Santa Monica Bay and moved to Morro Bay as
a teenager.
Joe spent most of his adult life as a commercial
fisherman and only later in life pursued a
formal education. Prior to coming to Surfrider Foundation,
Joe received a Bachelors degree in economics
and a law degree -- both from the University
of Virginia.
Joe's primary function at Surfrider Foundation
is to assist the chapters in the Southern California
region with building capacity and organizing
effective programs and issue campaigns. Joe
also
has a coast-wide
reputation for going straight off on the best
waves of the day -- earning him the disrespect
of everyone
in the water.
 Nancy Hastings,
Southern California Field Coordinator, received
a Bachelors degree in Music Business and Performance
in 1990 from the University of Lowell, MA,
and pursued a career in the music industry in both New
York City and Los Angeles before deciding it was time
to turn her passion for protecting the ocean into a full-time
career. Utilizing her organizational management skills
honed in her former profession, she served as the Malibu
Chapter Chair from 1995-1998, and filled a variety of
Chapter positions. Nancy has volunteered for the Surfrider
Foundation for 10 years. She has honed her skills in
campaign planning and implementation, chapter organization
and recruitment, and brings with her the understanding
of the organization's strengths and needs from a grassroots
chapter perspective. Nancy was hired in July 2003 as
the Surfrider Foundation's Southern California Field
Coordinator to focus on the Special Places Campaign and
to assist the Regional Manager with organizing chapter
programs and campaigns.
 Olaf
Lohr, Membership Manager, holds a Master's
degree in Sports Marketing from the University
of Bayreuth, Germany. Olaf is in charge of the
membership department and takes care of the important
Surfrider Foundation membership database. Indulging
in the California lifestyle, Olaf is an avid sports
man. His favorite activity is jumping into big
waves as well as into small ones, with the ultimate
goal of competing in the German Surf championships.
He moved from Germany to California in 2002, and
lives for any south swells rolling into town.
 Laura Mazzarella,
Marketing/Public Relations Coordinator, holds a Bachelor
of Science
Degree in Communication Studies with a concentration
in corporate communication and Spanish from the
University of Texas at Austin. She is responsible
for helping
the Marketing and Communications Director and
Chapters with media and events as well as assisting with
general inquiries about the Foundation. Laura
was
born and
raised in Texas and developed her love for the
ocean from frequent visits to the Gulf and Australian
coast.
 John Weber,
East Coast Regional Manager, is the Surfrider Foundation's
first full-time
East Coast employee, and assists our chapter
network from Massachusetts to New Jersey. John is a life-long
New Jersey resident who spent summers in Beach
Haven,
NJ where he learned to surf and scuba dive. He
received a BS in biology from the University of Richmond,
VA in 1990. He then returned to NJ to work for
social
justice and environmental nonprofit groups as
a community organizer. Around 1996, John started volunteering
with the Jersey Shore Chapter of Surfrider Foundation
and has served as the chapter events coordinator,
treasurer, secretary, and chair. During his time
as Chapter Chair, the Jersey Shore Chapter overturned
a 30 year old surfing ban in Asbury Park, NJ
and
grew the chapter membership extensively.
 Pete Stauffer,
Coastal Ocean Ecosystem Project Manager, has worked professionally
as an
environmental activist,
marine educator, coastal ecologist, and windsurfing
instructor. In 1996 he received his B.A. from
Duke University in Environmental Policy. Following
graduation,
he worked for the Colorado Public Interest Research
Group (CoPIRG) in Greeley, CO and the Pacific
Whale Foundation in Kihei, HI. In 2004, Pete
received
a Master’s degree from the University of
Washington’s School of Marine Affairs.
After completing his Master’s degree,
Pete spent a year in Washington D.C. working
for the NOAA Fisheries Service in the Office
of Science and Technology. Previous to being
hired as Oregon Policy Coordinator, Pete’s
experience with the Surfrider Foundation included
working as a volunteer with the Seattle and Washington
D.C. Chapters, as well as making professional
contributions to the Salmon Beaches Project in
Washington State.
 Ericka D'Avanzo, Florida Regional Manager, is the Surfrider Foundation's first full-time Florida employee, and assists our chapter network for the entire state. She received a MA in Environmental Planning from Towson University, MD in 2001. Previous to being hired as Regional Manager, Ericka's most important experiences with the Surfrider Foundation included working as a volunteer with the NYC chapter to stop the large dredge-and-fill projects on Long Island and began an activist's guide to challenge these projects. Shortly after moving to Florida, she founder the Treasure Coast Chapter and served on numerous state coastal taskforces. During her time as Chapter Chair, the Treasure Coast Chapter grew chapter membership extensively and made coastal management history by forcing a complete remediation of badly managed beach project. Ericka believes in both working and playing hard by surfing, biking, skiing, scuba diving, sailing, running with her dog, and fishing. In addition to her Surfrider role, she continues to serve on FEMA's Hurricane Liaison Team.
 Tracey Armstrong, Content Manager.
Tracey's job is to help craft the voice of Surfrider via
Making Waves, our website, Soup and all other internal electronic and print
communication from the Surfrider Foundation. Tracey grew up in Seal Beach, Calif. and is a true Pisces in that she loves "all things water." She is an active surfer, sailor, swimmer & snowboarder.
Tracey did her undergraduate studies at U.C. Santa Barbara, where she was a member of the 1999 National Champion Surf Team. She worked her way through school as a lifeguard and swimming instructor for the city of Santa Barbara, where summer breaks gave her the opportunity to surf Indonesia, Hawaii and all over Baja, Mexico. In 2001, she went back to school to earn her Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She is the former associate editor of Surfing Magazine and brings over seven years of magazine and web editing experience with her to Surfrider. Tracey continues her education at the junior college level, studying music, photography, web design and dance. She lives in Laguna Beach with her two crazy Siamese cats, Kiki & Kaya.
 Vickie McMurchie, Events Coordinator, was born in New Jersey but has spent most of her adult life in San Diego, California. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and Event Planning from the University of the Pacific in Northern California. While at Pacific Vickie was a member of the Tiger's Water Polo team and was also a member of the national sorority, Delta Delta Delta. After many years interning for non-profit agencies, such as the American Heart Association and Vista Chamber of Commerce, Vickie was hired on at Surfrider in 2006. Vickie is an avid beach lover and swimmer, and is excited to be a part of the Surfrider family.
 Mara Dias, Water Quality Coordinator, comes to the Surfrider
Foundation from the Environmental Planning Department of the Town of East Hampton,
Long Island, NY. Prior to that, she worked with the Suffolk County Department
of Health Services monitoring safety and water quality at bathing beaches and
coordinating the development of a watershed plan to improve water quality in
Long Island Sound. Mara holds a B.S. in Marine Biology and a M. S. in Environmental
Studies. She also served in the Peace Corps in Western Samoa for 2.5 years
helping to empower rural fishing villages to better monitor and manage their
lagoon and coral reef resources.
As Water Quality Coordinator for Surfrider, Mara currently works from Long Island, NY, on national and chapter specific water quality campaigns and monitoring programs. Besides surfing, Mara can be found in the water sailing and diving, or on the beach playing samba with her Brazilian percussion bands.
 Lia
Colabello. As the Director of Global Relations for the Surfrider Foundation, Lia Colabello links together a network of volunteers and activists focused on coastal conservation. She advises grassroots groups around the world in their efforts to protect and preserve their local environments. She assists volunteers in designing environmental campaign plans to address issues ranging from sewage treatment to poorly planned coastal construction projects. She is also charged with developing strategies to further the growth of the Surfrider Foundation movement around the world. Prior to joining the Surfrider Foundation, Lia spent several years living and working in Europe and the Americas. During this time she held positions in the International Affairs department for the PGA TOUR and in operations management for other sports events including the 1997 Ryder Cup, 2003 Super Bowl and the Triple Crown of Surfing.
Lia was born and raised on the North Shore of O’ahu, Hawaii. After attending Punahou School, she graduated from the University of Southern California with B.A. degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Anthropology. While at USC, she competed for the varsity women’s water polo team and became a member of the Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars. She received her M.B.A. from the top ranked Thunderbird Global School of Management. While in business school, she was selected to assist the Chilean Economic Development Agency with foreign direct investment initiatives and was also a summer associate at Kissinger McLarty Associates, an international strategic advisory firm.
 Sarah Corbin, Central California Regional Manager, is
an environmental and human rights activist who hails
from Columbus, Ohio. She received her B.A. in
political science and minor in economics from The Ohio
State University. From her role as staff director at
Ohio Citizen Action and involvement with her Amnesty
International chapter, Sarah has gained broad
experience in organizing, fundraising, and
campaigning. Her capacity at Surfrider is to provide
support to and assist in capacity building amongst
Central California chapters. In her spare time, Sarah
enjoys hiking, swimming, and ice cream sundaes.
 Charlie Plybon, Oregon Field Coordinator, first began exploring the ocean and wave environment during his early childhood along the North Carolina coast. The warm summer waters near his family's beach cottage began culturing what eventually became a lifelong love of the beach and ocean environment. An avid fisherman, swimmer, body boarder, and surfer, the ocean was the pulse of his summer recreation as a child. After graduating high school in 1995, Charlie set his sights on St. Petersburg, FL to attend Eckerd College and pursue the ocean full time academically and recreationally. Fishing, snorkeling and free-diving dominated his free time throughout college. He began working for a public aquarium and quickly picked up the knack for culturing and growing corals and invertebrates in captivity. In 1999 he received his B.S. in Marine Biology and began working for the Florida Marine Research Institute researching aquatic health and supporting life-history studies for local fisheries. In 2001 Charlie resigned to move west to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where he worked in the public programs department as an Education Specialist. Continuing his work at the Aquarium, he eventually became the Education Manager and began volunteering with the Surfrider Foundation in 2003. By 2006, the small BWTF program he helped initiate had blossomed into the Newport, Oregon Chapter, thick with campaigns and grass roots activism. In February 2007, Charlie began working full time for Surfrider Foundation as the Oregon Field Coordinator.
 Jody Kennedy, Washington State Policy Coordinator, comes to Surfrider Foundation from the San Juan Islands where she continues to work with the local community on developing an ecosystem-based management plan for the countywide Marine Stewardship Area. Jody has a master's degree from the University of Washington school of public affairs and over ten years of professional experience working in environmental policy and advocacy in Colorado, Alaska and Oregon. She moved to Washington for grad school and the mountains, but has quickly grown to love the coast. While Jody favors backcountry skiing, she is excited to tackle the long board.
 Angela Howe, Litigation Manager, works to manage Surfrider Foundation's legal strategy and advocacy efforts, to assist chapters with beach access and environmental litigation, and to assist with general counsel duties. Angela earned her law degree from Boalt Hall, Berkeley School of Law. Before joining Surfrider's staff, she worked for Hogan & Hartson LLP in both their D.C. and Los Angeles offices. Her legal career at Hogan centered around Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act work with the Environmental Practice Group, as well as a great deal of pro bono litigation efforts. While working in Los Angeles, Angela was an active volunteer member of the West LA-Malibu Chapter as part of the Executive Committee and head of the education program. Although she grew up in Texas, she started surfing and snowboarding as soon as she came to California. She continues to increasingly appreciate the beauty and power of the ocean, which drives her passion to protect it.
 Ryan
Johnson, Accounting Assistant, is a native southern California surfer and resident of Mission Viejo. His capacity at Surfrider is to assist the controller and manage the financial controls of the chapter network. Ryan is also the Surfrider Foundation's first national staff member to assist chapters during external audit engagements. In the Rocky Mountains of Utah, he earned a B.A. in German from Brigham Young University. Eager to return back to his home state and southern California roots, he worked in for-profit accounting in Irvine, California, for a year before joining the staff in 2007. He continues with his accounting education through his alma mater, and in his spare time enjoys surfing, sailing, and more recently motorcycling.
 Alexis Henry, Communications Manager, earned her BA in Sociology from Occidental College where she was a member of the women's volleyball team and her Public Relations Certificate from UCLA. Before joining Surfrider, Alexis was a music publicist for Epitaph Records and I/D Public Relations, working with a wide variety of musicians and bands. As Communications Manager, she works to manage Surfrider Foundation's day-to-day media/public relations, assist the chapter and affiliate networks in developing and executing media strategies, and draft overall communications campaigns for the Foundation. Born and raised in Southern California, Alexis grew up at the beach and has always been at home near the coast.
 Shannon Serrano, Washington Field Coordinator. Shannon has been a resident of Washington for over half of her life, and prior to that she was born and raised on the beaches of California. Her constant is that she has never lived far from saltwater. Shannon has loved serving as the Vice Chair of our South Sound Chapter and enjoyed the volunteer efforts she has done with this group. She has been an active Surfrider Foundation member for many years and is very excited to assist the Washington Chapters in her new staff role. As an independent business owner and consultant, her professional background includes event planning, accounting and business plan development. She looks forward to using the skills learned in these fields and applying them to the field coordinator position. For fun you can usually find her in the water, or if it is too cold, on a different board on the mountains and occasionally hanging from a rock wall.
 Gus Gates, Oregon Policy Coordinator. Born and raised literally on the banks of the Siuslaw River (near Florence, OR) coastal lakes, mountains, and pacific ocean and beaches. Received my B.S. from Oregon State University in 2003 in Fisheries and Wildlife Science with a specialty option in ecological restoration. Over ten years experience in conservation, habitat restoration, field surveys, watershed stewardship, collaborative research, marine fisheries, and recent experience in community organizing on the Oregon South Coast. Stints during and after college in shellfish aquaculture, tropical ecology in Costa Rica, and rapid bio-assessments (snorkel surveys) in small oregon coastal streams. Chair of the newly formed Siuslaw Chapter with active involvement in wave energy, coastal access, education, and protecting special places. Avid surfer since the age of 14, swimmer, diver, mountain biker, fisherman, and basically a fish out of water.
Support Staff
 Mark Babski helps
the Surfrider National Office and Chapters with tech stuff. Mark has a B.S. in computer science from
Stanford University and an M.A. in International Affairs
from Johns Hopkins University. In 1990-91, Mark was
an EPA Management Fellow in Washington, DC working
on artificial intelligence expert systems and was subsequently
awarded a Fulbright Research Grant to conduct environmental
research in Italy. Mark's been working closely with
the Surfrider National Office since 1993 and with the
Surfrider South Orange County Chapter since 1996. Mark
speaks a few languages -- French, German, Italian,
Dutch, and Spanish -- and lives with his wife and twin
sons in San Clemente. A former surf school founder
and instructor, Mark rarely misses a swell.
 Christopher Keys,
is Surfrider's Chief Financial Officer. Chris
is a CPA and
a partner in the accounting firm of Keys
and McBride,
located
in Tustin, California. A goofy foot, Chris
attended the University of California Santa
Barbara where
he surfed The Ranch as much as possible.
Chris currently resides in Laguna Beach with his
wife Tracy and regularly
surfs Trestles, Salt Creek and Brooks Street.
Shaun Tomson,
Chair of the Surfrider Foundation Advisory
Board, began surfing along Durban beaches at
age 10. By age 15 Shaun was traveling the world
as a competitive surfer. His remarkable professional
surfing career would eventually span two decades
and include victories in 19 major events. In
1977, he won the World Surfing Title. He was
a champion among the small and elite group
of athletes that started professional surfing.
Smooth, polite, and a gentleman were all words
commonly crafted for the stories written in
the day about the champ. He led an unquestionable
performance revolution of "tube riding" in
fast, large surf.
Shaun has had a lifelong commitment to the ocean
environment. He graduated with distinction from the University of Natal in South
Africa with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. He is an inductee into the South African
Sports Hall of Fame, the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the Surfing Hall of Fame,
and was the Surf Industry Manufacturers 2002 Environmentalist of the Year. He
has been a Board Member and Officer in the Association of Surfing Professionals
and is the owner of Solitude, an international clothing company headquartered
in Santa Barbara, California. Very active in speaking and testifying for the
benefit of the coastal ocean environment, and working to create environmental
leadership in industry, Shaun is the Chair of the Surfrider Foundation's U.S.
Advisory Board.
Environmental Issues Team
This all-volunteer panel of Surfrider professionals
includes individuals with expertise in water quality,
epidemiology, oceanography, coastal engineering and
public
policy. The Environmental Issues Team (EIT) meets monthly,
to discuss environmental issues and provide recommendations
of specific technical matters in relation to the Foundation's
environmental work.
Internship/Volunteer Program
Each quarter, college students are selected within
the Foundation's membership, to assist in researching,
developing
and implementing specific projects and programs. Students
studying urban planning, environmental science, political
science, law, journalism and social ecology are able
to earn undergraduate and graduate college level credit
in exchange for their work experience.
Additionally, Surfrider members are able to volunteer
at the national headquarters and with their local chapter. Activities like
organizing meetings, fundraising, beach clean-ups, monitoring
city council meetings, mailings,
researching environmental issues, etc. are available to Surfrider members
interested in volunteering their time and skills.
See the Surfrider Volunteer Handbook.
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