Staff
Save Our Shores is comprised of a small team of passionate environmentalists who share a strong connection to our ocean and, in particular, our Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. We thrive on enjoying all that the Sanctuary has to offer and protecting it for generations to come. We are scientists, ecologists, educators, conservationists, and members of the Monterey Bay community.
Katie Thompson
Executive Director
Katie grew up in the Midwest, spending her free time on rivers and lakes, yet always had a love for the ocean. This passion drove her to study biology at Oberlin College then acquire a Master in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington. Katie joined Save Our Shores as Executive Director in 2024.
Katie has worked in the marine conservation sector for a decade and has developed an expertise in community-based conservation strategies and nonprofit management. In previous roles at The Ocean Foundation and Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, she focused on program management, international marine conservation strategies, and research. She is excited to bring this experience to her home in the Monterey Bay region where she has lived since 2018.
Katie is honored to lead the passionate team at Save Our Shores as we work to create a more resilient coastline for all.
Favorite marine activities: paddleboarding, kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, sunset walks on the beach
Email: katie@saveourshores.org
Leora Baumgarten
Finance and Nonprofit Operations Director
Leora grew up in Santa Cruz, swimming at Cowells beach and roaming the UCSC campus. She graduated from UCSC in biology and moved to Chicago for graduate school. She lived in Chicago for over 30 years where she earned a PhD in physiology at The University of Chicago, completed a postdoctoral work at the University of Illinois Chicago, raised a family, and worked as an entrepreneur and business owner.
In 2017 she had the opportunity to participate in Points of Light Civic Accelerator for social entrepreneurship which provided the foundation for work in the nonprofit sector. Recent work includes HR and operations consultant in both the private and non-profit sectors including a biotech startup.
At Save Our Shores she is responsible for day-to-day financial and business operations including accounting, contracts, grants, vendors, staff and insurance. Favorite marine activities: open water swimming, hiking, watercolor painting and spending time with family and friends enjoying the amazing outdoors Santa Cruz has to offer.
Email: leora@saveourshores.org
Krista Rogers
Program Manager
Krista is a Santa Cruz local who grew up in Capitola and attended the University of California, Santa Cruz where she studied marine biology. Before joining Save Our Shores she worked and volunteered in youth programs at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, where she developed her passion for engaging youth in marine science and connecting people with the amazing ecosystems of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
At Save Our Shores, Krista previously served as our Education & Outreach Coordinator. As Program Manager, she manages the education, volunteer, and outreach programs, engaging the community in learning about and protecting their beloved Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Favorite marine activities: tide pooling, snorkeling, and kayaking
Email: krista@saveourshores.org
Sam Rupel
Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator
Sam (she/her) grew up galavanting around the Bay Area from Point Reyes to Big Sur, hiking, backpacking, tide pooling, splashing and digging in the dirt.
She loves people and she loves nature, that's what first brought her to her role at Ethos, our local Santa Cruz low-waste living shop + refillery and what brought her to her current role here with Save Our Shores. She believes that individual action is incredibly impactful within our community and, together, we can drive large-scale change.
Favorite marine activities: tide pooling, kayaking, surfing, snorkeling, splashing, and castle-ing.
Email: sam@saveourshores.org
Bri Mishin
Development & Communications Coordinator
Bri moved around frequently growing up, but after visiting Santa Cruz during high school she fell in love with the area and was thrilled to go to school at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She moved to New York after graduation but was almost immediately pulled back by the ocean and redwood forest. Before joining Save Our Shores, Bri participated in regular beach cleanups and started her career as a research ethicist, engaging with local corporate and community liaisons as part of research collaborations.
At Save Our Shores, Bri focuses on organizing and executing beach cleanups for corporate and business partners, as well as facilitating the corporate engagement program. She also supports the organization’s marketing, communication, donation processing, and event planning needs.
Favorite marine activities: swimming, jogging, lounging on the sand & tide pooling
Email: bri@saveourshores.org
Jadyn Polk
Communications and Programs Intern
Jadyn grew up in Oakland, California in a family of activists. As a child, she would accompany her mother when she’d come to speak at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). Her mother is an expert on the impacts of state violence and would host a talk with the students about racial disparities. From the exposure to the campus greenery, Jadyn grew a love for nature, Santa Cruz, and the ocean.
Following in her mother's footsteps, Jadyn is now a student at UCSC for ethnic studies where she learns about history, race, and intersectionality. Jadyn took ethnic studies classes in high school and has a history of organizing and protesting for social justice in her hometown of Oakland. Intersectionality is why Jadyn is so passionate about Save Our Shores; she understands that the ocean is connected to people through food, activity, and as a neighbor.
At Save Our Shores, Jadyn is responsible for messaging and communicating the passion that we have for our oceans and their connected peoples.
Favorite marine activities: Floating, kayaking, and watching the water.
Email: jadyn@saveourshores.org
Olivia Wickett
Education Associate
Oli grew up in Northern Virginia and frequented the Smithsonian Museums with her family. There, she found joy in learning through experiences and interacting with objects. After the pandemic, she moved to San Diego in hopes of becoming a marine biologist, but later transferred to UCSC and fell in love with the world of Anthropology and museums. Before Save Our Shores, Oli worked as an educator in museums around the Bay Area. When she found a position at Save Our Shores, she was ecstatic to have the opportunity to still work with the ocean
At Save Our Shores, Oli schedules and facilitates school field trips and educational programs.
Favorite marine activities: Tidepooling, lounging on the beach, and playing fetch with her dog.
Email: olivia@saveourshores.org
Gru
Office Dog
Meet Gru, our office dog and self-appointed Chief Happiness Officer! He’s always ready to greet office visitors, protect the team from the suspicious dumpster outside, and conduct sniff-inspections of all office supplies. When he's not charming the team with his puppy eyes, he’s probably plotting his next snack heist or inspecting the office for stray crumbs. Gru’s work ethic is unmatched—his primary responsibilities include boosting morale, ensuring no lunch is left unattended, and looking cute during meetings. We’re paws-itively lucky to have him on the team!
Favorite marine activities: long walks on the beach and communicating through pee-mail
Board Members
Michael Jones, Chair
Michael Jones has lived in Santa Cruz County for 45 years since arriving in 1973 to attend UC Santa Cruz. Originally from Pasadena, California, he worked as an educator for 36 years in the Pájaro Valley Unified School District. Until retirement in 2015 Michael served as principal of Alianza Charter School. He is focused on working with Save Our Shores to protect our Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and expand educational programs to build awareness, knowledge, and understanding of our unique and precious marine environment amongst students in schools throughout the area.
Cathleen Eckhardt, Vice Chair
Mary Curtiss, Secretary
Mary has lived in Santa Cruz with her family since 1998. She has a BS in Industrial Engineering along with an MBA from Santa Clara University. Raising three boys in Santa Cruz and spending many days at the beaches has given her an appreciation for the beauty of the Bay and wanting to work to keep it healthy for many future generations. Mary is currently Director of Energy and Sustainability globally for HP. In this role, she has over 20 years as an experienced industry leader. As a Board member, Mary hopes to use her background in business and marketing to expand the donor base with corporates and create opportunities for public/private partnerships. Protecting the environment is core to her values and she feels fortunate to bring this passion to her role on the Board.
Dr. Justin Cummings, Director
Justin is originally from Chicago, IL and holds a BA in Spanish and a BS in Biology from Eastern Illinois University. In 2007 Justin moved to Santa Cruz to pursue a Ph.D at UCSC. His dissertation work focused on understanding how trees used for forest restoration inhibited the regeneration of the invasive grass Saccharum spontaneum in Panama. In 2013, Justin received his Ph.D. from the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a designated emphasis in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz. As a post-doc at Florida International University, Justin studied how changes in environmental factors influenced the uptake and release of CO 2 across seasonal marshes in the Florida Everglades. In 2015, Justin moved back to Santa Cruz, CA where he helped co-create and served as the director of the UCSC Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program, whose mission is to prepare the next generation of diverse conservation leaders, from November 2015 – March 2020. In 2018, Justin was the highest vote recipient in the election for Santa Cruz City Council and served as Mayor of Santa Cruz during 2020. Dr. Justin Cummings currently holds a position as drone operator and environmental sensor technician for the UC Natural Reserve Systems California Heartbeat Initiative based out of UC Santa Cruz and is working to create a drone education and research program at UC Santa Cruz
Alejandro Garcia, Director
Alejandro Garcia was born and raised in Watsonville. After completing his general education at Cabrillo College, he transferred to UC Santa Barbara and majored in sociology with a lean towards the relationship between people and the environment. As an undergrad, Alejandro interned at the Human Rights Campaign in Washington DC and studied abroad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Fun fact: Alejandro learned about Save Our Shores in elementary school when he and his classmates learned about the impacts of littering and marked storm drains in the neighborhoods surrounding the school. Alejandro is eager to inspire a new generation of ocean stewards to create an equitable blueprint for conservation.
Dr. Charles Lester, Director
Charles grew up in Boulder, Colorado and lived in Santa Cruz for over 20 years. He's worked in the field of ocean and coastal management for more than two decades. Charles is currently at the Marine Sciences Institute at UC Santa Barbara where he continues to research, write, teach and consult about sea level rise, coastal resilience, and other aspects of California coastal law and policy. His goals with Save Our Shores are to bring his knowledge and experience to help build and support the capacity of our organization to protect the incredible coast and ocean resources.
Tonia Maclean, Director
Tonia Maclean was born in London, England and moved away to Singapore to work as an executive trainer in 1996. In 1998 she moved again, this time to California where she currently lives. Tonia is an ocean enthusiast, having been a PADI-certified open water diver since 1997, and is an ASA 103 qualified sailor, as well as a keen kayaker. Her favorite pastimes involve being in, on, or by the ocean. Tonia is currently. enrolled in a citizen science program, monitoring plankton in the Monterey Bay. She also works as a filmmaker and has produced, written, and directed several outreach videos for Save Our Shores over the past few years as well as several marine-centered documentaries for her family YouTube channel. Tonia has volunteered for Save Our Shores as a Sanctuary Steward since 2020 and looks forward to future involvement to increase public awareness of our organization and its mission to protect the health of our ocean.
Jane King Silberstein, Director
Jane is excited to join the Save Our Shores board and get back to her roots of ocean conservation and advocacy. She is currently teaching a citizen science, plankton monitoring class at Cabrillo College and in the fall an environmental interpretation class at CSUMB. Her love for the ocean began as a child spending summers in a small cove in Maine, driving with her family every other summer from Davis, Calif., and my winters visiting her grandmother in Carmel. She became a passionate ocean conservationist in her Junior year in high school when she learned about the killing of whales. She worked tirelessly doing dance-a-thons and many other fund-raising activities to give to whale conservation organizations. In college she studied marine science at UCSC and became fascinated with the microscopic, unseen world beneath the mud in Elkhorn slough (where she did my senior thesis and later a Master’s in Marine Science study). After graduating she began her career of 34 years as an educator and interpreter at the Monterey Bay Aquarium where she could teach hundreds of volunteers who inspire thousands of people to love and protect the ocean.
Lucas Roy Lehman, Director
Lucas Roy Lehman is a Prosperity and Personal Power Coach, Speaker and Trainer, inspiring hundreds of clients over the past 15 years to fulfill their potential and expand their hearts. A California native, he is blessed to have lived in Santa Cruz for the past 30 years, taking thousands of beachwalks and swimming in the ocean year round. A former founding director of the non-profit Freedom Within Prison Project, Lucas is committed to improving the health and well-being of all life.
Mark Carr, Director
Mark grew up along the West Coast from southern California to Seattle, Washington. He received his BA from UC Santa Cruz, MS from Moss Landing Marine labs, and PhD at UC Santa Barbara. Since 1997, he has been a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCSC and a core faculty with the Coastal Science and Policy program since its inception in 2018. At UCSC, he teaches courses on marine ecology, kelp forest ecology, and coastal sustainability. His research focuses on the basic and applied ecology of coastal marine ecosystems. Because of his interest in reef fishes and kelp forest ecosystems, his research informs the management and policy of ecosystem-based fisheries management, including the design and evaluation of marine protected area (MPA) performance, artificial reefs, kelp forest restoration, environmental impact mitigation, and ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change. Mark is looking forward to help Save Our Shores navigate ongoing and future initiatives.
Featured photo by Michael Langhans