EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CO-FOUNDER

Melissa (she/her) is a marine fisheries ecologist and conservation scientist. She has worked to increase equity and inclusion in STEM for over six years, and co-founded the Building a Better Fieldwork Future Program at University of California, Santa Cruz. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

CHIEF STRATEGIST, CO-FOUNDER

Erika is a professor in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of California at Santa Cruz. She and her research group study the drivers and consequences of changing biological diversity and the role of ecology in guiding effective conservation practice. She directs the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program and the CAMINO (Center to Advance Mentored, Inquiry-based Opportunities) at UCSC.

DIRECTOR OF FACILITATION

Allison (she/her) is a FieldFutures facilitator and PhD student in the Beltran Lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she studies elephant seals. She is passionate about safe fieldwork for all scientists and has facilitated and supervised dozens of workshops for lab groups, agencies, and nonprofit organizations.

CERTIFIED TRAINER

Mandy (she/her) is a marine ecologist, educator, and mixed media artist. Her research focuses on understanding the adaptive capacity of young fishes and invertebrates to anthropogenic stressors; she is particularly interested in the ecology of nursery refugia in reef-like habitats. Mandy brings her extensive field experience, which includes scientific SCUBA diving under Antarctic sea ice, and hundreds of hours of sexual violence prevention training and experience to her work with FieldFutures. As a queer, disabled woman, Mandy is committed to education rooted in a science-based, activist pedagogy that centers belonging, safety, and justice for everyone. Mandy is currently a Grand Challenges Initiative Postdoctoral Fellow at Chapman University. 

STRATEGIC GROWTH ADVISOR

Anna (she/her) is a researcher and policy expert with over 30 years of experience in areas including local government, environmental and food policy, climate change, ocean and coastal issues, and equity and justice. She is currently an affiliated researcher with Ocean Nexus, working on ocean equity and justice. In her previous work as Senior Research Fellow at Ocean Conservancy, she led the creation of the Roger Arliner Young Marine Conservation Diversity Fellowship. Prior to her work on the ocean, Anna served as an elected official in Colorado for ten years.

PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Mary (she/her) is a global health professional and an advocate for the One Health approach. She is interested in the human-wildlife disease interface and has a particular affinity for African wildlife. Mary loves any chance to get in the field and is passionate about planetary health. When she’s not working, Mary enjoys spending time with her rabbits, Bruce and Fiona, or golfing with her husband, Anthony.

ACCOUNTANT AND BOOKKEEPER

Assistant Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

UC Santa Cruz

www.roxannebeltran.weebly.com

Founding Director, Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program @ UCSC

Co-Founder and Associate Director of the UCSC CITRIS Initiative

Santa Cruz County Supervisor

VP Sales, APEXX Global

Assistant Teaching Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

UC Santa Cruz

Program Director, Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program @ UCSC