Barbara Meek – Thunder Bay NMS
Barbara Meek, a Thunder Bay NMS volunteer of 4 years, is a voice for maritime heritage. In addition to her assistance in graphic design and digitizing the Thunder Bay Sanctuary Research Collection, she also administers the Thunder Bay Community Boat Building Program, where volunteers build boats, canoes, and kayaks for raffle to benefit sanctuary programs.

Dean Hudson – Fagatele Bay NMS
Dean Hudson joins us from Fagatele Bay in American Samoa, where he serves as chair of the Sanctuary Advisory Council. He has supported their management review process as a media spokesperson and promoted sanctuary recreation through his own tourism lodging operations.

Jennifer Ferre – Stellwagen Bank NMS In her three years volunteering for the Stellwagen Bank NMS, Jennifer Ferre founded and serves as Executive Director of the SBNMS friend’s group “Stellwagen Alive!” She is a conduit for successful dialogue with the sanctuary community through her support of outreach and education, and research initiatives. Ms. Ferre’s prolific grant procurements and 2000 hours of volunteer service just last year has touched all of us.

Kamala Anthony – Papahānaumoukuākea Marine National Monument In Kamala Anthony’s four years of experience volunteering for the Papahānaumoukuākea Marine National Monument’s Mokupapapa Discovery Center she has made her mark as a voice for the oceans and traditional Hawaiian culture. She has recruited other high school volunteers, brought in guest lecturers, and translated Sanctuary documents into Hawaiian. With a bright future ahead, we feel privileged to be a part of her journey which will continue this fall at Humbolt State University.

Renee Lackey – Pacific Islands Region Through nine years of volunteering on countless projects, Renee has become a self-taught expert in the rearticulation of marine mammal skeletons. When her rearticulation of a monk seal is complete, it will be the only one on display in the world. Bridging connections with local experts, the international community, and the Smithsonian Institution of Natural History, Ms. Lackey has brought unprecedented prestige to the sanctuaries of our Pacific Islands Region.

Jim Jewell – Olympic Coast NMS Jim has been a docent in the Olympic Coast Discovery Center since it opened in the summer of 2004. Jim promotes ocean literacy though his involvement in a wide variety of sanctuary programs including tide pool walks for school groups, developing reference materials and preparations for the Washington coastal cleanup. Jim also brings the OCNMS message to our partner site, the Feiro Marine Life Center, where he volunteers.

Skip & Gloria Snyder – Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale NMS For over 8 years, husband and wife Skip and Gloria Snyder have volunteered full time for the HIHWNMS. Last year Skip and Gloria manned information stations weekly to promote reef stewardship for the International Year of the Reef Program. They established a nonprofit friends group and have raised thousands of dollars to help support sanctuary programs. Simply put, the HIHWNMS would not be able to reach the number of people they do without the support of these two dedicated volunteers.

Terri Kirby Hathaway – Monitor NMS Terri Kirby-Hathaway holds the education seat of the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. For the Management Plan Review, she dedicated a full week of travel to scoping meetings. As a Marine Education Specialist with North Carolina Sea Grant, Ms. Kirby-Hathaway takes our message to the community and helps to bring change in attitudes and opinions concerning our ocean resources.

Jon Hubbard – Monterey Bay NMS For over a decade, Jon Hubbard has helped maintain consistent survey data for 4 miles of sanctuary beachfront MBNMS BeachCOMBERS program, which gathers information on rates of stranding for all species of marine birds and mammals in Monterey Bay. Trained as a professional plant pathologist and teacher, Mr. Hubbard is ever the curious naturalist and takes the time to teach and train other volunteers and inspire them with his enthusiasm.

Venetia Butler – Gray’s Reef NMS Venetia Butler has held the K-12 Education seat on the Gray’s Reef NMS’s Advisory Council for several years and serves as the Council’s secretary and chairs the Education and Outreach Working Group. In over seven years of volunteering with us, she has continually supported education and outreach efforts, represented the site locally and at conferences, and participated on a number of field research projects with our partners.

Jason Thompson – Gulf of the Farallones NMS In his four years of volunteering for the Gulf of the Farallones NMS, Jason Thompson has participated in approximately 20 days of at-sea research in Sanctuary Ecosystem Assessment Surveys, conducted monthly surveys as a Beach Watch volunteer, and shared his stunning photography with all of us. Following the November 2007 Cosco Busan spill, Mr. Thompson assisted in emergency beach surveys to help responders decide which beaches needed priority attention.

Josh Churchman – Cordell Bank NMS A charter member of the Cordell Bank NMS Sanctuary Advisory Council, Josh Churchman has made significant contributions in many areas during his 7+ years of service in preparation of the sanctuary’s recently completed management plan. A commercial fisherman of 30 years, Mr. Churchman serves as a key liason between CBNMS and the local fishing community. His experience at sea furthers the effectiveness of research and stewardship projects as well.

Dolly Garlo – Florida Keys NMS Dolly Garlo has served on the Sanctuary Advisory Council for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary for 3 years. She is involved with sanctuary education programs such as Team OCEAN and the Coral Reef Classroom, and chairs the board for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Friends Foundation.

George Hanks – Flower Garden Banks NMS George Hanks has contributed to the Flower Garden Banks NMS by bridging his career and commitment to ocean advocacy as a volunteer substitute teacher through the Lawyers in Public Schools program. Mr. Hanks also serves the sanctuary and larger community through his service at sanctuary events, as a diver on our expeditions, and as a Naturalist on Board for charter dive boats visiting the Flower Garden Banks.

Catherine French – Channel Islands NMS For nine years, Catherine French has participated in all facets of the Channel Islands Naturalist Corps community program where she represents the sanctuary on public whale watch tours, island hikes, formal education field trips and teacher workshops. As a journalist, Ms. French also supports our mission of raising public awareness by publishing articles about sanctuary issues.