BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our board of Directors consists of leading scientists in their given fields.
Charles R. Booth
University of Southern California, Department of BiologyMr. Booth is the founder and President of Biospherical Instruments Company. He has vast experience in development and scientific applications of diverse ocean instrumentation with a specialty in optical instruments. Mr. Booth will guide aspects of the technical opportunities and development of new instrumentation to further the goals of improving the efficiency of surveying coral reef communities.
Mark Douglas Mitchell
Mr. Mitchell is the brother of Dr. B. G. Mitchell and has been the lead developer and also served as President and Vice President of Bald Head Island Corporation which is large resort development on Bald Head Island in North Carolina. Mr. Mitchell will contribute knowledge of logistics operations in remote areas, boat operations, and dissemination of the foundation’s accomplishments to the public.
Richard Murphy, PhD
Dr. Kiefer has been a Professor of Biology at the University of Southern California for more than 25 years. He has also been active in many aspects of basic marine ecology research, technology development and conservation biology. He is a member of the Heinz Foundation’s State of the Ecosystem Panel for coastal waters. Kiefer has published 75 papers and 16 published reports, and he has obtained 3 United States patents for inventions in optical instrumentation and wave damping floats. He is also Chief Scientist and co-founder of System Science Applications, a marine environmental consulting and software development company. He has played a major role in developing EASy (Environmental Analysis System), the first geographical information system that was specifically designed for marine applications. Recently he has applied his software to questions regarding mariculture operations and ecological impact – issues that are most import to many coastal third world economies. Professor Kiefer will guide the Foundation’s efforts in basic research as well as the goals of improving local sustainability of communities.
Dr. Brian Gregory Mitchell, PhD
Scripps Institution of Oceonography, University of California San DiegoDr. Mitchell is the founder and primary donor for the Pacific Blue Foundation during its formative stages. He has been a research biologist at the University of California San Diego for 20 years and has extensive experience in basic research, submittal of grant proposals to diverse funding agencies and entities, execution of funded research, and publication of results. He has published more than 75 basic research articles in the premier scientific literature, has been Chairman of the committees for four PhD and two MS students who have matriculated, and from 1990-1992 he served as NASA’s program manager for Ocean Biology. Dr. Mitchell will serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors during the initial formative stages of the Pacific Blue Foundation. Fiji TV visits Dr. Mitchell’s lab.
Dale A Kiefer, PhD
University of Southern California, Department of BiologyDr. Kiefer has been a Professor of Biology at the University of Southern California for more than 25 years. He has also been active in many aspects of basic marine ecology research, technology development and conservation biology. He is a member of the Heinz Foundation’s State of the Ecosystem Panel for coastal waters. Kiefer has published 75 papers and 16 published reports, and he has obtained 3 United States patents for inventions in optical instrumentation and wave damping floats. He is also Chief Scientist and co-founder of System Science Applications, a marine environmental consulting and software development company. He has played a major role in developing EASy (Environmental Analysis System), the first geographical information system that was specifically designed for marine applications. Recently he has applied his software to questions regarding mariculture operations and ecological impact – issues that are most import to many coastal third world economies. Professor Kiefer will guide the Foundation’s efforts in basic research as well as the goals of improving local sustainability of communities.
Charles R. Booth
University of Southern California, Department of BiologyMr. Booth is the founder and President of Biospherical Instruments Company. He has vast experience in development and scientific applications of diverse ocean instrumentation with a specialty in optical instruments. Mr. Booth will guide aspects of the technical opportunities and development of new instrumentation to further the goals of improving the efficiency of surveying coral reef communities.
Michael Kent Mitchell
Mr. Mitchell is the brother of Dr. B. G. Mitchell and is an architect and developer and has served as President and Vice President of Bald Head Island Corporation which is large resort development on Bald Head Island in North Carolina. Mr. Mitchell will contribute knowledge of logistics operations in remote areas, boat operations, and the culturally relevant details of community architecture.
ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM
The administrative team at Pacific Blue Foundation handles the daily operations of our on-going programs and efforts.
Mary Anderson
Administrative Manager
Sefano M Katz
Project Manager, Fiji
"Sefano M Katz manages the Beqa Lagoon Initiative in Fiji, leading and coordinating the programs’ development and implementation; managing logistics and administration, training of local stewards, junior staff and volunteering assistants; liaising, developing and maintaining relationships with collaborators and relevant authorities, research institutes and international agencies. During the past decade Sefano has been engaging with a verity of projects, science and exploration activities surrounding primarily the tropical coastal and marine environments. Sefano holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in marine science and the ocean environment. He held positions as principal investigator, team leader, and as a team member research assistant and technician. Part of his endeavors took him to the northern Red Sea assessing methods for reef restoration; in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef he has been developing strategies for regulated coral reproduction for research and restoration purposes, conducting broad-scale monitoring and impact assessments on reefs, and investigating the microbial ecology of corals’ health and disease. Lately in Fiji he has been conducting a verity of projects, mainly focused on the Beqa Lagoon area, including coastal conservation, reef restoration, shark behavioral documentation, and eco-education. Some of the research Sefano had been involved in had been published in scientific journals, and made it to the podium in different conferences and meetings, and had been featured in news stories and a TV documentary."
Kerry Donovan
Pacific Islands Coordinator
"Kerry Donovan is Pacific Islands Coordinator for PBF and resides in Fiji coordinating our programs and liaising between government, NGOs, villages and consultants. He also manages staffing, reporting and accounts. He brings to the Foundation a wide range of planning and financial skills from personal experience in business, mostly in marine related areas such as commercial fishing, surfing, boat manufacture, and most recently, before Fiji, was a Certified Financial Planner in New Zealand for nine years. He has a wide range of experience in travel to pacific island nations and other countries. Just before Kerry joined PBF in 2004 when he was involved with rebuilding the community owned resort on our first project island, Yanuca, in Fiji. Kerry will provide the ongoing coordination of our planning, surveying, project budgeting and implementing."
Roko Sau Josefa Cinavilakeba
Fiji Islands Coordinator, PBF
"Roko Josefa Cinavilakeba is responsible for Government/Community relations for Pacific Blue Foundation in Fiji. He was installed as Roko Sau, the title of the paramount chief in Totoya in December 2009. As a young Fijian leader, or Roko Sau, he provides insight into Fijian community and governance and firsthand knowledge of Fijian culture and traditions."
CONSULTANTS
Our team of consultants helps to guide our efforts in basic research, education, encouragement and dissemination of sustainable technologies in the region of the island nations of the South Pacific with the ultimate goal of preserving and promoting the biological and cultural diversity of the region.
Davey Kline
University of Queensland
David I. Kline earned his PhD from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. He is an expert on coral reef ecology with a special emphasis on climate change and factors that lead to disease and mortality.
Mark Calamia
Ethnographic Enquiry
Dr. Calamia is principal investigator and sole proprietor of Ethnographic Inquiry, a firm that conducts ethnographic and ethnohistoric research and is involved in cultural and natural resource management planning and resource protection in the South Pacific and the American Southwest. Dr. Calamia also focuses on the application of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) for adaptive management of marine resources. Currently, he is focusing his applied research on the institutional dynamics involved in the establishment and governance of community-based marine protected areas (CBMPAs) in Fiji. Dr. Calamia is an associate with the International Institute of Indigenous Resource Management (IIIRM) and the Center for Heritage Resource Studies (CHRS) and a former associate of the International Ocean Institute – Pacific Islands (IOI- Pacific Islands).
Didi Dulunaqio
Wildlife Conservation Society
Didi Dulunaqio is an employee of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Suva, Fiji. He focuses on underwater surveys of coral community ecology.