Meet the Fish Reef Project Team

The Fish Reef Project team consists of a handful of dedicated individuals and volunteers around the world.

Fish Reef Project Team Executives

Chris Goldblatt
Founder/CEO

Petter Andersson
CFO

Frederic Doucedame
Acting COO

Dr. Wilfred Lus
Vice President Asia Pacific Region

Steven Chew
Director of Operations

Lonnie Nelson
Director of Construction

Maisy Lus
Executive Director, Fish Reef Project Papua New Guinea

Maisy completed a Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) from the University of Papua New Guinea. She is
passionate about evidence based environmental monitoring and mitigation of impacts that could be detrimental to the environment, livelihoods and social wellbeing of PNG coastal and Island communities. Maisy supports the Fish Reef project because of the belief that this project will help minimize long-term negative environmental impacts from development projects and human activity, and sustain the livelihoods of people in our coastal and Island communities.

Hamet Owens
Executive Director for Fish Reef Project Senegal

Hamet holds of a degree in finance and management.
Hamet’s eagerness to learn and adapt has led him to become a CEO of major global logistics company with offices in Africa, Europe and Asia.
His core values are Loyalty, Commitment and Passion.
His growing love of the sea and a drive to serve his fellow Africans has lead him to the Fish Reef Project.

Ulises Uribe
Executive Director- Fish Reef Project Mexico.

Ulises is a 30 year veteran commercial hard-hat diver, veteran fisherman and vessel operator. Ulises brings years of experience and training from global offshore firms such as Oceaneering and related companies. Ulises has worked on many large offshore projects including 400 designed reefs units off the Baja peninsula. Ulises brings a rare skill set of underwater engineering, project management, deep roots in the local community and most of all a love of the ocean and deep desire to help ocean life thrive.

Socorro Chong Silva
Regulatory liaison for Mexico

Founding partner of Ecological S. C. with 30 years of consulting experience in Mexico, a biologist by training with various courses in Environmental Impact Assessment, Ecosystem Restoration and a master’s degree in Environmental Toxicology. She has been a pillar in the promotion of sustainable practices. Her strategic focus has promoted the preservation of the environment and she collaborates with the Fish Reef Project as a consultant who requested and obtained the environmental impact authorization for the “Biogenic Reef, Fish Reef México Project, located San Quintin, in Baja California, México.”

Gabriel Cota Amador
Community outreach Fish Reef Project Mexico

Gabriel has 25 years experience working with the the fishing cooperatives in Baja California. Gabriel holds a master of business administration and manages a major mussel and oyster mariculture operation in Baja. Gabriel works hard to ensure sustainable fisheries for Mexico and enjoys helping ocean life thrive (ayudando a prosperar la vida marina!)

Stanley Selasie Kpemli
Executive Director, Fish Reef Project Ghana

Stanley Selasie Kpemli holds a bachelor of Science(BSc. Fisheries and Aquatic Science) from the University of Cape Coast Ghana. Stanley believes that Ghana’s fishery which currently relies mostly on small pelagic fishes captured by artisanal, semi industrial fishermen can be revamped as there are many calls that the fishery stock is being depleted. Deploying fish reefs in our waters will help to control and increase the fish stocks and other fishery resources.

Said Mohamoud
Executive Director, Fish Reef Project Somalia

“A Joint Venture Parter for Fish Reef Project, I am proud to be helping to restore and enhance our fisheries and coral ecosystem for the benefit of all Somalis”, Said Mohamoud

Dr. Wilfred Lus
Vice President Asia Pacific Region

Wilfred has a BSc (Honours First Class) in Geology from University of Papua New Guinea, and a PhD in Earth Science from Australian National University, Canberra. He is supporting the project’s mission to enhance the seafloor and its biomass through creation of artificial reefs, to address food security and climate change in impacted communities in Papua New Guinea.

Naima Cherot
Controller, Fish Reef Project

Naima Cherot is an Enrolled Agent who has worked as an Accountant with various industries such as non-profit, manufacturing, media, marketing, retail, and entertainment for over 11 years. She is currently the controller for Fish Reef Project. Before joining Fish Reef Project, Naima served as the President of Amani Solutions LLC, working with small businesses as a Tax Advisor and Accountant. She also specializes in process improvement implementation and Internal Audits.Naima is currently in the Doctoral Program at University of Sedona.

Martin Sansing
Director of Business Development

Martin has a deep background in business development, strategic partnerships, and sales with senior roles at Disney, AT&T and other companies. Earlier in his career he worked as a management consultant for LEK Consulting after earning his MBA at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He also holds a BA from Harvard College. His love of the sea extends from a lifetime of living near and working in the ocean as a recurrent L.A County Lifeguard.

Frederic Doucedame
Director of Marine Engineering

Frederic Doucedame is Fish Reef Project’s Marine Infrastructure Specialist. Frederic brings a robust C/V filled with amazing large-scale marine infrastructure projects ranging from pipelines, piers, desalination plants, reefs and reclamation projects. He has been a lifelong ocean person and an accomplished free dive spear fishermen and boater.

Tony Huerta
Education & Outreach Manager

Tony Huerta is an elementary school teacher from Santa Barbara where he grew up surfing, diving and fishing. He loves the ocean and teaching children about it. He is excited to be helping out a cause that will make more places for kids to enjoy in the future. Tony has been a key part of Fish Reef Project since its very start in 2010.

Kevin Glen
Design Engineer

Specialty Engineer, Fish Reef UnitsKevin is a mechanical engineer and waterman from Ventura California. Being an avid freedive spearfishermen has led Kevin to multiple world records and the creation of a spearfishing company. His love of spearfishing had lead to ocean conservation as a priority. Through his professional career he has specialized in product design and development. This love of design combined with his passion for all things ocean led him to the Fish Reef Project.

Bruno Silva
Lead for Seabed Simulations

Bruno Silva is a Portuguese marine scientist and a scuba diver, with a bachelor’s in marine and coastal management and a master’s in marine and coastal systems. Bruno mastered the science of oceanography, coastal dynamics, geology, Remote detection, anthropogenic impacts, computational fluid dynamics, and others. Bruno develops artificial reef computer simulations to understand the impact of the structure on the marine environment. He is passionate about the sea and science.

Amanda Jahnke
CEO Assistant

Dr. Ryan Jenkinson
Worldwide Science Coordinator

Having studied some of the most remote and rare marine ecosystems on Earth, Dr. Jenkinson brings a robust new skill set and vast experience to the Fish Reef Project.

Dr. Robert Abbott
Senior Principal Marine Biologist

Senior Principal Marine Biologist at ENVIRON International Corporation, is a fisheries expert who has been performing assessments of fisheries and aquatic resource information for government agencies and the private sector since 1974. He specializes in fisheries ecology, marine bioacoustics, artificial reefs construction and monitoring and 2D-acoustic fish tracking.

Tyler Vanderlip
Marine Asset Manager

BS Marine Transportation from NY Maritime Academy

USCG 2nd Mate Unlimited Tonnage Upon Oceans & Masters 500 Gross Tons License.

Andy Taylor
Marine Biologist, Equipment Coordinator

Andy is the owner of Blue Water Hunter Dive Shop in Santa Barbara and is also a freedive spearo. He is a long time volunteer for the Fish Reef Project, and has helped raise awareness via his dive shop.

Lonnie Nelson
Director of Construction, Freediver

Lonnie grew up surfing and diving since the age of 7. His passion for the ocean was inherited from his father and has since been gifted to his son and avid freediver. Lonnie proudly joined the efforts of the Fish Reef Project with hopes of ensuring that future generations will be able to experience the ocean as he has.

Afriyie Ofori-Koree
MICRS, Managing Partner, LiveValue360

Afriyie is leading significant efforts in Ghana and West Africa to help industry and government partners to fully embrace the potential of the Fish Reef Project to make major contributions to ocean health and food security.

Mark Massara, Esq.
Coastal Land Use Specialist Attorney

Mark Massara, Esq. has worked on many high profile land use cases and has made major, long term contributions to protect our coastlines and oceans.

Yasmin Ojeda
Latin America Liaison

With over 10 years of experience in the Biotechnology Industry, Yazmin Ojeda possesses a MS degree in Biotechnology Management from the University of Maryland and a BS degree in General Biology and Biotechnology from the University of Puerto Rico. She is currently certified as Scuba Diver and her passion for nature and Caribbean marine life brings her to support the Fish Reef Organization. Its goal of restoring the marine ecosystems aligns with her passion of preserving the ocean and its marine life.

Adam Coons
Business Outreach Coordinator

Adam J. Coons is the Founder & Managing Principal of Outwing Private Wealth Management, LLC. Adam began his 17 year career in Financial Services at Smith Barney in 2003 as an Investment Analyst on a top producing Private Wealth Management team. His work focused on both traditional and alternative investment manager due diligence, alongside delivering sophisticated tax, trust estate, and financial planning strategies to the team’s HNW private clients.

On Dec. 21, 2019, Adam experienced one of these moments when he was attacked by a 15 foot, 2,500 lb. Great White Shark while surfing 30 miles offshore Santa Barbara at the Channel Islands. The incident paved the way for an even deeper connection with the sea through supporting the Fish Reef Project.

Capt. David Bacon
FRP Advisory Board Chairman & Director of Youth Education

Capt. David Bacon grew up fishing, hunting and studying critters. He went to college for Business, then spent many years in the high-tech industry running large mainframe computer centers. He was back to nature at every opportunity and after an early retirement from high tech, started a fishing charter service and later bought a bait & tackle shop. Capt. Bacon publishes over 500 articles per year for various print and online publications, does considerable public speaking and serves on various councils, panels and boards. Capt. Bacon, a strong supporter of Fish Reef Project said, “Since its inception, I’ve helped move and steer Fish Reef Project along because I have the decades of at-sea experience to see the need for habitat engineered to develop and sustain sea life into the future.

Mahat Muhumed Ali
Outreach Coordinator, Kenya & Somalia

Executive Director for East Africa Environmental Foundation (EAEF). A non profit organization. Ali holds a diploma in Public Relations from Moi University, and is also pursuing his degree in conflict and peace management at Mount Kenya University. He knows that the Fish Reef Project holds many benefits for peace making and ocean health for Africa.

Dedicated Volunteers

Christian Koepenick

Photographer, Spear Fisherman

Professional photographer, FRP Photo manger, ocean lover and spear fishermen.

Annika Erikson

Social Media Intern, Surfer & Ocean Conservation

Born and raised on an island in Maine, Annika‘s upbringing revolved around the ocean. Her experiences as a crew member on barges in Maine and as an ocean-minded surfer in California have driven her to advocate for ocean health and conservation. With a profound passion for protecting the ocean and those who share a love for it, Annika is thrilled to take part in the Fish Reef Project’s mission.

Ben Pernia

Shark Conservationist, Freediver

Born and raised on The Great Lakes, it was a natural progression for Ben to adapt a fluid lifestyle and become a fully committed ocean-minded waterman. Shortly after completing his BS at Northern Michigan University, Ben forged his passion to end the global slaughter of sharks as a fisheries observer with NOAA‘s Sandbar Shark Research program. Now, after a diverse run of sustainable fisheries work in Asia during 2012, Ben has settled in on Maui to take the reigns of Fish Reef Project Hawaiʻi. Most agree, it’s obvious Ben‘s dedication to protecting the ocean’s balance is complete.

Daryl Wong, DDS

Freediver, Fisherman

"As a fisherman, diver, commercial fisherman for over 40 years I have slowly seen the decline of our reef resources. Two major changes occurred after Hurricane Iniki and Iwa. Both hurricanes drastically changed our reefs by flattening our reef ecosystem that were exposed to the storms. The loss of fish habitat also caused the decline in fish numbers. This reef project can help our ecosystem by replacing lost reef due to warming, disease, hurricanes and also provide a habitat for fish in areas that don’t have a reef ecosystem. I sincerely believe we can do something to help our local ecosystem with support from our community in the reef project that will benefit everyone."

Juliette Verstaen

Ocean Conservationist

Juliette is currently pursuing a degree in Aquatic Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and is interested in community and population ecology. Maintaining the ocean‘s health is important to her, which is why she’s excited to be involved with the Fish Reef Project, helping to improve oceanic ecosystems.

Chris Castillo

Geographer, GIS Mapping

GIS (Geographic Info Science) Professional. Geographer. Operations Analyst. Fish Reef mapping and application manager.

Eileen Francisco

Ocean Activist

Eileen Francisco holds a bachelor of science from San Jose State in marketing. She first heard of the Pacific Garbage Patch in 2010 and has been an advocate for Ocean Health ever since. Her passion is to convince the world to create Marine Life Enhancement Reefs for as long as the Ocean needs them.

Nick Kautzman

Fisheries Biologist, Freediver

Nick Kautzman holds a Masters degree in fisheries and aquatic invertebrate zoology from Gonzaga University. He works in the public and private sectors in a variety of positions that focus on special status species management. Nick is an accomplished and avid freediver.

Sarah Rose Devine

Ocean Conservationist

Sarah has a BS from the University of California at Berkeley in Conservation and Resource Studies and a J.D. from Golden Gate University and currently works in a civil rights law firm in Honolulu, Hawaii on the island of Oahu. As a long time ocean lover and environmental advocate, Sarah is excited to be working with the Fish Reef Project.

Rena Obernolte

Senior Marine Biologist

Rena Obernolte, senior Marine Biologist held a Bachelor degree in Aquatic Biology from UCSB and a Masters in Environmental Studies from SJSU. She worked in San Francisco Bay building artificial reefs for native oysters and fish habitat. She specialized in invertebrate ecology and acoustic fish monitoring. Sadly, Rena has passed away. The Fish Reef Project is grateful for her dedication, and she will be missed by all.