TEAM: Our teams will be built from experts and volunteers from around the world. We will help promote the potential in activists of all ages.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Natalie Colvin:
Natalie is a lifelong environmental advocate who loves surfing, backpacking, rock climbing, trail running and anything around a campfire. She has a Sustainable Business MBA and extensive experience building corporate ESG (environmental social governance) strategies, establishing and managing corporate/nonprofit partnerships, and communicating social and environmental impact programs both for for-profit businesses and nonprofits.
Natalie has built her career in the outdoor industry with a focus on pushing outdoor products and brands to be more sustainable (ie less bad). She has been fortunate to work for pioneering brands like Patagonia, Teva, The Renewal Workshop, and Toad&Co and understands the importance of good nonprofit/corporate collaboration. Now Natalie is developing a consulting business where she can expand the work of great, eco-minded organizations (both for profit and nonprofit) and she’s always just trying to be better today than she was yesterday.
TEAM LEADER Peter Jay Brown:
A Peter is a director and cinematographer, who specializes in real life stories, cultural adventures, LIVE events, and big sexy animals that can eat you!
His 35 years of experience producing shows such as Real People, Entertainment Tonight, and numerous cable programs have given him a unique insight into the storytelling arts both in and out of the studio. From riots to intimate ceremonies Peter will deliver what is needed to translate the story on to the screen, be it TV or film.
Best known recently on TV for his stint on Animal Planet’s hit show, Whale Wars,
Brown has been active in the Sea Shepard Conservation Society for over 35+ years, and has recently released a feature length documentary based on his experiences, entitled “Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist”. http://www.confessionsfilm.com
Brown has produced/directed LIVE concerts for Diana Ross, Jars of Clay , and worked on variety TV shows and the US Music festival. He has filmed religious and cultural events around the world.
http://www.peterjaybrown.com http://www.confessionsfilm.com www.enemyfilm.tv
Marine Scientist Myra Finkelstein:
Dr. Myra Finkelstein is an environmental toxicologist with almost 20 years of experience working on issues related to contaminant exposure in wildlife and has as a proven track record for generating solid scientific evidence for wildlife conservation. For example, Myra’s research showed unequivocally that Laysan albatross chicks were severely lead-poisoned from ingesting lead-based paint and that this poisoning was contributing to population declines, prompting the cleanup of lead-based paint on Midway Atoll. Additionally, Myra and her colleagues identified lead-based ammunition as the principal source of lead poisoning in California condors and the primary impediment to condor recovery – information that was instrumental in the passage of AB 711, a California state-wide ban on the use of lead based ammunition for hunting. Before Myra obtained her Ph.D. in Ocean Sciences from the University of California, Santa Cruz she worked with conservation organizations such as The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Friends of the Wolf. During this time Myra was involved with many efforts including work to end illegal drift netting in the North Pacific and stopping an illegal aerial wolf kill in British Columbia. Myra is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz and affiliated with the Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Department.
https://www.switzernetwork.org/grants/connecting-scientific-method-conservation-action-pacific-albatross
Activist Peter Wallerstein:
A native of New England, Wallerstein first coordinated international whale protection campaigns in the icy and treacherous waters of the Bering Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. Since that time, he has facilitated over 6,500 rescues of marine animals, including a host of endangered species from Leatherback Turtles to Guadalupe fur seals.
When he was appointed as the Pacific Director of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international marine wildlife conservation organization established in 1977 to end the destruction of habitats and the slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans, Wallerstein initially entered into a beleaguered relationship with Los Angeles County and City officials who unknowingly were using inappropriate and harmful methods to deal with stranded and trapped marine animals.
But slowly over the years, Peter’s persistent creativity in devising hands-on safe and effective techniques to rescue these animals, and his quick on-site response time in emergency situations overcame the objections of county and city officials. He began to earn respect for his persistence, admiration for his skills, and accolades for his abilities and passionate commitment, all of which eventually turned critics into ardent collaborators.
http://www.marspecialists.org
Professor Joe Valencic: Joe is an expert on marine life and ecology who has taught courses in oceanography, marine science research, and research diving techniques for the past 18 years. Joe has extensive experience, including three research seasons diving under the Antarctic ice shelf. His research team from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography holds the record for the world’s southernmost scuba dive. Joe has produced several award-winning underwater video programs as well as live underwater programming.
Joe is an active member of The Explorers Club, a PADI Fellow, and a world renown adventurer and scholar.
Scott West: Scott retired from the US Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigation Division as a Special Agent-in-Charge in 2008. He has extensive experience investigating environmental crimes. He spent the next seven years as the Director of Intelligence and Investigations for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. He has been on several Sea Shepherd campaigns, initiated the Cove Guardian campaign in Taiji, Japan, and built the on-shore 2014 Grindstop campaign in the Faeroe Islands. Scott conducted overt and covert operations for Sea Shepherd all over the world.
Scott brings investigative and mission planning expertise to the team. He is a master at surveillance and knows the ins and outs of police work. Scott teamed with Peter Brown to address the obscene open pen farming of salmon world-wide.
Mark A. McMillan: Native American Indian, of the Metis tribe of Canada relocated to Hawaii from California in 1984. Four children all raised in Hawaii and all avid watermen and women. Lifelong surfer, snow skier, scuba diver, in the water, mandatory suit and towel in the car at all times. Traveling for business interests’ has allowed the participation of International Ocean reviews, Galapagos diving swimming , Indian sea. Ireland at Galway bay and Dublin, numerous locations along the pacific coast in Mexico Sea of Cortez, California, Oregon, Canada, South Atlantic, South America,Suriname, Brazil, .
Mark’s firm, III BEARS Inc, consults on sustainable living communities within the Hawaiian Islands, South America, Africa;Evaluating and promoting environmental technologies in various countries with government officials to determine electrical, building needs and by-products and the feasibility of the innovative high tech systems.
Engineer of the ConVerTec system for recycling MSW municipal solid waste into usable products; In 1996 began testing conceptual processes whereby a mixture of refined shredded waste and polymer binders forced through a die or injected into a mold or pressed and subjected to heat and pressure could create marketable products, such as construction materials. His work resulted in his obtaining a patent for the “Process for Treating Municipal Solid Waste” (U.S. Patent No. 5,844,008) in December 1998, additional filing in 2013 Pat # 13/951,261 on advanced claims for processing MSW. This process forms the “Dura Build” process, which is one of the contributing components of the ConVerTec system.
In addition to developing the Dura-Build process, Mr. McMillan was instrumental in implementing the testing and verification of the end products produced by the tire conversion (“Devulcanizer”) process, patented (PAT# 5,437,237)to a California company, which is the “Tycon” process component that can be incorporated in the ConVerTec system. Mr. McMillan also engineered the design and described the manufacturing procedure for the conversion plants, which utilize the ConVerTec technology. Founder of III BEARS Inc, Business entity responsible for the engineering, production, marketing and sales of the Conversion systems as well as overseeing ongoing research and development of the various processes.
Mark consults internationally on the use of new technologies to help leave the planet a better place. He has had a lifelong interest in the oceans and will continue to add his skills and experience to Gaianetwork.net.
Dr. Jay PhD : Dr. Jay provides technical support for Gaianetwork projects in several critical high technology areas such as advanced field video streaming, laser detection, secure communications, and drone expertise. His company, Analog design, has contracts with DARPA, various military agencies and commercial operations. He holds patents for several innovative products in the medical field. He is currently involved in the design and manufacture of miniature, self-contained underwater propulsion devices that can be used on a wide variety of on-water and in-water vehicles.
GAIANetwork.net 