John Brandt
Director, Marine Aquarium Council (MAC)
Vice President, Chicagoland Marine Aquarium Society (CMAS)

In addition to being a lifelong hobbyist, John Brandt has been involved in the aquarium industry for over 25 years. John’s experience with the retail side of the aquarium trade comes from working at several local fish stores, including opening up and managing an aquarium design showroom. John remains actively involved in improving the hobby by serving on the boards of the Marine Aquarium Council (MAC) and the Chicagoland Marine Aquarium Society. John also served as the Industry and Conservation Representative for the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America (MASNA). He has authored numerous articles and book chapters and is a frequent presenter at hobbyist and trade conferences and events on responsible aquarium keeping, industry issues and coral reef conservation. John will serve on RPI’s Scientific Advisory Board and assist in the development of strategy and all materials produced for public awareness.

At Chesapeake Research Consortium, Jason Cook’s primary responsibility is the support of restoration efforts for the Chesapeake Bay. He is on the toxics subcommittee, fish advisory workgroup, indicators workgroup, and toxics characterization workgroup. Prior to this, Jason worked at Ocean Journey Aquarium in Denver, Colorado. At the aquarium, his primary responsibility was the daily care of the animals. The ecosystems he cared for included a 300 gallon live reef tank, a 1600 gallon tank with reef fish and invertebrates, a 600 gallon mangrove habitat, and 450 gallon live plant tank altogether making him responsible for the well-being of over 600 marine species. Mr. Cook’s daily responsibilities included observing overall fish health, disease recognition, treatment, feeding, and tank maintenance. Jason has been successful in breeding various species at the aquarium including anemones, invertebrates and small reef fish which are shared amongst other zoological aquariums. Mr. Cook has also conducted research on the molting frequency of reef invertebrates in Ocean Journey’s mangrove habitat and interrelationships and interdependence of coral reef species in Belize. Jason will serve on RPI’s Scientific Advisory Board and assist in the development of
strategy and all materials produced for public awareness.

Tim Eichenberg
Director, Pacific Regional Office
The Ocean Conservancy

Tim Eichenberg is an environmental attorney who has worked on fishery, endangered species, water quality, and other ocean and coastal issues for more than 20 years.  He now works for The Ocean Conservancy running their regional office in San Francisco. He served as Legal Counsel for the Environmental Defense Center, the California Coastal Commission, The Ocean Conservancy, and Oceana.  Mr. Eichenberg chaired the Clean Water Network in Washington DC from 1994-1998, and founded the Casco Baykeeper Program in 1990.  He is on the summer faculty of the Vermont Law School, and lectured at the University Of Maine School Of Law, Golden Gate University School of Law, and the Environmental Law Institute. Mr. Eichenberg holds a B.A. from Earlham College, a J.D. from the Washington University School of Law, and was a post-doctoral fellow in marine policy at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.  He is a member of the Bar in California and Washington DC, and has published more than 25 articles and reports on environmental issues.  Tim will assist RPI in evaluating existing and proposed legislation involving coral reef conservation.

Dr. Michael Gerdes has been an active aquarist since childhood. This hobby grew into a passion to understand the dynamics of aquatic systems, once he began keeping reef tanks in 1995. In 1999, after receiving a doctorate degree in cell biology, Michael moved to the Bethesda, MD area and took a research position with the National Cancer Institute where he does work on skin biology and tumor formation. Shortly thereafter, Washington Area Marine Aquarist Society (WAMAS) was formed with a core of 8 people. Under Dr. Gerdes' directorship, WAMAS has grown to 200 members. WAMAS hosts numerous internationally recognized lecturers to speak throughout the year to members and the public. WAMAS has been chosen as the host for MACNA 2005, the annual meeting of the Marine Aquarium Society of North America, to be held in Washington DC. Michael will serve on RPI's Scientific Advisory Board and assist in the development of strategy and all materials produced for public awareness.

David E. Guggenheim, Ph.D.
Ocean Conservation Consultant

Dr. David Guggenheim draws from nearly 25 years of multidisciplinary experience in environmental research, policy analysis, advocacy and environmental education. As The Ocean Conservancy’s Vice President for Conservation Policy, Dr. Guggenheim has led cooperative research and conservation programs in Cuba and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Previously, he served as President & CEO of The Conservancy of Southwest Florida and co-chair of the Everglades Coalition. He worked to elevate both organizations’ effectiveness at the state and national levels in protecting and restoring Florida’s Everglades. Prior to that, he was an environmental consultant where he conducted research on global warming, including an international study in Russia. He directed an international team of researchers in a study of Siberian forests. For 10 years, Dr. Guggenheim was vice president of EcoAnalysis, Inc. in California, where he directed numerous environmental projects. He also served as president of the Friends of Channel Islands National Park. Dr. Guggenheim will provide RPI with a range of guidance, from nonprofit management and fundraising to conservation methods and community-based solutions.

Christopher Himes
Director of Certification
TransFair USA

Christopher Himes is in charge of certifying all the Fair Trade products in the United States. TransFair USA certifies the production and ethical trading of agricultural products around the world. Mr. Himes is active in implementing the standards and policies that govern Fair Trade in 60 countries, and tracks all trade flows to, from, and within the United States. In addition, Mr. Himes manages global supply and demand models for various products, and performs economic analysis for his and other Fair Trade certification. Chris received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Oregon, and a Master of Public Administration from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. Mr. Himes will assist RPI in reviewing existing certification schemes within the aquarium trade. In particular, Chris will help RPI benchmark certification results towards the achievement of conservation goals.

Teresa Ish
Director of Science
Sustainable Fishery Advocates

Teresa Ish is one of the co-founders of Sustainable Fishery Advocates (SFA) and their Director of Science.  Teresa provides the fishery specific science and background information for each seafood recommendation made in SFA's FishWise labeling program.  She is also responsible for developing many of the public education materials used in the FishWise program. Teresa has served 6 years as an officer for the Santa Cruz chapter of Surfrider Foundation, an international, environmental non-profit. Ms. Ish received her Master of Science degree from the Department of Ocean Sciences at the University of California , Santa Cruz , where she was a California Sea Grant Fellow and part of the Center for Stock Assessment Research. Her research focuses on Fishery Science and Stock Assessment. Her B.A. is in Environmental Studies and Biology, from the University of California , Santa Cruz . Teresa will serve on RPI's Scientific Advisory Board and assist in the development of strategy and all materials produced for public awareness.

Les Kaufman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
Boston University

Dr. Les Kaufman’s first job was selling tropical fish at J.J. Newberry’s in Valley Stream, NY. He soon graduated to marine fishes working at a specialized pet store a few miles away, and helped start up and write a hobbyist journal called “The Marine Aquarist”. Following his growing obsession with all sorts of animal life, he eventually graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a doctoral degree in Earth and Planetary Sciences, specializing in theoretical and evolutionary ecology. Les did his postdoctoral studies at Harvard on the functional morphology of the labroid fishes, and then joined the staff of the New England Aquarium, eventually assuming the post of Chief Scientist and head of the Aquarium’s research programs. In 1994 he switched his base of operations to the Boston University Marine Program, where he is now a Professor. Les also assists in the creation of programs and exhibits as the New England Aquarium’s “Research Scholar”, contributes to educational television, and recently has been writing for National Geographic magazine. Dr. Kaufman received the Pew Scholarship in Conservation and the Environment (now known as the Pew Marine Fellows), as a member of the first class of scholars in 1990. With respect to RPI, Les is particularly interested in consumer education, ornamental aquaculture, and partnerships between the aquarium industry and local economies in the developing world.

Frank Marini, Ph.D.
Author/Scientist
Assistant Professor, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Marini was bitten by the aquarium bug at an early age. By the time he was 15, Frank was keeping various saltwater fish and studying their husbandry and breeding behaviors. After completing his Ph.D. in molecular biology, Dr. Marini joined the faculty at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center , where he organizes and runs one of the largest stem cell labs focusing on wound repair and tissue regeneration in the Houston area. In 1995, Frank was credited as the first to successfully breed the Banggai Cardinalfish and raise the fry in a home setting. In collaboration with Martin Moe, Dr. Marini recently wrote a series of articles on fish breeding for the online publication, www.AdvancedAquarist.com. Dr Marini currently moderates the largest internet forum on hobbyist-level ornamental breeding at www.ReefCentral.com. Frank will serve on RPI’s Scientific Advisory Board and assist in the development of strategy and all materials produced for public awareness.

Wallace J. Nichols, Ph.D.
Pacific Ocean Region Director, OCEAN REVOLUTION
Research Associate, California Academy of Sciences

In 1998 and 1999 Dr. Wallace J. Nichols co-founded and acted as co-director of Grupo Tortuguero and WiLDCOAST, an international grassroots network and an international conservation team dedicated to marine protection and education. While at Blue Ocean Institute, Dr. Nichols developed new projects in seafood awareness, working to bring to the screen a sea turtle book he authored, and is spearheadeding the OCEAN REVOLUTION, an international effort to mentor and network young leaders in ocean conservation that is now his fulltime endeavor. Dr. Nichols is the Vice-Chair of the IUCN (World Conservation Union) Sea Turtle Specialist Group-Eastern Pacific Region and a Research Associate at California Academy of Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona. Dr. Nichols also holds a Master's degree in Natural Resource Economics and Policy from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment.  He has advised the conservation community as a board member of Oceana, Animal Alliance, Drylands Institute, American Museum of Natural History's Hall of Ocean Life, and ProPeninsula.  Dr. Nichols will provide RPI with guidance in building grass-roots support and leveraging community outreach to drive a marine-focused organizational mission.

John Tullock is an author, photographer in addition to working as Community Relations Manager with Barnes & Noble. John has been writing books and articles about nature, the environment and gardening since 1992. He has written ten books, nine of them about aquarium keeping. “Natural Reef Aquariums” is considered a classic aquarium book, still enjoying brisk sales since its release in 1997. Mr. Tullock has served as a consulting editor of aquarium books for Barron's Educational Series, New York, and for Quarto, London, the world’s largest publisher of trade books. John’s other contributions to the aquarium hobby include the creation of the American Marinelife Dealer’s Association (AMDA), acting on the Board of Directors for Conservation Fisheries, Inc. and serving on the steering committee during the early stages of the Marine Aquarium Council. In addition to writing, John has spoken at international forums and is an avid orchid grower and has authored numerous books on caring for the popular tropical plant. He received his Master of Science in Zoology from the University of Tennessee. John will serve on RPI’s Scientific Advisory Board and assist in the development of strategy and all materials produced for public awareness.

Benjamin C. Victor, M.D. Ph.D.
Founder and President
Ocean Science Foundation

Dr. Benjamin Victor has a variety of interests - fish biology, evolution, medicine, mycology (molds), geography, economics. His primary interest is in the larval ecology of coral reef fishes and its role in determining biogeography and population dynamics. Dr. Victor has worked in Panama, Galapagos, Baja California, Palau, Brazil and Bali with research concentration on the wrasse family (Labridae). He received his Ph.D. in population biology at the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1986, working on tropical reef fishes and the importance of recruitment and larval ecology to reef populations. After that, Dr. Victor continued his research on fishes, while graduating from medical school at The University of California at Irvine. This was followed by an internship at Stanford University Hospital in Palo Alto, California. Dr. Victor returned to Southern California to finish a residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at UC Irvine. Since then he has worked as a consultant in medicine and ecology, and received an M.B.A. from UC Irvine. In 2001, Dr. Victor started the non-profit Ocean Science Foundation to facilitate coral reef research by providing a research vessel to conservation and academic NGOs. He is also the editor of CORALREEFFISH.COM, a website devoted to internet-speed scientific communication for coral reef fish biologists. With his wide-ranging experience, Dr. Victor will serve on RPI's Scientific Advisory Board and assist in the development of strategy and all materials produced for public awareness in addition to providing guidance on the development and execution of the RPI communication and fundraising plans.