The Team

Jennifer Lash

Executive Director, Living Oceans Society

Jennifer Lash was born in Toronto, Ontario and is the founder of Living Oceans Society, an oceans conservation group based in Sointula, British Columbia. Growing up in Ontario, Jennifer spent her summers sailing on tall ships, canoeing in Algonquin Park, and swimming in Georgian Bay. But the lure of salt water took her to Australia in 1989 where she spent endless days scuba diving on the coral reefs and eventually ended up working in the commercial fishing industry.

“After witnessing first hand the complex and spectacular ocean ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef and the destruction caused by bottom trawling, I was moved to take action.”

Sheila A. McKenna, Ph. D.

Independent Consultant
Member of IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas ~ Marine and High Seas

Dr. McKenna specializes in studying areas of the ocean where little or no data is available to obtain the critical data needed for informed decision making. Her field work assesses the biodiversity and habitat condition, identifies threats, and determines how these threats can be best mitigated. Her career has taken her from Madagascar to New Caledonia with over 3,000 SCUBA dives.

Lance Morgan, Ph. D.

Vice President for Science, Marine Conservation Biology Institute

Since joining MCBI, Dr. Morgan has led the effort to identify priority conservation areas from Baja California to the Bering Sea for the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. He has participated in numerous dives, including living in the Aquarius Undersea Research Station (Florida Keys) for a week at a time.

Thomas C. Shirley, Ph.D.

Endowed Chair of Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi.

Dr. Shirley is a world authority on oceanic invertebrates who has participated in more than 40 research cruises and 12 submersible research projects. Most recently he has been exploring assemblages of animals on deep sea corals and seamounts in the Gulf of Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands.

Greg Workman

Section Head, Groundfish Science
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo

Mr. Workman joined the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) at the Pacific Biological Station in 1989. Greg has worked as the Groundfish Surveys Biologist, New and Developing Invertebrate Fisheries Biologist and, most recently, Section Head for groundfish science at the Pacific Biological Station (PBS).

Michael Reuscher, M.Sc.

Michael is one of the first generation of students in the new Marine Biology Ph.D. program at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, working with Dr. Thomas Shirley. His research focus is on the systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of polychaete worms. Michael hopes to gather data during the expedition that supports the protection of the B.C. deep water coral reefs and also to collect samples of polychaetes living on the corals.

Jeff Heaton, BSc

Operations Supervisor and Lead Submersible Pilot, Nuytco Research Limited

Jeff will be supervising all submersible activity on the Finding Coral Expedition. His past projects with Nuytco include a five-year contract with National Geographic and NOAA to provide training, technical support, and pilotage of Deep Worker 2000 submersibles in the study of five U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries.

Jeff Rozon

Submarine Electronic -ops tech, Nuytco Research Limited

Jeff studied at Guelph University, graduating with an Honours Degree in Marine Biology in 1994. After travelling extensively through Australia and New Zealand, he settled in Vancouver, working for the shellfish industry. A stint with DIVER magazine resulted in his position with Nuytco.

Sasha LeBaron

Navigation, Nuytco Research Limited

Sasha maintains communication with sub pilots from the ship, and monitors their whereabouts, assisting pilots in navigation. He is the lifeline between sub pilots and "topside".

Jonathan Fether

Jonathan Fether, Mechanical Technician

Jonathan was raised in Montreal and moved west to be in the mountains 20 years ago. He is a PADI diver and all-round outdoor enthusiast.

John Driscoll

John Driscoll, Sustainable Fisheries Campaign Manager

John earned his Master's degree at Dalhousie University. He's been a fisheries observer in Alaska and Maine, a teacher at a school for at-risk youth, and, for shorter periods, a biologist, a construction worker, and a salmon fisherman. A desire to understand why we humans do things in an unsustainable manner, and what can be done to change this, has driven John throughout his various work and academic experiences.

Dorthea Hangaard

Special Project Manager, Living Oceans Society

Dorthea is coordinating the Finding Coral Expedition. She has been interested in protecting cold water corals since she began working at Living Oceans Society in 2004 and discovered that there is no protection for corals, and very little understanding of their extent and habitat function in B.C.

Captain Stephen Rozewski

Captain Rozewski has been making his living on the ocean for over 30 years, most of it on the Bering Sea fishing for crab and pollock. The last five years he has been captain of the Cape Flattery, doing various research projects. With the Flattery he has travelled west of Dutch Harbor to clean up an oil spill from the grounding of a soybean freighter, and to the Gulf of Mexico to help clean up in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Mark Wunsch

Expedition Videographer - Ph.D., Dipl. Biologist

Dr. Mark Wunsch is a media producer and communication consultant with a strong background in natural history and marine sciences. He believes in the power of audio-visual media for public awareness, the understanding of our environment and the promotion of solutions for more sustainability and conservation. His projects have led him to various places around the world.

Tavi Parusel

Expedition Videographer - Filmmaker

Tavi Parusel is a young filmmaker who is passionate about creating films that inspire, motivate and move people.

Since a young age Tavi has had strong interest in film which led him to become an actor for many years. But he was keen on telling real life stories. This interest led him to study in the Capilano University Documentary Program, where he has graduated and is now launching his career. He was a director, cinematographer and editor on numerous film projects within the university.

get our newsletter

The Team

The Expedition