The Surfrider Foundation staff at the National Office in San Clemente, CA represents a powerful combination of skills in the areas of coastal science and oceanography, environmental law, communications, management and business administration. Read about the Surfrider Foundation staff's core values and beliefs. Surfrider Foundation's streamlined staff of fewer than 20 full-time employees, plus interns and support people include:

Jim Moriarty, CEO, is an avid surfer, entrepreneur and innovator. Moriarty has more than 15 years management experience in corporate start-ups, specializing in e-learning, e-commerce, infrastructure software, and business-to-business ventures. He lives with his wife and two children in Solana Beach, CA, where he is also active leading and mentoring high school students on surfing and home-building trips to the Baja Peninsula. He brings to the position a wealth of international, fundraising and team-building experience that translate to leading the Surfrider Foundation. Jim holds a B.S. in Information Systems from The Ohio State University, and has had speaking engagements in the US, Europe, Australia and Latin America. His home break is Cardiff Reef. Read Jim's OceansWavesBeaches blog.

Michelle Kremer, Esq., Chief Operating Officer, holds a B.A. in Print Journalism and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern California and a J.D. from Western State University. Michelle recently completed an Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders fellowship at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. Michelle has over twelve years of nonprofit management and leadership experience. She is responsible for all general counsel duties as well as a myriad of administrative and financial programs for the Foundation and coordinates Surfrider Foundation's advocacy program, assisting chapters in their battles to protect their coastal environment. Born and raised in Laguna Beach, California, Michelle grew up on the beaches of Southern California.

Chad Nelsen is the Environmental Director at the Surfrider Foundation where he has worked since 1998. Prior to joining Surfrider, Chad was a NOAA Coastal Zone Management Fellow working with Oregon’s state coastal zone management program. He is an alumni of Brown University and Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment and is currently pursuing is Doctorate at UCLA in the Environmental Science and Engineering program. Chad is an avid surfer, swimmer, and beach enthusiast who lives in Laguna Beach with his wife and twin boys.

Edward Mazzarella, Director of Chapters, joined the staff in April 1992. Ed brings over a decade of nonprofit experience in grassroots organizing, campaign development and organizational management. He is responsible for developing the strategic and tactic focus of the grassroots organization and processes the daily needs of the chapter network. This includes long-range planning, grassroots organizational objectives, fundamental strategies, and total departmental budget development.

Mark Rauscher, Assistant Environmental Director, grew up on the beaches of Florida where he learned to appreciate all that the ocean had to offer. He studied oceanography at Florida Institute of Technology then specialized in coastal geology at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. While in Wilmington he was chairman of the Cape Fear Chapter. His work at Surfrider Foundation focuses primarily on beach preservation issues including seawalls, beach fill and surf spot protection. He provides scientific and technical assistance to the chapter network for many ongoing campaigns. He also manages Surfrider's educational activities through Respect the Beach.

Lori Booth, National Grants Manager, manages Surfrider Foundation National's grant activities including proposal writing, reporting and administration, and foundation research and information gathering. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Michigan Technological University and an MBA degree from the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Lori grew up in the forests of Michigan's Upper Peninsula surrounded by Lakes Superior and Michigan and hundreds of inland lakes and streams. While she hasn't yet tried surfing the Great Lakes, she is an avid runner and cyclist and enjoys participating in half-marathons and triathlons.

Steve Blank, Director of Development, manages all fundraising efforts for the national office including individual, foundation and corporate philanthropic giving. He also oversees the grant writing and membership departments. Steve received his B.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD and his Masters in International Business Management from the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS) at UC San Diego. Prior to joining the Surfrider Foundation, Steve spent five years in development at UCSD culminating in a position in the Health Sciences division focused on fundraising for the University's two hospitals and a number of medical departments. Steve was born and raised in San Diego and has spent all but seven years of his life there. He still resides there and is a beach and ocean enthusiast who can often be found sailing, surfing, windsurfing or fishing.

Toni Craw, Controller, holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. She is responsible for all accounting functions of the foundation. Raised on the Texas Gulf Coast, she and her husband, Chris (a dedicated surfer), moved to Southern California in 1997.

Jenna Holland, National Direct Mail Manager, is a native Californian now living in San Clemente with her husband and two children. Jenna holds a Bachelors degree in both Cultural Anthropology and Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara. After many years working in non-profit agencies, such as domestic violence shelters and the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Jenna has been using her non-profit experience to help protect and preserve the world's oceans, beaches and waves since 2003. Jenna is a wholehearted beach enthusiast and also enjoys snowboarding. As Direct Mail Manager, Jenna oversees membership communications and works to grow Surfrider Foundation's membership base.

Matt McClain, Marketing & Communications Director, is a 20 year veteran of the action sports industry. After starting out in the mid 1980s as a buyer for skate retail giant CCS, Matt spent much of the next decade leading sales and marketing efforts for two of the most prestigious ski areas in the country; Mammoth Mountain in California and Telluride in Colorado. Matt holds a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in linguistics from California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. He is a freelance writer and has contributed to several magazines, including Thrasher, Blunt, Transworld Surf, Happy Magazine and Beach House. Matt also sits on the board of directors for Life Rolls On, a nonprofit organization that works to advocate for young people who have received spinal cord injuries.

Rick Wilson, Coastal Management Coordinator, is a 4th generation Californian and a surfer for 40 years (he started very young). Rick has a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and a Masters degree in Business Administration from California State University, Long Beach. He is a Professional Chemical Engineer in California. Rick joined the staff at Surfrider in October 2002. His responsibilities include researching and updating Surfrider's State of the Beach report, writing Coastal A-Z articles, assisting chapters with water quality issues, and responding to general environmental inquiries from members and the general public.

Joe Geever, Southern California Coordinator, grew up surfing the beaches of Santa Monica Bay and moved to Morro Bay as a teenager. Joe spent most of his adult life as a commercial fisherman and only later in life pursued a formal education. Prior to coming to Surfrider Foundation, Joe received a Bachelors degree in economics and a law degree -- both from the University of Virginia. Joe's primary function at Surfrider Foundation is to assist the chapters in the Southern California region with building capacity and organizing effective programs and issue campaigns. Joe also has a coast-wide reputation for going straight off on the best waves of the day -- earning him the disrespect of everyone in the water.

Nancy Hastings, Southern California Field Coordinator, received a Bachelors degree in Music Business and Performance in 1990 from the University of Lowell, MA, and pursued a career in the music industry in both New York City and Los Angeles before deciding it was time to turn her passion for protecting the ocean into a full-time career. Utilizing her organizational management skills honed in her former profession, she served as the Malibu Chapter Chair from 1995-1998, and filled a variety of Chapter positions. Nancy has volunteered for the Surfrider Foundation for 10 years. She has honed her skills in campaign planning and implementation, chapter organization and recruitment, and brings with her the understanding of the organization's strengths and needs from a grassroots chapter perspective. Nancy was hired in July 2003 as the Surfrider Foundation's Southern California Field Coordinator to focus on the Special Places Campaign and to assist the Regional Manager with organizing chapter programs and campaigns.

Laura Mazzarella, Marketing/Public Relations Coordinator, holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Studies with a concentration in corporate communication and Spanish from the University of Texas at Austin. She is responsible for helping the Marketing and Communications Director and Chapters with media and events as well as assisting with general inquiries about the Foundation. Laura was born and raised in Texas and developed her love for the ocean from frequent visits to the Gulf and Australian coast.

John Weber, East Coast Regional Manager, is the Surfrider Foundation's first full-time East Coast employee, and assists our chapter network from Massachusetts to New Jersey. John is a life-long New Jersey resident who spent summers in Beach Haven, NJ where he learned to surf and scuba dive. He received a BS in biology from the University of Richmond, VA in 1990. He then returned to NJ to work for social justice and environmental nonprofit groups as a community organizer. Around 1996, John started volunteering with the Jersey Shore Chapter of Surfrider Foundation and has served as the chapter events coordinator, treasurer, secretary, and chair. During his time as Chapter Chair, the Jersey Shore Chapter overturned a 30 year old surfing ban in Asbury Park, NJ and grew the chapter membership extensively.

Pete Stauffer, Coastal Ocean Ecosystem Project Manager, has worked professionally as an environmental activist, marine educator, coastal ecologist, and windsurfing instructor. In 1996 he received his B.A. from Duke University in Environmental Policy. Following graduation, he worked for the Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG) in Greeley, CO and the Pacific Whale Foundation in Kihei, HI. In 2004, Pete received a Master’s degree from the University of Washington’s School of Marine Affairs. After completing his Master’s degree, Pete spent a year in Washington D.C. working for the NOAA Fisheries Service in the Office of Science and Technology. Previous to being hired as Oregon Policy Coordinator, Pete’s experience with the Surfrider Foundation included working as a volunteer with the Seattle and Washington D.C. Chapters, as well as making professional contributions to the Salmon Beaches Project in Washington State.

Ericka D'Avanzo, Florida Regional Manager, is the Surfrider Foundation's first full-time Florida employee, and assists our chapter network for the entire state. She received a MA in Environmental Planning from Towson University, MD in 2001. Previous to being hired as Regional Manager, Ericka's most important experiences with the Surfrider Foundation included working as a volunteer with the NYC chapter to stop the large dredge-and-fill projects on Long Island and began an activist's guide to challenge these projects. Shortly after moving to Florida, she founder the Treasure Coast Chapter and served on numerous state coastal taskforces. During her time as Chapter Chair, the Treasure Coast Chapter grew chapter membership extensively and made coastal management history by forcing a complete remediation of badly managed beach project. Ericka believes in both working and playing hard by surfing, biking, skiing, scuba diving, sailing, running with her dog, and fishing. In addition to her Surfrider role, she continues to serve on FEMA's Hurricane Liaison Team.

Vickie McMurchie, Community & Events Manager, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and Event Planning from the University of the Pacific. Vickie is responsible for planning all of the Foundation's major events and oversees all of our social networking properties. Vickie was born and raised on the East Coast and now resides in San Clemente, CA. Currently learning to surf, she is also an avid beach lover and swimmer.

Mara Dias, Water Quality Coordinator, comes to the Surfrider Foundation from the Environmental Planning Department of the Town of East Hampton, Long Island, NY. Prior to that, she worked with the Suffolk County Department of Health Services monitoring safety and water quality at bathing beaches and coordinating the development of a watershed plan to improve water quality in Long Island Sound. Mara holds a B.S. in Marine Biology and a M. S. in Environmental Studies. She also served in the Peace Corps in Western Samoa for 2.5 years helping to empower rural fishing villages to better monitor and manage their lagoon and coral reef resources.
     As Water Quality Coordinator for Surfrider, Mara currently works from Long Island, NY, on national and chapter specific water quality campaigns and monitoring programs. Besides surfing, Mara can be found in the water sailing and diving, or on the beach playing samba with her Brazilian percussion bands.

Sarah Damron, Central California Regional Manager, is an environmental and human rights activist who hails from Columbus, Ohio. She received her B.A. in political science and minor in economics from The Ohio State University. From her role as staff director at Ohio Citizen Action and involvement with her Amnesty International chapter, Sarah has gained broad experience in organizing, fundraising, and campaigning. Her capacity at Surfrider is to provide support to and assist in capacity building amongst Central California chapters. In her spare time, Sarah enjoys hiking, swimming, and ice cream sundaes.

Charlie Plybon, Oregon Field Coordinator, first began exploring the ocean and wave environment during his early childhood along the North Carolina coast. The warm summer waters near his family's beach cottage began culturing what eventually became a lifelong love of the beach and ocean environment. An avid fisherman, swimmer, body boarder, and surfer, the ocean was the pulse of his summer recreation as a child. After graduating high school in 1995, Charlie set his sights on St. Petersburg, FL to attend Eckerd College and pursue the ocean full time academically and recreationally. Fishing, snorkeling and free-diving dominated his free time throughout college. He began working for a public aquarium and quickly picked up the knack for culturing and growing corals and invertebrates in captivity. In 1999 he received his B.S. in Marine Biology and began working for the Florida Marine Research Institute researching aquatic health and supporting life-history studies for local fisheries. In 2001 Charlie resigned to move west to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where he worked in the public programs department as an Education Specialist. Continuing his work at the Aquarium, he eventually became the Education Manager and began volunteering with the Surfrider Foundation in 2003. By 2006, the small BWTF program he helped initiate had blossomed into the Newport, Oregon Chapter, thick with campaigns and grass roots activism. In February 2007, Charlie began working full time for Surfrider Foundation as the Oregon Field Coordinator.

Jody Kennedy, Washington State Policy Coordinator, comes to Surfrider Foundation from the San Juan Islands where she continues to work with the local community on developing an ecosystem-based management plan for the countywide Marine Stewardship Area. Jody has a master's degree from the University of Washington school of public affairs and over ten years of professional experience working in environmental policy and advocacy in Colorado, Alaska and Oregon. She moved to Washington for grad school and the mountains, but has quickly grown to love the coast. While Jody favors backcountry skiing, she is excited to tackle the long board.

Angela Howe, Litigation Manager, works to manage Surfrider Foundation's legal strategy and advocacy efforts, to assist chapters with beach access and environmental litigation, and to assist with general counsel duties. Angela earned her law degree from Boalt Hall, Berkeley School of Law. Before joining Surfrider's staff, she worked for Hogan & Hartson LLP in both their D.C. and Los Angeles offices. Her legal career at Hogan centered around Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act work with the Environmental Practice Group, as well as a great deal of pro bono litigation efforts. While working in Los Angeles, Angela was an active volunteer member of the West LA-Malibu Chapter as part of the Executive Committee and head of the education program. Although she grew up in Texas, she started surfing and snowboarding as soon as she came to California. She continues to increasingly appreciate the beauty and power of the ocean, which drives her passion to protect it.

Ryan Johnson, Accounting Assistant, is a native southern California surfer and resident of Mission Viejo. His capacity at Surfrider is to assist the controller and manage the financial controls of the chapter network. Ryan is also the Surfrider Foundation's first national staff member to assist chapters during external audit engagements. In the Rocky Mountains of Utah, he earned a B.A. in German from Brigham Young University. Eager to return back to his home state and southern California roots, he worked in for-profit accounting in Irvine, California, for a year before joining the staff in 2007. He continues with his accounting education through his alma mater, and in his spare time enjoys surfing, sailing, and more recently motorcycling.

Alexis Henry, Communications Manager, earned her BA in Sociology from Occidental College where she was a member of the women's volleyball team and her Public Relations Certificate from UCLA. Before joining Surfrider, Alexis was a music publicist for Epitaph Records and I/D Public Relations, working with a wide variety of musicians and bands. As Communications Manager, she works to manage Surfrider Foundation's day-to-day media/public relations, assist the chapter and affiliate networks in developing and executing media strategies, and draft overall communications campaigns for the Foundation. Born and raised in Southern California, Alexis grew up at the beach and has always been at home near the coast.

Shannon Serrano, Washington Field Coordinator. Shannon has been a resident of Washington for over half of her life, and prior to that she was born and raised on the beaches of California. Her constant is that she has never lived far from saltwater. Shannon has loved serving as the Vice Chair of our South Sound Chapter and enjoyed the volunteer efforts she has done with this group. She has been an active Surfrider Foundation member for many years and is very excited to assist the Washington Chapters in her new staff role. As an independent business owner and consultant, her professional background includes event planning, accounting and business plan development. She looks forward to using the skills learned in these fields and applying them to the field coordinator position. For fun you can usually find her in the water, or if it is too cold, on a different board on the mountains and occasionally hanging from a rock wall.

Gus Gates, Oregon Policy Coordinator. Born and raised literally on the banks of the Siuslaw River (near Florence, OR) coastal lakes, mountains, and pacific ocean and beaches. Received my B.S. from Oregon State University in 2003 in Fisheries and Wildlife Science with a specialty option in ecological restoration. Over ten years experience in conservation, habitat restoration, field surveys, watershed stewardship, collaborative research, marine fisheries, and recent experience in community organizing on the Oregon South Coast. Stints during and after college in shellfish aquaculture, tropical ecology in Costa Rica, and rapid bio-assessments (snorkel surveys) in small oregon coastal streams. Chair of the newly formed Siuslaw Chapter with active involvement in wave energy, coastal access, education, and protecting special places. Avid surfer since the age of 14, swimmer, diver, mountain biker, fisherman, and basically a fish out of water.

Stuart H. Coleman, the Hawaiian Islands Field Coordinator, grew up surfing in the small waves of Charleston, SC and gradually moved westward in search of better surf.  After graduating from the University of South Carolina Honors College with a degree in English, he moved to LA, where he surfed Malibu regularly and learned about the Surfrider Foundation's work in the area.  He went back to grad school for an MFA degree in Creative Writing at American University and then moved to Honolulu and became an active member of the Oahu Chapter.  He has been on the Executive Committee for eight years and served as Vice Chair for last four.  As the first Coordinator in Hawaii, he is working with the four chapters in the Islands to grow their membership and build on their campaigns for clean water, beach access and responsible coastal development.  Coleman is the author of two books on surfing and Hawaiian culture ("Eddie Would Go" and "Fierce Heart") and writes articles about the coastal environment and those eco-activists who are fighting to protect it.

Stefanie Sekich, the Coastal Campaign Specialist, has been involved with the Surfrider Foundation since 2003 (primarily through the San Diego Chapter and most recently working for Surfirder HQ on the Save Trestles campaign).  She obtained her MA in Environmental Law and Policy from the University of Keele, in Staffordshire England; and earned a BA in Liberal Studies with emphasis in Environmental Studies.  Stefanie has 13 years of experience working for environmental and social service nonprofits.   Prior to joining the Surfrider Foundation full time, Stefanie taught an environmental studies course for the University of Phoenix's online program.  In her freee time, Stefanie enjoys going to the beach, camping, hiking, sewing and practicing yoga.