Our Staff


Mark J. Spalding, President, concurrently serves as the Executive Director of Fundación Bahía de Loreto A.C. He is the chair of the Council of the National Whale Conservation Fund. Mark is an active participant in the marine working group, Baja California group, and coral reef group of the funders' organization, the Consultative Group on Biological Diversity. He serves on the International Bering Sea Forum. He has consulted for the Alaska Conservation Foundation, San Diego Foundation, the International Community Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Fundación La Puerta, and a number of family foundations. He designed and managed the Orca Fund. He has served as a member of the Environmental Grants Advisory Committee of FINCOMUN (Tijuanas Community Foundation). In addition, he has helped design some of the most significant ocean conservation campaigns in recent years. He brings his extensive experience with the legal and policy aspects of ocean conservation to the Foundation's grantmaking strategy and evaluation process. Read More.


Jacqueline Morgan, Senior Manager of Human Resources, Operations and Administration, comes to us with over 18 years experience in office administration. She's owned her own business with offices in Washington, DC and Atlanta, GA. She has extensive professional expertise in public relations, program development, and proposal writing. Jackie is also very experienced in database management, budget monitoring and office management, as well as conference and convention planning. When she's not busy keeping The Ocean Foundation's DC headquarters running smoothly, she can be found at the dojo practicing her karate.


Jeremy Linneman, Special Projects Director, is approaching a decade of experience in the marine conservation sector, during which time he has consulted for a number of private and public foundations.  He has been the Special Projects Director at The Ocean Foundation for four years, where he has a wide variety of responsibilities, including grantmaking, fundraising, project design, management consulting, event coordination, strategic planning, and website development.  Jeremy has a master's degree in Pacific International Affairs from the University of California, San Diego, with special emphasis on international environmental policy and economic development.  Jeremy is an avid SCUBA diver, adventurer, and general lover of mischief.  As evidenced by his staff photo, in his spare time Jeremy likes to SeaGrass Grow.


Diane Davidson, Senior Legal and Project Consultant, is a veteran attorney with extensive experience in mass media communications, administrative, contract, real estate and international law. A lifelong conservationist and scuba diver since 1983, Diane has a strong passion for the oceans and their protection. She is working on our sustainable development resort projects and provides assistance as needed in other areas. She concurrently serves as an Associate with the Lake Barcroft Watershed Improvement District in Falls Church, Virginia and as a member of the Citizen's Advisory Committee for the Cameron Run Watershed Plan in Fairfax County, Virginia, and has been certified by the Potomac Greenways Coalition's Master Watershed Stewardship Program. Previous employers include two private law firms, the Federal Communications Commission, Discovery Communications, and The Walt Disney Company. Diane received her JD degree from Vanderbilt University and her undergraduate degree from Duke University.


Kevin M. Ranker, Senior Fellow, concurrently serves as a Washington State Senator where he represents the beautiful 40th District.  As an elected official, Kevin has focused on a combination of conservation and community development – working to successfully bridge the gap between economic development and conservation. Kevin brings 15 years experience in community development and public policy at the local, state, national and international level to his work at the Ocean Foundation. He possesses comprehensive professional experience in the private and public sectors developing and implementing coastal and ocean policy, community development strategies, legislation and conservation initiatives. He has directed, and consulted for, multiple organizations focusing on oceans and the coastal communities that depend upon them.  Kevin has spent his entire life on the coast and in the ocean and is an avid sailor, paddler, diver, fisherman and surfer.  He lives with his wife and daughter in the
San Juan Islands in Washington State.
  


Andrea DeGirolamo, Bookkeeper, joins us with a deep background in non-profit work experience and a love for the ocean.  She grew up in Washington, D.C. and has worked in many offices there ranging from the IRS to another ocean non-profit with responsibilities from maintaining membership databases to writing and editing contracts to executive administration and human resources.  She lives just outside D.C. with her husband and son.


Kama Dean, Program Officer, oversees the Pro Peninsula Fund within The Ocean Foundation.  She joined The Ocean Foundation team from Pro Peninsula, an organization that she co-founded and directed, dedicated to strengthening individual and community efforts to protect the natural environment throughout the Baja California peninsula.  Kama holds a Master's degree in Pacific International Affairs from UCSD's Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies where she concentrated on international environmental policy and Latin America. She has worked extensively on community conservation issues, with a focus on the Baja California peninsula. From 2004 to 2008 she managed the Grupo Tortuguero de las Californias, or Sea Turtle Conservation Network of the Californias, overseeing their monitoring, education and network building programs. Kama continues to work closely with the organization, serving as the President of the Board of Directors.  She has also worked with several environmental organizations on grantwriting and fundraising, policy research, event planning and coordination and organizational development.


Giuliana Schroeder, Communications and Marketing Manager, holds a Bachelor's Degree in Humanities from Soka University of America. She has offered her Communications and Public Relations services for several nonprofit organizations throughout the years, such as through research and in building awareness campaigns. She worked with Pronatura Mexico A.C. as a Communications and Publications Consultant for two years, contributing greatly to their overall outreach and education departments.  And besides her passion for nature, she also is captured by the art world, having more than 10 years of painting experience. 


Frances Kinney, Education Coordinator, holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Spanish from the University of California at Santa Barbara.  While her studies focused on endangered species protection, Frances also has experience in outdoor education, native plant restoration, and wildlife conservation.  Frances has managed Ocean Connectors, a binational environmental education program, since 2007.  Since that time, Frances has more than doubled program participation and support.  Through outreach efforts, event planning, and volunteer coordination, Frances also serves as an educational resource to the greater San Diego community.


 
 
 

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