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Who We Are

Trustees

Dr. Juli-Anne Royes Russo

  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/julianneroyesrusso/

    Juli-Anne is a Jamaican Aquaculture Technical Consultant, Writer and Food Entrepreneur. She specializes in innovation, research & development, fish nutrition and aquatic animal biosecurity. She has over 20 years experience working directly with the CPG animal and human food manufacturing industry, government, NGOs such as FAO, USAID, World Bank and Compete Caribbean, and research institutions in the capacity of research and development. She has experience as a CEO as the founder and developer of Juli-Annes Tropical Kitchen which produced tropical snack food items. Juli-Anne established CAEIH – the Caribbeans first Science-led aquaculture hub. In 2023 she was awarded a Fulbright Specialist Fellowship to the Island School in the Bahamas and in 2024 became the first Caribbean born Director for the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society

    Juli-Annes role as CAEIH CEO involves developing the organizations strategic vision, leading the Advisory and Management Teams, representing the organisation at the regional and international level and engaging the regional Caribbean and global networks.

Dr. Stacey Williams

  • Dr. Stacey Williams received her doctorate in Biological Oceanography from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez. She is a co-founder and lead scientist of a small non-profit organization in Puerto Rico, the Institute for Socio-Ecological Research (ISER Caribe). She is the director for the first land-based coral and sea urchin nurseries in Puerto Rico at the Centro de Investigación y Restauración de Organismos Marinos (CIROM) in Ceiba and La Parguera. She has also developed a small hatchery for sea urchins. 

Dr. Carla Phillips Savage

  • Dr. Phillips is a Certified Aquatic Veterinarian who has been in general veterinary practice since 2002 and has been in the field of aquatic animal veterinary clinical and laboratory diagnostic practice, research and education since 2005. She has extensive experience in the diagnosis, treatment and management of diseases of a range of aquatic species, including ornamental fish, food fish and shellfish in various types of freshwater and marine aquaculture production systems, as well as in integrated fish and crop productions systems (aquaponics). She is presently an Associate Professor of Practice at the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicineat Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.

Board of Directors

Dr. Daniel Benetti

  • Dr. Daniel Domingues Benetti is a Professor and Director of Aquaculture at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. With over 30 years of international experience, he has collaborated on research, commercial, and educational projects across more than 20 countries on five continents. Dr. Benetti's expertise encompasses hatchery technology, open ocean aquaculture, recirculating aquaculture systems, physiology and bioenergetics, nutrition, and live fish transport. He has an extensive list of publications contributing to advancements in aquaculture.

    https://aquaculture.earth.miami.edu/people/faculty/daniel-benetti/index.html

Mia Avril

  • Mia graduated from the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji with an MSc in Marine Science,

    with special focus in aquaponics in 2018. Since then, she has worked in various capacities in the aquaculture sector in the Caribbean region including a consultancy with FAO in Dominica and most recently, teaching and research in aquaponics and aqua feeds in the Bahamas. Originally from St Lucia, she considers herself a citizen of CARICOM.

Katherine Bryar

  • From a dairy farming family in Australia to spending decades engaged with farming improvement initiatives and strategic communications, Katherine has worked with eggs, dairy, and seafood across the world. She has led several science-based educational communication campaigns, including the multi-award-winning Egg Nutrition campaign, which dispelled myths about eggs. She Co-Founded Fed by Blue, a science-based communications initiative working to amplify efforts that are bringing new pathways, new dialogue, and new perceptions to blue foods. Katherine has also been involved with the creation and adoption of several responsible farming certification programs and cutting-edge technologies empowering farmers to use better farming practices. She regularly engages in advocacy work sitting on several advisory panels, including the United Nations, where she bridges the needs of conservationists, governments, and businesses. Currently, Katherine is the Global Marketing Director of BioMar Group, a global aquafeed company and represents them in the UN Blue Food Partnership. With the feed representing around 80% of the environmental footprint of aquaculture farming, BioMar is well positioned to revolutionise the industry with a set of ambitious targets that will reduce the impact of aquafeeds while decoupling them from the human supply chain.

Dr. Peter Edwards

  • Dr. Peter E.T. Edwards is an economist and officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts' conservation science program, where he supports environmental initiatives focusing on conservation economics and finance, marine science, and environmental policy.

    Before joining Pew in September 2019, Dr. Edwards worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 2009 to 2019. At NOAA, he served as an economist and social science coordinator for the Coral Reef Conservation Program, conducting socioeconomic surveys in U.S. regions with coral reef ecosystems and analyzing the economics of habitat restoration.

    Dr. Edwards holds a bachelor's degree in zoology and a master's in marine sciences from the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, and earned his doctorate in marine studies from the University of Delaware.

    Throughout his career, Dr. Edwards has contributed to numerous publications on topics such as coral reef monitoring, ecosystem service valuation, and habitat restoration.

Travis Graham

  • Travis Graham is the Executive Director of the GoldenEye Foundation, Oracabessa Bay.

    He manages the implementation of the Foundation’s Planet and People programs, and is a Director of the Oracabessa Marine Trust.

    https://www.goldeneyefoundation.org/

Grace Henry

  • Grace Henry serves as the Director of Projects at Island Innovation, bringing over 14 years of project management experience to the organization. Based in Jamaica, she has successfully orchestrated events of varying scales for corporate clients and businesses, demonstrating her expertise in strategic proposal development and event execution.

    In her role at Island Innovation, Grace oversees the planning and implementation of key initiatives, ensuring they align with the organization's mission to drive sustainable change across island and rural communities worldwide. Her leadership was notably highlighted during COP29, where she praised the high-level organization and hospitality of the event in Azerbaijan.

    Grace's commitment to sustainability and community development is evident through her active participation in global discussions and events focused on climate action and sustainable development. Her extensive experience and dedication make her a vital contributor to Island Innovation's efforts in promoting positive change.

Kali Kirkendall


  • Kali has been studying community development since university, where she obtained a BA in International Relations with a focus on Development Studies from OSU. Through her studies and extensive traveling, she realized that it takes a grassroots impact from the community to create lasting change. She has studied communities and agricultural practices in each place she landed and believes in the difference a local food system makes on a local economy and the overarching health of the community.

    Over the past 17 years, she has worked with multiple sustainable or organic farms. From market to wholesale, from farmers’ markets to CSA’s, from farm to table to produce markets. She has run gardens at lodges and for small shareholders.

     To continue a life of service within her passion, she began the Blue Atlas Project to work with those in vulnerable situations to create lasting change.

     Kali can frequently be found in the mountains, on a sailboat, or working on-site with the communities she aims to serve.

Science Advisory Board

Dr. Leonardo Ibarra-Castro

  • Dr. Leonardo Ibarra-Castro is an Assistant Research Professor at The Whitney Laboratory, University of Florida. He studies key aspects of the reproductive cycle, including environmental factors affecting spawning, embryonic development, and juvenile growth, to enhance the production of commercially valuable marine species. His work supports food security and species conservation by providing insights that help reduce the impact of fishing on wild populations. He is building the marine aquaculture program at Whitney Laboratory from the ground up. He has experience designing experimental and commercial hatcheries for snappers, groupers, snooks, and other important marine species.

Dr. Nicole Herbert

  • Dr. Nicole Herbert is a Barbadian living and working in the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM). She conducted a research project for PhD the same institution from 2017 to 2020, working on the biology and diseases of the Caribbean spiny lobster, and was awarded the PhD degree in the following year. While her research interests remain on parasites and diseases of this lobster species, they also include those of other marine organisms. Nicole is the current General Secretary of the Caribea Initiative.

Dr. Michael Schwarz


  • Dr Michael Schwarz is Director of the Virginia Tech: Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Co-Director of the Controlled Environmental Agriculture Innovation and Education Center, Associate Director of the VT Center for Coastal Studies, and Lead for the Virginia Tech Coastal Collaborator. Michael currently serves in gubernatorial appointments as Chair on both the VDACS Aquaculture Advisory Board and Blue Catfish Workgroup, and has past appointments on the Virginia Marine Products Board. He is President of Quantum Tides Inc., and Past-President of both the World Aquaculture Society and United States Aquaculture Society. Michael’s passion is sustainable development/expansion of global aquaculture and coastal resilience through research, extension, education, and industrial development; with ongoing projects in the Americas, Asia, Europe, India, Africa, and the Middle East. His aquaculture activities incorporate close interactions with government, NGO, academic, private, and public sector stakeholders towards sustainable socioeconomic and environmental aquaculture development within geopolitical contexts.

Karina Olivieri

  • With a background in Marine Biology and a master’s in Fisheries and Wildlife Management with a focus on Aquaculture, Karina has extensive experience in fish hatchery operations, stock enhancement programs, and laboratory management. Her career includes work at C-Quest in Puerto Rico, freshwater sport fish restoration research at Mississippi State University, and propagation of red drum, spotted sea trout, and southern flounder with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. At Duke University School of Medicine, Karina managed zebrafish facilities and established cryopreservation services for genetic research. Currently, Karina serves as Operational Manager at CIROM in Puerto Rico, overseeing the first land-based marine nurseries dedicated to producing ecologically important organisms for coral reef restoration.

Dr. Robinson Bazurto

  • Robinson Bazurto is a marine biologist and aquaculture specialist with nearly 30 years of experience in aquaculture systems, water treatment technologies, and algae cultivation for nutrition, biofiltration, and research. Originally from Colombia, he holds a B.S. in Marine Biology and an M.B.A. in International Business. He currently serves as Operations Manager of the Queen Conch Lab at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, where he leads research and system design for queen conch (Aliger gigas) aquaculture and restoration. Robinson has also managed shrimp and fish production systems in the U.S. and internationally and served as Consulting Director of Operations for HydroMentia. With a strong background in project management, he has led complex, multidisciplinary initiatives and presented his work internationally. He recently completed his Ph.D. dissertation and contributes actively to blue carbon innovation and aquaculture-based STEM education across the Caribbean.

Dr. Elizabeth Cottier-Cook

  • Elizabeth Cottier-Cook is Professor in Marine Biology, specialising in Marine Invasive Species and Biosecurity at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and the Scottish Association for Marine Science, Programme Leader for the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters in Aquaculture, Environment and Society STAR (EMJMD ACES-STAR) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.

    She has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, including a book and 5 book chapters on a variety of topics ranging from sea urchin nutrition to environmental impacts of aquaculture to seaweed biosecurity.

    She is currently leading a £750K research programme “GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR” funded by DEFRA involving countries in SE Asia and aiming to produce a Seaweed Breakthrough to protect and restore overharvested seaweeds worldwide and is part of an international programme “GlobalSeaweed-PROTECT, led by the Natural History Museum, London looking at building resilience to climate change in the global seaweed industry. Previously led a £6M research programme “GlobalSeaweedSTAR” funded by UK Research and Innovation – Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) involving DAC-list countries from around the world, which are involved in seaweed aquaculture. She is also on the Scientific Advisory Board for the ‘Global Seaweed Coalition’ and is a member of the ICES Working Group on Introductions and Transfers of Marine Organisms (WGITMO) and the Scottish Government Working Group on Marine Non Native Species. She is a handling editor for the journal 'Aquatic Invasions’.

Dr. Puja Kumari

  • Dr. Kumari is a phycologist and Lecturer in Macroalgae Research at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). Her work focuses on the physiology, ecology, and biotechnology of marine algae, with a strong emphasis on developing sustainable cultivation systems for seaweed and advancing the global blue bioeconomy. She has experience of working with both tropical and temperate seaweed species. She leads innovative research exploring new cultivation approaches for red seaweeds and has been involved in projects aimed at strengthening resilient seaweed supply chains. Her research contributes to improving cultivation techniques, expanding species diversity in seaweed aquaculture, and supporting sustainable marine industries. For the Caribbean Aquaculture Hub, Dr. Kumari’s expertise is especially valuable as the region begins to explore the potential of seamoss and other red seaweeds as part of a growing blue economy. Her knowledge will help guide our scientific strategy and support the development of sustainable seaweed farming initiatives across the Caribbean. As a Caribbean-based network committed to advancing aquaculture science, innovation, and youth engagement, we are excited to learn from Dr. Kumari and to collaborate on opportunities that strengthen seaweed aquaculture in the region.

Dr. Jonathan van Senten


  • Jonathan serves as the Associate Director of the Virginia Seafood AREC and as an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist at the VSAREC and the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech. Jonathan’s research and Extension programs cover a range of topics, including quantifying the effects of the regulatory environment for aquaculture, economic impacts of aquaculture and seafood, assessing feasibility of emerging species and new technology, social license for aquaculture, financial benchmarking, consumer preferences for seafood, and aquaponics program development. In furtherance of this research and Extension mission, Jonathan created and currently leads the Seafood Economics and Marketing Research (SEAMaR) team at the VSAREC. Jonathan also holds faculty affiliations with the Center for Advanced Innovation in Agriculture, Virginia Sea Grant, and serves the Commonwealth of Virginia as an appointed board member of the Virginia Marine Products Board.

Thomas Nelson


  • Mr. Thomas Nelson is currently the Deputy Chief Fisheries Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Rural Development in Saint Lucia where he has served since 1995. He advises the Chief Fisheries Officer and Minister responsible for fisheries on technical and policy matters involving the conservation of fisheries and other related resources matters.

    He leads a number fisheries-related projects and programmes by planning, implementing and evaluating them to ensure a successful execution of the integrated, interdisciplinary conservation programmes. He works closely with local, regional and international organisations and participates in numerous local, regional and international fora where he represents the Ministry and the Government of Saint Lucia.

    He holds a Master’s Degree with Distinction from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados, in Natural Resource and Environmental Management with a focus on Coastal Zone and Marine Resource Management.

    He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree, Double Major with First Class Honours, from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, in Environment and Natural Resource Management and Agriculture Science.

    He has undertaken a number of developmental initiatives in the aquaculture sector in Saint Lucia and the region; including training and capacity building of seamoss farmers, site suitability assessments and the recent publication of “Seamoss cultivation in the Caribbean – A practical guide on best practices” in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture organisation (FAO).

Youth in Caribbean Aquaculture (YCA)

Geresa-Leigh Luke

  • Geresa-Leigh is a marine scientist with a strong background in fisheries research and aquaculture. She earned her Bachelor's degree from SUNY Maritime College, where she contributed to research reconstructing Caribbean hurricane patterns using Ostracod valve assemblages. She went on to complete her Master’s at SUNY Stony Brook University, where her thesis focused on the thermal impacts on juvenile Winter Flounder in the Northeastern U.S.

    Currently, she works as an aquaculture technician, contributing to sustainable marine resource development and applied hatchery science. Her interests lie in marine pathology, with a focus on understanding and mitigating disease impacts in aquaculture.

    In addition to her technical work, Geresa-Leigh aims to expand access to aquaculture and ocean-related careers for Caribbean youth. She develops and supports programs that introduce young people to opportunities in aquaculture, STEM, and the blue economy—helping to inspire innovation, build leadership, and foster long-term engagement across the region. 

    She also brings experience in grant and scientific writing, as well as science communication, with a commitment to making marine science more accessible. She is deeply committed to uplifting and amplifying Caribbean scientists and the important work they do for regional and global ocean health

Matthew Pierre Rogers

Bethany Dean

  • Bethany Dean is a Scientific Officer at the Alligator Head Foundation, where her primary role lies with the Coral Carib Project geared towards sustainable restoration of coral reefs within the East Portland Refugia Site. In this capacity, she provides technical expertise to the project, which includes management of in situ and ex situ nurseries and study areas.

    Bethany is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology with a minor in General Chemistry. After which, she gained experience through internships and consultancy work. 

Marketing Team

Hazel Peat

  • Hazel has over 17 years of experience as a marketing and events professional, spanning multiple sectors, including oil and gas, renewables and aquaculture. She now runs her freelance business, Number Nine Events.

    www.numbernineevents.com

Tracey Diamond

  • Tracey Diamond is a brand designer that works with businesses, entrepreneurs and individuals to promote their business, strengthen their brand and attract new clients. She approaches each project with two important aspects - maintaining cohesive design and working with what inspired the business to be.

    Tracey is also a professional artist, writer and pattern designer, inspired by the colors, shapes and textures that nature shares.

Grace Cordova

  • Grace is your go-to launch and marketing funnel strategist, dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs to thrive in their businesses. She excels at guiding clients through the maze of launching and scaling, providing a clear roadmap to structure, automate, and deliver life-changing offers that resonate with their dream clients.

    She specializes in crafting compelling launch campaigns and simplifies the tech process while implementing systems that drive growth and prevent burnout.