Meet Our Researchers

Dr. Anmari Alvarez Aleman

Caribbean Research Director

LOCATION USA / CUBA

Dr. Anmari Alvarez Aleman has been working with manatees, dolphins and the coastal communities that interact with these species for more than 15 years. Her passion for marine mammals and conservation began as a youth growing up in Cuba leading her to pursue academic studies and a career in this field as an adult. 

She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Havana, Cuba, in 2006. After completing that degree, she worked with the Center for Marine Research at the University of Havana, with a focus on the conservation of the Antillean manatee. In 2010, she completed her master’s degree in Integrated Management of Coastal Zones. 

In 2015 she was granted an assistantship position at the University of Florida and became the first Cuban student to hold this opportunity in more than 50 years. She began to pursue a doctorate in Interdisciplinary Ecology with a concentration on Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. The core of her research was population genetics and the conservation of the West Indian manatee with a focus on Cuba. After four years of research and studies, and the birth of a baby boy, she graduated in December 2019. 

Her research has generated scientific knowledge to support governmental actions to benefit species and habitats on both local and regional levels. She has published her findings in scientific journals and presented at several workshops and international conferences.

She often collaborates with the scientific group of the Manatee Monitoring Program of the National System of Protected Areas, Cuba. She is the Meso-America Regional Co-Chair of the Sirenia Specialist Group, IUCN http://locus39.net/iucnssg/?page_id=75.

As the Caribbean Program Director at Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, she designs, implements, and oversees research and conservation projects of marine megafauna and their habitats in the Caribbean region. Some of her current research includes understanding the connection between the Cuban and Florida manatee population and generating knowledge about the importance of Marine Protected Areas for manatee conservation in the Caribbean.

Publications:

-Anmari Alvarez-Alemán, Margaret E. Hunter, Thomas K. Frazer, James A. Powell,  Eddy Garcia Alfonso, James D. Austin. 2022. The first assessment of the genetic diversity and structure of the endangered West Indian manatee in Cuba. DOI: 10.1007/s10709-022-00172-8.

-Alvarez-Alemán, A. Angulo-Valdés, J. Powell, J. García, E. Taylor, C.K. 2016. Antillean manatee occurrence in a marine protected area, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba. DOI: 10.1017/S0030605315001143.

-Alvarez-Alemán, A. García, E. Forneiro Martin-Viana, Y. Hernández González,  Z. Escalona Domenech, R. Hurtado, A. Powell, J. Jacoby, CA, Frazer, TK. 2018. Status and conservation of manatees in Cuba: historical observations and recent insights. Bulletin of Marine Sciences. https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2016.1132.

-Alvarez-Alemán, A., Austin, JD. Jacoby, CA. TK. Frazer. 2018. Cuban Connection: Regional Role for Florida’s Manatees. Frontiers in Marine Science. 5 (294). doi: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00294.

Jamal Galves

Belize Program Coordinator

LOCATION Belize

A native of Belize, Jamal Galves has been passionate about protecting wildlife since childhood. From the age of 12, he knew he wanted to work with animals – specifically manatees.

In 1998, Jamal met Executive Director Dr. James “Buddy” Powell and USGS scientist Robert Bonde while participating in his first manatee health assessment. Working with these two renowned scientists influenced Jamal enormously; he was immediately hooked and soon found himself taking every opportunity to work with manatees. While most of his high school classmates were spending their weekends and holidays relaxing, Jamal was working with scientists, monitoring and feeding two manatees in their final stages of rehabilitation. He eventually helped with the tracking of those two manatees after their release.

After finishing high school, Jamal volunteered to work with Nicole Auil Gomez, an associate with Sea to Shore Alliance, now CMA Research Institute, and was eventually given a full-time position as coordinator of the manatee project., continuing his dream of protecting wildlife. Jamal’s responsibilities include addressing and responding to any manatee related incidents in the entire country of Belize; capturing, tagging, and tracking manatees; collecting data; rescue, release and monitoring of rehabilitated manatees in the wild; and educational outreach and awareness.

Jamal recently was awarded the prestigious Ocean Hero Award by Oceana Belize for his dedicated, passionate and heroic work with the endangered manatee. He has also been presented with the Belize National Hero Award (Meritorious Award” from the Belize Government for his conservation contribution to the country.  He have been named a National Geographic Explorer and Natgeo PhotoArk Edge Fellow. “These animals are in trouble and need our help – I have dedicated my life to helping this species,” he said upon accepting the award.

Publications:

Galves et al. 2023. Analysis of a long-term dataset of Antillean manatee strandings in Belize: implications for conservation. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605321000983

Ramos EA, Galves J, Searle L, Walker Z, Walker P, Castelblanco-Martínez N, et al. (2024) Agonistic interactions initiated by adult bottlenose dolphins on Antillean manatee calves in the Caribbean Sea. PLoS ONE 19(1): e0295739. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0295739

Celeshia Guy

Conservation Biologist

LOCATION Belize

Celeshia Guy has been involved with the programs of Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute (CMARI) for nearly a decade, during which she gained extensive experience in conservation and research. She has also worked with the Belize Zoo, the Belize Bird Rescue, and Oceana Belize, increasing her knowledge about the natural resources of her home country.

After graduating from the University of Belize with a Bachelor’s of Science in Natural Resources Management in 2010, Celeshia eventually went on to pursue a Master’s Degree in Coastal Science and Policy from the University of California, Santa Cruz.  She graduated in 2020 after conducting a Capstone Research Project focused on manatee conservation in Belize utilizing data collected from CMARI. A publication, resulting from her Master’s Capstone project, entitled, “Increasing mortality of Endangered Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) due to watercraft collisions in Belize”, was published in June 2023 in the journal, Endangered Species Research. https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v51/p103-113/.

Upon graduation, Celeshia returned home to continue work with the Belize Manatee Conservation Program for which she plays an integral role in its maintenance and growth. Within the Program, she is responsible for organizing and implementing educational outreach, assisting with daily programmatic activities and financial planning, liaising with communities, and collaborating in and participating with research and conservation activities.

As a trained Conservation Biologist, Celeshia is an invaluable asset to the Belize team, providing keen insights into the education and research activities that are leading to long-lasting conservation change in the country.

Publications:

Endangered Species Research. https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v51/p103-113/.

Monica Ross

Director of Manatee Research and Conservation
Senior Research Scientist

LOCATION USA

Monica has over twenty-five years of research experience studying manatee behavior and habitat use. She has worked for state, non-profit or private research organizations and has assisted organizations in developing manatee research projects. Her knowledge and skills have helped provide valuable input to state and federal agencies when developing or improving manatee habitat protection measures.

As a native Floridian always in or near the water, Monica grew up fascinated with how marine mammals interacted and learned from each other. Fresh out of college, Monica focused on marine mammal cognitive and adaptive abilities. She later worked on projects focusing on oyster larvae development, Florida game-fish stock enhancement, fish tag shedding/retention and fish population monitoring programs.

Monica found her passion when she first worked on a wild Florida manatee tagging project in the early 1990s. She found her niche in trying to understand how manatees learn and make choices in their day-to-day lives. She has focused her research on manatee behavior related to habitat selection. Currently research efforts spotlight documenting manatee use of springs along the St Johns River which do not have manatee protection plans and at industrial sites to determine the level of manatee site attraction during winter. 

Monica is also working with partners to determine manatee fringe habitat use within Alabama and Georgia while also conducting photo identification of encountered manatees. She has expanded her research to also include habitat health and enhancement under different management strategies. Healthy spring systems are vital for manatee survival and are directly associated with habitat selection. Monica has more than seven years of professional animal training experience with dolphins, birds, and terrestrial animals, along with 20 additional years of personal experience training dogs for competitive obedience, agility or herding competitions. Enjoying animal behavior is not just a job for her but a way of life.

Nicole Bartlett

Research Scientist

LOCATION USA

Nicole Bartlett is a Research Assistant for CMA Research Institute, conducting photo identification, behavioral observations, and monitoring of tagged animals from South Florida to South Carolina. This sometimes involves sailing a powerboat across a no-motor zone with a bimini, playing “Gator or Log” with locals, or finding wayward boat ramps via Google Earth.

Nicole first started working with Sea to Shore in 2013 carrying out onsite survey and photo identification. Duties expanded from there to include assisting with manatee captures and rescues, vegetation surveys, temperature monitoring, animal verification, data entry, and drawing manatee cartoons for her favorite vendor (thanks Sonotronics!). 

Prior to working for CMA Research Institute, you were likely to find Nicole canoeing various Florida waterways with Outward Bound, or hiking in Texas. Originally from Arkansas, Nicole saw her first manatee while traveling through Mosquito Lagoon. Nicole spends her free time growing various hot peppers, riding motorcycles, and catering to the whims of the two cats and dog who insist she spoil them relentlessly.

Jennifer Galbraith

Research Scientist

LOCATION USA

In 2018 Jennifer joined Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute transitioning from rehab to post release monitoring of manatees once they have been released as a part of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership.

As a Florida native, Jennifer has always had an interest in protecting the wildlife and places of her home. In 2002 she started volunteering with the manatee hospital at ZooTampa at Lowry Park. She earned a permanent position in the Florida Native Wildlife Department and David A Straz Jr, Manatee Hospital, working to rehabilitate sick, injured and orphaned manatees. 

When not tracking manatees, Jennifer is a distance runner, running races to benefit her favorite nonprofit organizations. She also spends her time backpacking, kayaking and hiking with her husband.

Amanda Mathieu

Research Assistant

LOCATION USA

Amanda is a part of the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership and is responsible for tracking young, naïve manatees (mainly on the East Coast of Florida) who have been released into the wild after rehabilitation. In order to ensure released manatees are integrating into the wild population, she monitors their behavior, movements, and body condition and coordinates the rescue of any naïve manatee that fails to succeed in the wild. 

She previously served in the US Navy and simultaneously began working on her Biology degree. She later worked as a vet tech, a wildlife photographer, and a Hawaiian Monk Seal biologist where she gained an appreciation for field work and goofy marine mammals. She enjoys yoga, freediving, lengthy beach excursions, various creative projects, and pampering her pups, Fin and Coconut. 

Brianna Rock

Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership, Research Assistant

LOCATION USA

Bri is part of the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership and is responsible for tracking young, naïve manatees (mainly in Central Florida) who have been released into the wild after rehabilitation. In order to ensure released manatees are integrating into the wild population, she monitors their behavior, movements, and body condition and assists in the rescue of any naïve manatee that fails to succeed in the wild.

Bri is originally from Ohio, but has always had a passion for working with marine animals. She started her journey in this career field by interning at facilities like Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder and right here at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium! These research-focused experiences helped her to develop skills in studying marine mammal behavior.

After earning her biology degree, she went on to get a master’s degree in marine biology at Texas A&M University (Corpus Christi) where she researched the impacts of climate change on seagrasses. During this time, she also worked at the Texas State Aquarium, where she participated in animal encounters, aquarium diving, and animal behavior and welfare positions. After graduating, she moved to Florida where she worked as an aquarist at Discovery Cove and an education instructor at the Seas with Nemo & Friends in Epcot before joining the CMARI team.

When not tracking manatees, Bri enjoys reading, yoga, scuba diving, and spending quality time with her friends and loved ones. And of course, cuddling with her cats, Hiccup and Berlioz!

Amber Stone

Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership, Research Assistant

LOCATION USA

Amber is part of the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership and is responsible for tracking young, naïve manatees (mainly in Central Florida) who have been released into the wild after rehabilitation. In order to ensure released manatees are integrating into the wild population, she monitors their behavior, movements, and body condition and assists in the rescue of any naïve manatee that fails to succeed in the wild.

Originally from Virginia, Amber always had a deep love for the ocean and marine life. Spending summers at her family’s river house on the Potomac River resulted in a passion to one day pursue a career in marine science.

She received her bachelor’s in marine science from Coastal Carolina University in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in 2022. She fell in love with manatees after a spring break trip to the keys. In 2023 Amber moved to Melbourne, FL for an internship with FWC East Central Field Lab conducting manatee rescue and research. She continued to volunteer with FWC after her internship ended and continued to pursue a career working with manatees. Along the way she worked with many other animals as a zookeeper at Brevard Zoo in a completely unexpected but rewarding career path divergence ultimately leading her to join the CMARI team in 2025.

When she’s not out tracking manatees, she’s curled up at home with a book and her cat Briar Rose.

Julia Courville

Field Assistant

LOCATION USA

Julia joined Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute as a field assistant in Spring 2024. Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, she fell in love with freshwater springs and the gentleness and curiosity of manatees in Florida. Julia received her bachelor’s degree in marine science and biology at California State University, Monterey Bay. While an undergraduate student, she rescued numerous pinnipeds and photographed various cetacean species off the west coast. Julia obtained her Master of Science degree at Jacksonville University where her thesis research encompassed microplastic ingestion in odontocetes. She has also been a co-investigator for bottlenose dolphin observation surveys in the St. Johns River and a volunteer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Northeast marine mammal field station. Julia loves scuba diving, traveling, hiking, and hanging out with her friends and family, especially her pup, Roo. Her favorite animal is the Yangtze finless porpoise, the only freshwater porpoise in the world.

Dr. Sarah Farinelli

Postdoctoral Marine Mammal Scientist

LOCATION USA

Dr. Sarah Farinelli is a postdoctoral scientist at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, specializing in conservation biology and spatial ecology of aquatic mammals, particularly sirenian species. She earned her B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Environmental and Conservation Biology and a minor in Environmental Science from George Mason University in 2016. Sarah’s undergraduate research on the impact of conservation efforts on the Florida manatee population earned her the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Award for the College of Science.  

Following her undergraduate studies, Sarah pursued a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Public Policy at George Mason University, completing her degree in May 2023. Her dissertation focused on developing new detection methods for threatened and cryptic manatees, including the use of unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs) and environmental DNA. This research primarily focused on African manatees, one of the most understudied marine mammals in the world, in Nigeria and also included studying the Amazonian manatee in Peru. 

During her Ph.D. program, Sarah interned with several nonprofit conservation organizations and served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the undergraduate course, Ecology and Evolution. She received the 2021 Innovative Teaching Award for her exceptional contributions to improving student learning in Biology courses through innovative teaching strategies. With colleagues, Sarah also conducted research independent from her dissertation, including using UAVs to survey hippo populations in northeast Nigeria and evaluating remote-sensing methods for assessing the risk of accidental capture in fishing nets for humpback whales and loggerhead sea turtles in Oman, among others.  

Sarah is committed to collaborating with local partners to develop and implement innovative techniques for studying manatees and other threatened aquatic and semi-aquatic species in understudied areas worldwide. She is dedicated to working with key stakeholders to translate research findings into conservation actions and policies, as well as disseminating research results to the scientific community through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.  

Sarah is a National Geographic Explorer and a former recipient of the prestigious U.S. Fulbright Student Research Fellowship in Nigeria. Her research has also been featured in CNN’s Inside Africa alongside local experts.  

Publications:  

Farinelli, S., Keith-Diagne, L., Garnica, J., Keiman, J. and Luther, D., 2024. Quantifying minimum survey effort to reliably detect Amazonian manatees using an unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) at an ex situ soft-release site. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals. 

LaDue, C.A., Farinelli, S.M., Eranda, I., Jayasinghe, C. and Vandercone, R.P., 2021. The Influence of Habitat Changes on Elephant Mortality Associated with Human–Elephant Conflict: Identifying Areas of Concern in the North Central Dry Zone of Sri Lanka. Sustainability, 13(24), p.13707. 

Luther, D., Beatty, C.R., Cooper, J., Cox, N., Farinelli, S., Foster, M., Lamoreux, J., Stephenson, P.J. and Brooks, T.M., 2020. Global assessment of critical forest and landscape restoration needs for threatened terrestrial vertebrate species. Global Ecology and Conservation, 24, p.e01359. 

Luther, D., Cooper, W.J., Wong, J., Walker, M., Farinelli, S., Visseren‐Hamakers, I., Burfield, I.J., Simkins, A., Bunting, G., Brooks, T.M. and Dicks, K., 2021. Conservation actions benefit the most threatened species: A 13‐year assessment of Alliance for Zero Extinction species. Conservation Science and Practice, 3(10), p.e510. 

Usman, A., Farinelli, S.M. and Baker, L.R., 2022. Observation of twins in hippopotamus in Nigeria. Oryx, 56(3), pp.333-333. 

Dr. Kerry McNally

Research Scientist and Rehabilitation Manager

LOCATION USA

Dr. Kerry McNally is a Research Scientist for the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute and the Rehabilitation Manager for the Animal Health Department at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. She has been working with sea turtles and a variety of marine animals for over 15 years. She received her bachelor’s degree in Biology from Occidental College in 2005, during which she completed multiple internships in marine mammal and sea turtle care. After completing this degree, she spent time working in small animal veterinary clinics as a surgical technician, ICU nurse, and rehabilitation technician in both Florida and North Carolina.

In 2007, she moved to Massachusetts and began her career specifically working with stranded sea turtles, cetaceans, and pinnipeds. Her time began at the National Marine Life Center in Buzzard’s Bay, MA before starting as a biologist at New England Aquarium (NEAq) in 2008. Over the 13 years at NEAq, she worked with rehabilitating sea turtles, aquatic animals under managed care, and the rescue of pinnipeds and cetaceans. In 2015 while working at NEAq, she began a PhD program in the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her research focused on microbial communities across disease states in sea turtles. She graduated with a PhD in Environmental Sciences in 2020.

In 2021, Kerry began working as the Hospital Manager at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where she continued her work in the aquatic veterinary field and managed the sea turtle rehabilitation program. Starting in 2022, she continues to manage the sea turtle and wildlife rehabilitation at CMA and began research on a variety of projects related to aquatic animal health and conservation.

Publications: 

McMurrer J, McElhiney A, McNally K, Innis CJ. 2022. Observations on the Use of Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) Tags in Teleosts and Elasmobranchs at a Public Aquarium, 728 Cases, 2007-2020. Zoo Biology. 1-6.

King K, Joblon M, McNally K, Clayton L, Pettis H, Corkeron P, Nutter F. 2021. Assessing North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis) Welfare. J. Zool. Bot. Gard. 2(4): 278-739.

McNally KL, Bowen JL, Brisson JO, Kennedy A, Innis CJ. 2021. Evaluation of the Respiratory Microbiome and the Use of Tracheal Lavage as a Diagnostic Tool in Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys kempii). Animals 11(10): 2927.

McNally KL, Innis CJ, Kennedy A, Bowen JL. 2021. Characterization of oral and cloacal microbial communities in cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) during the time course of rehabilitation. PLOS ONE 16(5): e0252086.

McNally KL, Mott CR, Guertin JR, Bowen JL. 2021. Microbial communities of wild captured Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). Endangered Species Research 45: 21-36.

McNally KL, Mott CR, Guertin JR, Gorham JC, and Innis CJ. 2020. Venous blood gas and biochemical analysis of wild captured green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and Kemp’s ridley turtles (Lepidochelys kempii) from the Gulf of Mexico. PLOS ONE 15(8): e0237596.

McNally KL and Innis CJ. 2020. Plasma biochemistry and hematologic values of cold-stunned loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Journal of Herp Medicine and Surgery 30(2): 88-95.

Hunt KE, Merigo C, Burgess EA, Buck CL, Davis D, Kennedy A, Lory L, Wocial J, McNally K, and Innis C. 2020. Effects of Ground Transport in Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) Turtles. Integrative Organismal Biology 2(1):

Woodhams DC, Bletz MC, Becker CG, Bender HA, Buitrago-Rosas D, Diebboll H, Huynh R, Kerns PJ, Kueneman J, Kurosawa E, LaBumbard BC, Lyons C, McNally K, Schliep K, Shankar N, Tokash-Peters AG, Vences M, and Whetstone R. 2020. Host-associated microbiomes are predicted by immune system complexity and climate. Genome Biology 21:23

Melanie White

Research Scientist, Georgia Team

LOCATION USA

Melanie White is the CMARI director for the North Atlantic right whale conservation program. She manages three field teams that conduct aerial surveys on the only known calving grounds for this critically endangered species. Each winter, Melanie is based in Saint Simons Island, Georgia where she participates in survey flights off the coast of Georgia and northeast Florida.

Melanie has been flying North Atlantic right whale surveys since December 2005 and has been based in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia. She works as an observer, survey coordinator and field supervisor monitoring the location, individual identification and real-time vessel mitigation for right whales.

Melanie grew up in upstate New York surrounded by lakes and forests, so her love for the ocean only surfaced thanks to a family trip to Acadia National Park, Maine. The variety of marine creatures found in countless tide pools captivated her and triggered the start of her fascination to learn about the world below the vast ocean’s surface. She is a graduate from Ursinus College, Pennsylvania and holds a B.S. in Biology.

Melanie has spent time studying large whales on both coasts. She has monitored the gray whale population in British Columbia, Canada and now spends her time in both the northern and southern sectors of the U.S. eastern seaboard. During the summer Melanie can be found on the whale watching vessel, M/V Granite State, in Rye, New Hampshire where she works as a naturalist and research associate with the Blue Ocean Society for Marine Conservation. Melanie then heads south in the winter coordinating right whale aerial surveys for the CMA Research Institute each calving season.

When she is not in the field searching for whales, Melanie tends to gravitate to the environment surrounding her. She enjoys hiking, aquatic birding, searching for treasures on the beach and nature photography.

Arianna Torello

Research Scientist, Georgia team

LOCATION USA

Ari is an aerial observer for the Georgia branch of CMARI’s North Atlantic right whale conservation team. She originally hails from Wilmington, North Carolina, but feels grateful that her work has brought her to call many coastal communities “home” over the years.

 Ari’s first time working with cetaceans was on Florida’s Gulf Coast as an undergraduate researcher with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. She spent a summer in the field, learning the basics of marine mammal population monitoring and behavioral observation with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Later that year, she graduated from the University of North Carolina with a B.Sc. in Environmental Sciences and moved to Santa Cruz, California, where she began working for the Pinniped Lab. During her time with the group, she was trained as a bioacoustician and behavioral ecologist, studying the vocal ontogeny and competitive interactions of adult male Northern elephant seals at Ano Nuevo State Park. She also spent time working for the NSF LTER site at Palmer Station, Antarctica, where she used bioacoustic techniques to monitor marine mammal populations. After completing an M.Sc. in Ocean Sciences from the University of California Santa Cruz, Ari sought to deepen her specialized training in acoustic research, and went on to attend the International Master of Bioacoustics (MoBi) program with the Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle (ENES) Lab in France. Her thesis work from the program used techniques in bioacoustics and sUAS photogrammetry to provide the first evidence of vocal allometry in humpback whales, and earned her an M.Sc. in Ethology and Acoustics.

Ari and her husband, Blake, now live in Darien, Georgia, with their beloved 6 year-old coonhound, Marvin. When they’re not on the water all together, Ari loves family time on the porch, refining recipes for baked goods, and making fiber art.

Bridget Ausley

Research Scientist, Georgia team

LOCATION USA

Bridget is excited to be joining the Georgia team for her first season as a North Atlantic Right Whale aerial observer. Her curiosity for the ocean and the immense diversity of life it supports started at a young age, exploring the beaches and estuaries surrounding her hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. She earned a B.S. in marine sciences and minor in zoology from the University of Florida in 2023. 

After graduation, Bridget interned at Dry Tortugas National Park, where she lived on a remote island conducting sea turtle nesting surveys and gained exposure to monitoring large colonies of breeding seabirds. Her interest in the behavior and ecology of nesting sea turtles led her to work as a research assistant for the Sea Turtle Conservancy in Tortuguero, Costa Rica. There Bridget spent her nights tagging nesting green and hawksbill sea turtles, and she spent her days carrying out environmental education. Most recently, she worked as a biological science technician at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, monitoring nesting shorebirds, patrolling for sea turtle nests, and feeding Ocracoke’s herd of Banker ponies. 

Contributing to marine mammal conservation has been one of Bridget’s long-standing goals since her marine mammal biology field course during undergrad, so she is thrilled to dedicate her skills to the research and protection of North Atlantic Right Whales.

In her free time, Bridget loves traveling, reading, and being active outdoors with her family, friends, and her sweet lab, Milo.

Courtney Caccamo

Research Scientist, North Carolina team

LOCATION USA

Courtney is excited to be returning for her second field season as a North Atlantic right whale aerial observer with the North Carolina team. Although she grew up in northern New Jersey with the ocean hours away, she has always been fascinated by it and by the creatures that call it home.

Courtney holds a B.S. in Environmental Biology and a B.A. in Psychology from Providence College, where her undergraduate research focused on the bumblebees of Rhode Island. After graduating, she knew she wanted to transition from studying terrestrial organisms to working at sea. She spent a year as a fisheries observer, conducting surveys on groundfish populations for both the state of Rhode Island and NOAA. Courtney later joined Allied Whale and the Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company in Maine as a research assistant and naturalist. During that time, she was introduced to a variety of marine mammal research techniques and shared her growing knowledge and passion for marine life with eager audiences.

When she’s not in the field, Courtney enjoys spending time outdoors and can often be found hiking, swimming, baking, or relaxing on the beach with a good book.

Hannah Gricks

Research Scientist, North Carolina team

LOCATION USA

This is Hannah’s second season as an aerial observer with the CMARI North Carolina team, and she’s excited to get back in the sky searching for whales. Originally from landlocked Pennsylvania, her love for the ocean developed naturally during family trips to the Maryland coast.

Hannah earned a B.S. in Biology from Millersville University of Pennsylvania and discovered a passion for fieldwork during summer courses in Chincoteague, VA. When not flying surveys, she crews aboard a 90-year-old sailboat with a Seattle-based education organization, leading multi-week student voyages through the Salish Sea. There, her goal is to foster enthusiastic connections between students and the ocean through teaching whale ecology and traditional tall ship sailing techniques.

She feels fortunate to contribute to conservation through both research and hands-on learning at sea. When not daydreaming about whales, Hannah can be found hiking in the mountains or relaxing on the beach.

Joelle Marchiani

Research Scientist, South Carolina team

LOCATION USA

Joelle is joining CMARI for the 2025-2026 field season as a North Atlantic Right Whale Aerial Team Lead in South Carolina.  Joelle has previously conducted aerial surveys tracking and counting waterbird colonies along the Columbia River in Oregon and Washington, and she is eager and excited to continue fieldwork this winter making a splash with whales.  In spring and summer, she works as an avian biological science technician, monitoring seabird colonies, having spanned both east and west coasts in her career across Oregon, Washington, California, Alaska, and Massachusetts.  She obtained a Master’s of Science in Marine Biology from Northeastern University in 2020 and a Bachelor’s of Science in Marine Biology from Hawai’i Pacific University in 2019.   As an all-around outside girl, she enjoys camping, hiking, biking, rock climbing, and swimming in her spare time.

Caylee Lindsay

Research Scientist, South Carolina team

LOCATION USA

Caylee is thrilled to be joining the CMARI South Carolina team for her first season as an Aerial Observer. Growing up in Ohio, Caylee always knew she wanted to help animals and dreamt of becoming a mermaid. Marine biology proved to be her ideal career path!

Caylee received her undergraduate degree from UNCW, majoring in Marine Biology. She continued her studies in Australia at James Cook University. There, she worked closely with the Minke Whale Project, contributing to research on dwarf minke whale biology, behavior, and sustainable ecotourism. With a background in genetics, Caylee completed a Master’s thesis on phylogenetic relationships amongst the minke whale species complex and is working to publish her exciting results!

Although this is her first season observing North Atlantic Right Whales, Caylee has spent multiple seasons observing dwarf minke whales from the water, and is very excited to bring her passion for whales and marine conservation to the skies.

On land, Caylee enjoys reading, crafting, spending time on the beach, scuba diving, and hanging out with her cat, “Olive.”

Priya Gahir

Research Scientist, South Carolina team

LOCATION USA

Priya is excited to join CMARI for the 2025–2026 field season as a North Atlantic Right Whale Aerial Observer based in South Carolina. Priya previously worked as a research assistant in the Water Quality Department at the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) in Provincetown, MA. Through this position, she had the opportunity to work alongside the CCS Right Whale team and regularly observe these critically endangered whales in the field—an experience that inspired her to pursue this next step in her career.

Priya graduated from the University of Michigan with a Master’s degree in Ecosystem Science and Management and Environmental Justice. Her passion for marine wildlife began during her internship at Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Florida, where she assisted with sea turtle conservation and rescue. She has also volunteered as a marine mammal responder for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, responding to stranded cetaceans. In addition, Priya spent two seasons working aboard the Dolphin Fleet Whale Watch as a naturalist assistant, where she conducted photo-identification work and contributed to whale conservation research and public education.

When she’s not working on the water, Priya enjoys spending time at home with her fiancé and two cats, practicing Jiu Jitsu, and crocheting.

Renee LaGarenne

Research Scientist, South Carolina team

LOCATION USA

Renee is excited to be returning for her fourth season as an aerial observer for CMARI, as the North Carolina team lead. Last season Renee led the South Carolina team, and before that she did two seasons as an observer for the NC team. After graduating in 2017 from the University of Rhode Island with a B.S. in Marine Biology, Renee started working with marine mammals at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, on their pinniped team. After completing two internships at Mystic, she interned with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program at MOTE Marine lab in Florida. There she performed photo ID on the local resident bottlenose dolphins. Having caught the photo ID bug, she then went on to intern with the Aquarium of the Pacific in California, doing their photo ID internship working on board whale watching vessels. In 2021, Renee began working at Mystic Aquarium as an assistant animal trainer with their beluga whale pod. After a year though, she missed working in the field and couldn’t pass up an amazing opportunity to work protecting North Atlantic Right Whales. Now she can’t imagine doing anything else, and loves talking to anyone who will listen about these animals!

When Renee is not working she enjoys expressing herself creatively through art and taking care of her plants, and is currently pursuing an online master’s degree in Marine Conservation Biology.