OST Staff

Skyli McAfee, Executive Director of the California Ocean Science Trust, has spent her career in marine science at laboratories throughout the country. Prior to leading the OST, Ms. McAfee was at the University of California, Davis, Bodega Marine Laboratory, where she served as Assistant Director. In that capacity, she facilitated program development and administration of a renowned research lab engaged in multidisciplinary marine and terrestrial research, encouraging productive collaborations with federal and state partners such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, and California Department of Fish and Game.

Ms. McAfee received her undergraduate degree from University of California, Santa Barbara in Aquatic Biology and a Master’s degree from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, where she studied the community ecology of reef fishes in the San Blas Archipelago, Panama.

Dr. Cheri Recchia, Director of the Marine Protected Areas Monitoring Enterprise, has worked in marine science and conservation for over twenty years. Prior to heading up the Monitoring Enterprise, Dr. Recchia was Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Global Marine Program, overseeing a portfolio of approximately 15 marine protected area and threatened species research and conservation projects around the world. Dr. Recchia has worked extensively on marine protected area design, policy, and management, including with Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

Dr. Recchia holds a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program, and an Honours Bachelor of Science in zoology from the University of Guelph, Canada. During her academic career, she studied the behavior and acoustics of a number of whale and dolphin species, particularly beluga whales. Born in Toronto, Canada, Cheri has been a certified scuba diver since the age of 16, and spends as much time as possible on or in the water.

Dr. Liz Whiteman, Lead Scientist for the MPA Monitoring Enterprise, is an ecologist with an interdisciplinary background in marine ecology and conservation.  Dr. Whiteman has worked extensively throughout the Caribbean conducting research in support of fisheries management and gaining direct experience developing and implementing monitoring programs to evaluate the success of ecosystem-based management strategies. 

Following a degree in Ecology from the University of East Anglia, UK, Dr. Whiteman earned a Ph.D. in marine evolutionary ecology at the same university. From there, she joined the Center for Marine and Environmental Studies at the University of the Virgin Islands where she conducted research evaluating the effectiveness of marine protected areas for grouper spawning aggregations.  More recently, Dr. Whiteman renewed her affiliation with the University of East Anglia. As a Senior Research Associate researching speciation and biogeography in a clade of marine fish, Dr. Whiteman was fortunate to work in many different Caribbean nations. Prior to joining the Monitoring Enterprise, Liz was an Associate Editor for the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Biology, giving her valuable exposure to a breadth of scientific disciplines and approaches.

Dr. Madhavi Colton, Assistant Scientist for the MPA Monitoring Enterprise, is a marine ecologist whose past research has focused on understanding patterns in the abundance and distribution of temperate rocky reef fishes. She earned her Ph.D. in marine biology from the University of Melbourne, Australia, where her doctoral research into southeastern Australian nearshore fish communities included a comparison of monitoring techniques. Her M.Sc. in marine biology from San Francisco State University quantified the life history and recruitment patterns of treefish (Sebastes serriceps) in the Southern California Bight. She also holds B.S. in Biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Dr. Colton’s background includes working with the California salmon and Pacific long-line fisheries, studying desert plant communities in Death Valley National Park, and establishing a community outreach program in the high-tech sector. She enjoys backpacking, solving crossword puzzles, and baking pies.

Dr. Tess Freidenburg, Assistant Scientist for the MPA Monitoring Enterprise, earned her Ph.D. in Zoology from Oregon State University working with Drs. Bruce Menge and Jane Lubchenco.  Her doctoral research focused on how nearshore oceanography influenced the ecology of algae and invertebrates on rocky shores in Oregon and New Zealand.   Following the completion of her graduate degree, Dr. Freidenburg continued her research as a post-doctoral fellow at Oregon State University. 

Diana Pietri, Program Manager for OST, earned a Master of Marine Affairs from the School of Marine Affairs at University of Washington.  At the School of Marine Affairs, Diana’s research focused on environmental education and information diffusion in two nascent marine protected area networks in the Central Visayas, Philippines.  During her time as a graduate student, she also served as a student editor for the Coastal Management Journal, was a board member of the University of Washington chapter of The Coastal Society, and helped plan and organize the 2008 Graduate Fisheries and Marine Ecosystems conference.  As an undergraduate, Diana earned a B.A. in environmental biology from Columbia College, studying the effects of nutrient inputs on coral reefs at Glover’s Reef Marine Research Station on Middle Caye, Belize.  Before moving to the West Coast, she worked as a molecular laboratory technician in the Invertebrate Zoology Department of the America Museum of Natural History.

Liz Rogers is the 2009-2010 California Sea Grant Fellow at the OST.  Liz recently earned a Master’s Degree in International Environmental Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). While in graduate school she was a research assistant with the National Ocean Economics Program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Liz conducted research and assisted in writing reports on the ocean and coastal economy for Florida and the United States.  During graduate school Liz also worked with the Big Sur Land Trust, supporting the organization in preparing for accreditation as well as assisting with conservation easement monitoring. Prior to completing her Master’s Degree Liz served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali, West Africa from 2004-2006 developing natural resource management and community development projects while also learning to speak Bambara, the local language. Liz received her B.A. in International Development Studies from UCLA in 2001. A California native, Liz enjoys all things outdoors including biking, hiking, swimming, yoga, travelling the world and playing her trombone.

Kellie Geldreich serves as Office Manager for the California Ocean Science Trust. Kellie earned a B.S. in Conservation Resource Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Kellie's interest in a career in the environmental field was cemented during her time with the Student Conservation Association. While volunteering with the SCA in Kenai Fjords National Park, she worked on the Harding Icefield Trail to complete trail maintenance and erosion control projects.