Our Experts

Anupa Asokan

Senior Advocate, Oceans Division, Nature Program

Anupa Asokan is a dedicated ocean advocate working to protect California’s marine ecosystems. Before joining NRDC, she managed and implemented a global, public-facing campaign through the World Surf League calling for ocean protections. Prior to that, Asokan served as the…

Sandy Aylesworth

Director, Pacific Initiative, Oceans Division, Nature Program

Sandy Aylesworth advocates to combat illegal fishing and for responsible offshore wind development. Prior to joining NRDC, she worked at the U.S. Department of State and was a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow at NOAA's Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs…

Giulia C.S. Good Stefani

Senior Attorney, Marine Mammals, Oceans Division, Nature Program

Giulia C.S. Good Stefani works to protect marine mammals, wild places, and communities from environmental injustices. Stefani has worked on a variety of cases and campaigns at NRDC, including the effort to secure greater protection for whales from the U.S…

Alison Chase

Senior Policy Analyst, Oceans Division, Nature Program

Alison Chase helps craft and advocate for effective state and federal policies that will protect and restore ocean and coastal health. Prior to joining NRDC, she worked for a number of environmental organizations including the League of Conservation Voters and…

Sarah Chasis

Senior Strategist, Oceans Division, Nature Program

Sarah Chasis has been a longtime advocate for healthy coasts and oceans. She has protected sensitive areas from offshore oil drilling, protected the public from swimming in polluted waters, strengthened both domestic and international fisheries management, and promoted smarter ocean…

Chris Clark

RAY Diversity Marine Conservation Fellow, Nature Program

Chris Clark advocates for strong protections of marine habitat, marine conservation policy driven by community priorities and strong science, and sustainable and ethical fisheries management. Prior to joining NRDC, he worked on climate resilience and community outreach in the San…

Valerie Cleland

Advocate, Oceans, Nature Program

Valerie Cleland advocates for policies that protect and restore our oceans. Prior to joining NRDC, Cleland was a NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation where she worked to develop, analyze…

Mark Gold

Director of Water Scarcity Solutions, People & Communities Program

Dr. Mark Gold focuses on building climate resilience through integrated water management solutions for the increasingly arid urban California and the West. From 2019–2022, Gold served as Governor Gavin Newsom's deputy secretary for Oceans and Coastal Policy and executive director…

Irene Gutierrez

Senior Attorney, Nature Program

Irene Gutierrez protects our oceans by promoting sustainable fisheries, fighting illegal fishing practices, preventing dirty energy development, and supporting policies to curb climate change. Prior to joining the Oceans division, she was an attorney on NRDC’s Climate and Clean Energy…

Michael Jasny

Director, Marine Mammal Protection Project, Nature Program

Michael Jasny is a leading expert in the law and policy of ocean noise pollution. For more than a decade, he has directed high-profile litigation, lobbying efforts, science-based policy development, and public advocacy to improve the regulation of this emergent…

Francine Kershaw

Senior Scientist, Marine Mammals, Oceans Division, Nature Program

Francine Kershaw uses the best available scientific information to advocate for improved protections for marine mammals related to a variety of issues, including ocean noise, ship strikes, and bycatch. She currently leads NRDC's work to end large whale entanglements and…

Taryn Kiekow Heimer

Deputy Director, Marine Mammal Protection Project, Nature Program

Taryn Kiekow Heimer directs two of the organization’s major campaigns: stopping the development of the environmentally disastrous Pebble Mine project proposed in Alaska’s Bristol Bay and putting an end to commercial whaling. She also leads our work to protect beluga…

Rebecca Loomis

Legal Fellow, Nature Program

Rebecca Loomis is legal fellow through a joint program between NRDC and Yale Law School. She works on ocean and climate issues, advancing clean offshore energy and promoting sustainable fishing practices. Loomis received her J.D. from Yale Law School and…

Molly Masterton

Director, U.S. Fisheries and Staff Attorney, Oceans Division, Nature Program

Molly Masterton works to promote sustainable fisheries management and the application of ecosystem-based management tools to ocean resources in the United States and abroad. Prior to joining NRDC, she clerked for the Maine supreme judicial court, served as a graduate…

Regan Nelson

Senior Advocate, Nature Program

Regan Nelson works to reduce ocean noise pollution from industrial sources, with a priority focus on commercial shipping. She rejoined NRDC in 2020, after a previous stint from 2009-2012, where she advocated for the suite of Ocean Program priorities to…