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People

Cabila Manriquez Angulo

Technician

Juan Fernández Islands, Chile
Cabila ManriquezCabila was grateful and motivated to study Veterrinary Medicine at Universidad de Concepción by the island which she loves and that has kept her in touch with nature. The experience and knowledge that she is gaining now as a senior at the Universidad will contribute to the terrestrial and oceanic wildlife conservation of these oceanic chilean islands.

Rozy Bathrick

Ecologist, Año Nuevo Island

rozy@oikonos.org
Santa Cruz, California

Rozy is a downy chick in the Oikonos nest. She began her first full season in 2019 after volunteering for several years. She joins the Año Nuevo team with 5 years of experience as an educator at University of California Santa Cruz, where she has worked leading backpacking and natural history courses. She is thrilled to be a member of an international community of seabirds and ecologists.

Jessie Beck

Project Manager, Ecologist

jessie@oikonos.org
Santa Cruz, California
Jessie manages several Oikonos projects in California. At the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center in Santa Cruz, she investigates seabird mortality from longline fisheries, oil spills, plastic pollution and unusual mortality events. She also co-manages projects on Año Nuevo Island that contributing to long-term seabird monitoring and restoration of breeding habitat, and is an advising ecologist to several projects in Chile.

Carissa Cabrera

Website Editor

carissacabrera1@gmail.com
Kailua, Hawaii
Carissa is the website editor for Oikonos. After finishing her graduate coursework at Hawaii Pacific University, she became involved in conservation work and science communication with nonprofits. Her passions include free diving, cooking, sustainable living, traveling, and photography.

David Calleri

Biologist, Master Blacksmith

calleri@oikonos.org
Santa Cruz, California
David_Calleri_2Dave is an integral team member working on Año Nuevo State Park seabird populations and habitat both on the island and the mainland cliff colonies. For 20 years Dave has volunteered his diverse expertise from biological monitoring to hand-crafting hardware for numerous restoration designs. One of Dave’s focal species is the Pelagic Cormorant and he is documenting their breeding success in response to Common Raven predation. You can also find Dave at Wilder Ranch State Park demonstrating past and present blacksmith skills.

Ryan Carle

Conservation Coordinator/Año Nuevo Island Project Manager

ryan@oikonos.org
Santa Cruz, California
ryan_auklet_croppedRyan co-manages Oikonos’ seabird ecology and habitat restoration project at Año Nuevo Island. As Conservation Coordinator Ryan works to advance Oikonos’ conservation goals by bridging gaps in skills and knowledge between Oikonos project worldwide. He is currently working with Chilean staff at Isla Mocha, Chile, on conservation and tracking of Pink-footed Shearwaters. Ryan completed his Master’s degree at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in 2014, and has received honors including a Switzer Leadership Development Grant for work in Chile. Before joining Oikonos, Ryan worked on diverse conservation projects for the Mono Lake Committee, the International Crane Foundation, Point Blue Conservation Science, Friends of the Inyo, and California State Parks.

Valentina Colodro

Board of Directors – Chile Representative, Program Manager of Chile Projects

valentina@oikonos.org
Valparaíso, Chile
valentina_colodroValentina is a wildlife veterinarian and Program Manager for Oikonos’ Chile Programs. She has been involved with Oikonos’ projects in Chile since 2007. Her main interests include wildlife medicine and seabird conservation.

Guillermo de Rodt

Senior Technician

San Juan Bautista, Archipiélago Juan Fernández, Chile
Guillermo de RodtGuillermo was born in the island and spent 14 years dedicated to agricultural work on mainland Chile. Once back in the Archipelago, he worked with CONAF and the Holland Project in 2004 on rabbit and goat control programs, plus invasive plant control and erosion control plans. He has worked at Oikonos since 2013 on different projects including rodent and invasive incipient plant control programs and monitoring the reproductive success of the Pink-footed Shearwater.

Sara de Rodt

Asistente de proyectos, Island Conservation

San Juan Bautista, Archipiélago Juan Fernández, Chile
Sara de RodtBorn and raised in Robinson Crusoe, Sara has worked for Oikonos since 2003 searching for and monitoring endemic Firecrown nests and restoring its habitat through invasive plant control including maqui and blackberry. She has worked at Alejandro Selkirk Island monitoring Masafuera Rayadito’s population and restoration through artificial nest habitat. She has also participated in shearwater and petrel projects by monitoring their breeding success in several colonies throughout the Archipelago. She is currently Island Conservation’s project assistant on the Archipelago, with whom she’s been involved in rodent and cat control programs within town, a joint program with Oikonos.
Sara likes her work in the field and is passionate about studying the endemic Firecrown. She is happy to contribute in a small way for her island home.

Paola González

Program Coordinator, Juan Fernández Islands

paola@oikonos.org
San Juan Bautista, Juan Fernández Islands, Chile
Paola_bioPaola has co-managed Oikonos’ projects on the Juan Fernández Islands for over 10 years. She leads the citizen science and restoration efforts to protect the unique biodiversity of the Archipelago. Pao embodies the depth and diversity of skills islanders posses. She is working to protect critically endangered endemic birds on Robinson and Selkirk.

Héctor Gutiérrez Guzmán

Juan Fernández Manager

hgutierrez@oikonos.org
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Héctor (Chipi) has great interest and passion for conservation. He started working on Juan Fernandez in 2009 as a volunteer for Oikonos helping with the invasive plant control within nesting sites of the endemic Firecrown. In 2012 Chipi and partners founded “Rescatemos Juan Fernández”, an organization focused on local education and outreach through pacific islands. Also, every year they support Oikonos and the National Parks Services with volunteering programs. He received his degree in Natural Renewable Resources Engineering from Universidad de Chile. Currently he coordinates Oikonos projects on the ground in the archipelago.

Molly Hagemann

Board of Directors

molly@bishopmuseum.org
Kailua, Hawaii

Molly grew up in east Texas with a strong interest in wildlife, thanks mostly to her mother’s many bird feeders. Not surprisingly, she decided to study biology at the University of Texas. While there, she began volunteering in the natural history museum and quickly fell in love with working in a museum
environment. Since then she’s worked in several different museums before finding her way to Honolulu’s Bishop Museum, where she currently manages the Vertebrate Zoology Collection. Her role at the museum puts her in contact with researchers, resource managers, artists, educators, and students. Molly is hoping these connections, along with her commitment to preserving biodiversity, will help her serve as a strong advocate for Oikonos and its mission.

Michelle Hester

President, Executive Director, and Ecologist

michelle@oikonos.org
Kailua, Hawai‘i
Michelle_Haleakala_July2012Michelle is a co-founder of Oikonos and the Executive Director. She brings over 25 years of research and applied conservation experience throughout the Pacific. Her research focuses on island ecology, seabird prey dynamics, and habitat restoration with an emphasis on inter-disciplinary approaches.

Greg Hester

Graphic design, WordPress specialist, Video editor

greg@hestergraphics.com
Los Angeles, California
greghester2Greg worked for Yahoo! Sports and the Los Angeles Times. He created the “Where We Work” interactive infographic based on Twitter bootstrap code, to highlight our work around the world. He also setup our new responsive WordPress site, customized to our goals. He also setup our anonuevoisland.org site using Buddypress.

Peter Hodum

Board of Directors, Chile Program Director, Seabird conservation and ecology

peter@oikonos.org
Tacoma, Washington
PJH_2892Peter is a conservation biologist who serves as the Chile Program Director for Oikonos and as an Associate Professor at the University of Puget Sound. He has more than 25 years of experience in seabird ecology and conservation. His work focuses on the assessment of threats to seabird populations, restoration of native island ecosystems, conservation planning for endangered bird species, and the role of seabirds as upper-trophic level predators. In addition, Peter is involved with community-based conservation initiatives both locally and in Chile.

David Hyrenbach

Research Associate, Ocean Ecology, Cafetito

david@oikonos.org
Kailua, Hawai‘i
David_birds_popoiaDavid is an Associate Professor at Hawai‘i Pacific University and leads Oikonos research and outreach projects involving graduate students, resource managers and local conservation groups. He is currently working on Hawaiian seabird foraging ecology in both the main and the northwestern islands. He is a Pew marine conservation fellow and serves in the federal MPA advisory council and the WESTPAC protected species committee.

Veronica López

Fishery Bycatch and Isla Mocha Program Manager

veronica@oikonos.org
Viña Del Mar, Chile
veronica_lopez_profileVeronica is a veterinarian with a Master’s degree in wildlife conservation from Universidad Mayor, Chile. She has been involved with avian research in Chile for 15 years, and coordinates Oikonos’ conservation and education strategies in Isla Mocha, Chile. She plays a key role in partnering with government agencies and other NGOs in Chile to advance programs preventing seabird mortality in fisheries.

Pablo Manriquez

Program Coordinator, Juan Fernández Islands

pmanriguez@oikonos.org
Robinson Crusoe, Juan Fernandez, Chile
pablo_bio image

As an Islander, grandson of a lobster fisher, sustainable fishery leader, and professional research biologist, Pablo brings unique expertise to Oikonos’ mission to protect ecosystems in the Juan Fernandez Archipelago. Since 2006 he has coordinated research and monitoring of the lobster fishery and played a key role in the establishment of MSC certification and designation of a Marine Protected Area. Masters in Sciences from the University of Concepción.

Trinidad Mena

Financial & Administrative Manager

trinidad@oikonos.org
Haleiwa, Hawai‘i

Born and raised in Vina del Mar, Chile. Trini grew up with a strong love for nature and the ocean. After obtaining a Master’s Degree in Finance from Universidad Adolfo Ibanez in 2012, she relocated to Hawai‘i. Trini is in charge of managing financial and administrative support for programs in Chile and the U.S. In her free time, she enjoys outdoor adventures of many different kinds.

Kirsten V. Moy

Development Coordinator

kirstenvmoy@oikonos.org
Kaneohe, Hawai‘i
Kirsten Moy is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and Blue Devil hailing from North Carolina. After working for the National Park Service in St. Croix, USVI, she served as a Community Environmental Conservation volunteer in Panama and then moved to Hawaii to work as the Hawaii state marine debris coordinator. Kirsten is a graduate student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the Geography Department.

Verónica Muñoz

Chile Administrative Assistant

veromuoz@oikonos.org
Viña del Mar, Chile

Vero was a pre-school teacher in her younger years and then moved to the office world. After many years working as a Manager Assistant in international companies, she joined the Chile nest in 2019 to support administration tasks. Vero lives in beautiful Viña del Mar and is a big craft lover. In her free time, you will find her either painting, kneading or embroidering.

Ilana Nimz

Biologist & Winged Ambassadors Coordinator

nimz@oikonos.org
Waimanalo, Hawai‘i
ilana_nimzNimz is the Education Partnership Coordinator for Winged Ambassadors and a research assistant for various Oikonos projects in Hawai’i. She has spent five seasons on Kure Atoll, collecting boluses from Laysan and black-footed albatrosses to share with educators around the world. Nimz is currently a graduate student in the Pelagicos lab at Hawai’i Pacific University studying the foraging behavior of Christmas Shearwaters on Kure Atoll. She also loves creating art based on her field experiences to inspire others to appreciate seabirds and nature.

Cristián Pérez

Board of Directors, long-haul cyclist

cristian.perez@oikonos.org
Santiago, Chile
cristian_bioCristián is an architect and urbanist (University of Chile, 2001) with postgraduate studies on design leadership at the University of Washington. He brings nearly 15 years of architectural design and sustainable urban planning experience in France, the United States and Chile. He has been involved in sustainable planning on the Juan Fernandez Islands since 1997, continuously providing useful grassroots tools to help bring awareness and consensus around best practices, facilitating informed dialogue between both local and regional leaders about a possible sustainable future to enhance the livelihoods of the Juan Fernández Islands community. Cristián is executive director at Global·Nomad.org in Chile, and a member of The Explorers Club of New York.

Flora Rojas

Field Assistant

San Juan Bautista, Archipiélago Juan Fernández, Chile
Flora RojasFlora has worked in landscaping and green area maintenance within Robinson since 2003. In 2013 she began working with Oikonos, participating in different projects such as rodent control and invasive plant control, as well as monitoring Pink-footed Shearwater breeding colonies and the endemic Firecrown nesting habitat. For Flora, her work in Oikonos makes her very happy because she loves nature and enjoys the great working environment within Oikonos.

“Bobo” Sula Scott

Compliance Officer, Chasing flying fish

bobo@oikonos.org
Pacific Ocean
BOBO_SulaScottBobo, who joined Oikonos after a career in free-lance fishing, is committed to the removal of invasive predators from islands, especially cats. When he is not working, Bobo enjoys sipping on a squid smoothy by the shore.

Tiare Varela

Supervisor, Isla Mocha Projects

tiare@oikonos.org
Isla Mocha, Chile
Tiare VarelaOriginally from Isla Mocha, Tiare became an electrical technician in Lebu and returned to the island a few years ago. She has worked with Oikonos on the Pink-footed Shearwater Conservation Project since 2012, where she monitors invasive animal predation through camera trails deployed within the species’ breeding colony. She’s also an onboard observer in gillnet fisheries operating from Mocha, where she monitors possible seabird bycatch. Tiare also oversees the environmental educational program, a joint program of Oikonos and CONAF with the environmental group from the local school. Tiare is grateful for her work with Oikonos since it allows her to be near nature, something she loves.