About Our Team
For almost 40 years, Ocean Alliance has made a positive difference in this world. Our dedicated staff works hard to carry out its on-going mission and to do so with scientific integrity foremost. We pledge our continued commitment to help protect and preserve the marine environment on which the lives of all of us, people as well as whales, are utterly dependent.
Iain Kerr, D.H.L. Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Iain Kerr has a Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of London and a D.H.L. from the University of Southern Maine. Iain began his career at Ocean Alliance as a volunteer and has grown with the organization over the last 30 years. He is listed as author on over 35 scientific papers and has ensured that Ocean Alliance messages reach the general public through international television and films. Iain has led international conservation research efforts across the globe. As a result of exposing illegal sea cucumber fishing in the Galapagos, Iain received the SOS Grand Blue award in 1994. Iain was awarded the Chevron Conservation Award in 2006 and in 2014 the Annenberg Foundation listed Iain as one of 25 visionary leaders. In 2013, Iain recognized that drones could be the future of whale research and conservation.
Mark Hayes Chief Financial Officer
As Chief Financial Officer, Mark Hayes brings over thirty years of experience to the Ocean Alliance management team. Mark has worked in many public and private industries, with specific expertise in the financial structures of non-profit organizations. He has studied the arts, business, homeopathy and social sciences at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, South African College of Music, New England School of Homeopathy, North Shore Community College and Salem State College. Mark holds a degree in Business Science. In addition to serving the Ocean Alliance management team since the mid 1990’s, Mark is the owner/principal of an Accounting & Tax Service practicing in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Alicia Pensarosa Assistant Director
As Assistant Director, Alicia combines her 15 years of experience in the advertising industry managing brand campaigns with her animal policy experience to assist Ocean Alliance in nonprofit operations. In 2018, Alicia obtained a M.S. in Animals in Public Policy from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. Alicia has joined Ocean Alliance in scientific expeditions studying humpback, fin, sperm, sei, and blue whales, collecting biological, behavioral, and photo identification data. Alicia has a passion for animal welfare and has competed in the American Veterinary Medical Association’s animal welfare contest and made local policy changes for animals.
Chris Zadra Drone Programs Manager
Chris Zadra is the Drones for Whale Research Program manager for Ocean Alliance, Inc. After receiving a Master’s in Engineering from Lehigh University, he jumped on the opportunity to combine his interests in UAVs with his love of whales and the ocean. His skills in rapid prototyping, software development and entrepreneurship help Ocean Alliance develop new, noninvasive tools for marine mammal research and conservation.
Andy Rogan Science Manager
Science Manager Andy Rogan has worked in marine mammal science/conservation for over ten years. He is a regular attendee at conferences such as the Society for Marine Mammalogy conferences, and International Whaling Commission Science Committee meets and is well-versed in the most up-to-date information and most pressing needs for specific populations of whales. He is responsible for determining what data to prioritize collecting (i.e., the data with the most crucial conservation implications) and outlining our research objectives. He has a master’s degree in animal behavior from the University of Exeter.
Linde McNamara Board of Directors, Development
Growing up on the water in Greenwich, CT, Linde and her family all shared a love of the ocean. Already a lifelong sailor, a chance meeting with Roger Payne inspired her to help conserve what was so close to her heart. She has since completed an MA in Marine Biology with a thesis on the effect of anthropogenic noise on the reproductive system of female humpback whales. Linde has served on the board of Ocean Alliance for several decades. As Director of Development, Linde’s fundraising abilities, along with her enthusiasm and dedication to the mission of Ocean Alliance, continue to be a substantial asset to the organization.
Ann Cortissoz Communications Coordinator
Ann Cortissoz has a BA from Stanford University and attended the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She spent more than 15 years as an editor and writer at The Boston Globe before leaving journalism to work at the New England Aquarium in the Marketing and Communications Department, and also volunteered with the aquarium’s Marine Animal Rescue Team, helping rehabilitate cold-stunned sea turtles. Ann’s concern for the plight of marine mammals and their habitat led her to Ocean Alliance, where she oversees Ocean Alliance’s branding, messaging, and editing.
Vicky Rowntree, Ph.D. Right Whale Program Director
Dr. Vicky Rowntree is a co–founder of the Ocean Alliance and director of the Southern Right Whale Program. Before Joining Ocean Alliance she curated wasps for Howard Evans at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology and assisted C. Richard Taylor in experiments on the energetics of animal locomotion and thermoregulation at Harvard’s Concord Field Station.
John Atkinson Consultant/Aerial Photographer
In 1987, while travelling with Iain Kerr in Patagonia, John Atkinson was introduced to Dr. Roger Payne. John assisted in an aerial photographic survey of the local population of endangered Southern right whales and the following year, he took over the role of primary aerial photographer. John has participated in numerous documentary and research expeditions around the world.
Mariano Sironi Research Consultant
Dr. Mariano Sironi is a Founding Member and Scientific Director of the Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas (ICB), a non-profit organization based in Buenos Aires, dedicated to the conservation of whales and their habitat through research and education. He received a degree in Biology from the National University of Córdoba, Argentina, where he is currently an Associate Professor in Vertebrate Zoology.
Harry Milkman Social Media Manager
Harry served as IT consultant to Roger Payne at his home office in Vermont from 2000 to 2007. That period coincided with the Voyage of the Odyssey (2000-2005), and Roger's descriptions of the voyage inspired Harry to become a sailor and activist. Harry has since served as volunteer crew on a variety of yachts and ships, including R/V Odyssey in Operation Toxic Gulf 2014, S/V Ceres of the Vermont Sail Freight Project, Sea Shepherd vessels M/V Farley Mowat and R/V Martin Sheen, S/V American Promise of the Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean, and S/V Grace of Aberdeen of Ocean Conservation and Research.
John Wise, Sr., Ph.D. Research Consultant
Dr. John Wise is the Principal Investigator of the Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology. He is a Professor of Toxicology and Molecular Epidemiology in the Department of Applied Medical Sciences, and Director of the Maine Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health at the University of Southern Maine.
Bob Wallace Ship's Captain
When Ocean Alliance purchased The Odyssey in December 1991 they inherited the engineer, now captain, Bob Wallace. Bob had been working as the engineer and captain of The Odyssey since 1986 when the vessel was a private yacht. Bob has sailed The Odyssey around the Gulf of Mexico for the Ocean Alliance sperm whale research campaigns.
Christian Miller Expedition photographer
Based in Australia, Christian is an award-winning photographer and drone pilot who has contributed images and video to many conservation organizations, including Ocean Alliance and Parley for the Oceans. Christian is also a talented illustrator and has written a children's book about a green sea turtle called Ella's Adventure in the Barrier Reef.
Board Members
Laura Engleby, Ph.D., President, ex officio; Iain Kerr, CEO, ex officio; Andrew Morse, Chairman; Jeffrey Kunz, Secretary & Treasurer; Linde McNamara, Development; Muffy DiSabatino; Andy DiSabatino; Geoffrey Richon