People & Partner Type: Oceana Staff

Gillian grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, but found a love for the oceans by spending time on Florida’s gulf coast, snorkeling and collecting seashells every summer. She developed a passion for environmental protection and wildlife conservation while studying at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Communication, … Read more

Andres is a recent graduate of the University of Florida Levin College of Law with a certificate in Environmental and Land Use Law. His work experience during law school includes internships with Meyer Glitzenstein & Eubanks LLP, EarthRights International, and Judge Monte C. Richardson of the United States District Court for the Middle District of … Read more

I have always considered civil society movements as one of the major changing tools that can make this world a worthy place to live in. If you don’t like it, change it. Since I was a kid, and thanks to my parents’ values and education, I got involved in many of social movements at school … Read more

Becca joined Oceana in 2018 as the IT Data Systems Analyst, after previously serving as the Pacific Administrative Assistant until 2017. Originally from Maryland, a passion for the Arctic brought Becca to Alaska in 2012 after graduating from Boston University with a degree in Ecology and Conservation Biology. Becca first fell in love with the … Read more

Christy Leavitt is Oceana’s Plastics Campaign Director. In this role, Christy oversees Oceana’s U.S. campaign to reduce single-use plastics. For more than two decades Christy has advocated and organized for strong environmental policies at the national, state and local levels. Prior to joining Oceana, she worked at Environment America, most recently directing the organization’s Environmental … Read more

Sonia is a marine social scientist who joined Oceana in June 2018, shortly after completing her master’s degree in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She also has dual bachelor’s degrees from the University of Georgia in International Relations and Comparative Literature. As one of the benefits of an IR … Read more

Alyssa Carnegie is the Communications Director at Oceana in Belize.  She is a marketing and communications strategist with over 14 years of experience working in PR (public relations) and marketing across public, private and non-profit spheres, and has a proven ability to design and lead creative and collaborative initiatives that positively impact an organization’s visibility … Read more

Kleon Coleman is very passionate about finding solutions to environmental problems. As a very young boy, he developed a love for the environment while being a member of the 9th Belize St. Ignatius Scout Group. His zeal for the marine environment blossomed when he volunteered to help protect manatees. Kleon achieved an Associate’s Degree from … Read more

Shanda Burgess was born and raised in Independence Village in the Stann Creek District. She attended Independence Junior College and graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Business Management and Tourism and joined the Oceana team in February 2018 as our Stann Creek Field Representative. Shanda enjoys spending time on the waters and swimming.

As Pacific Communications Manager, Jamie Karnik informs and engages the public about Oceana’s campaign work off the U.S. west coast from the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean to the warm shores of California. He previously worked for Oceana from 2007 – 2010, supporting campaigns to protect forage species in Oregon and California, close important … Read more