People & Partner Type: Oceana Staff

Lara has a deep-rooted passion for the ocean. It’s her source of freedom, inspiration and spiritual energy. Originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Lara grew up watching Jacques Cousteau’s undersea expeditions and spending holidays at the beach. Though having an Engineering background, she was inspired to focus her career on marine conservation after diving in the … Read more

Cristián studied journalism and worked as an investigative reporter in different TV stations before joining Oceana as the press manager at the Chile’s office in 2016. As a journalist, he covered different issues such as the food industry, environmental problems and social inequalities.   He earned a Masters of Arts degree in Media and Communications at Goldsmiths … Read more

Edna Santana is a ten year experienced executive assistant. In her last experience she worked for five years as an executive assistant in a Brazilian company that promotes products and services abroad, where she provided assistance to managers and Directors.  She is a professional with self-motivation and great organization and administrative management skills. Edna Santana … Read more

Sarah’s lifelong passion for ocean conservation developed while exploring the beaches and tide pools of her native California.  After earning a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Swarthmore College, Sarah worked with the IMAX documentary team at MacGillivray Freeman Films – expert film makers who have long been good friends and allies of Oceana – where … Read more

Megan Jordan joined Oceana in 2016 with several years of diverse marketing and communications experience in corporate, start-up and non-profit environments. She has managed international public relations campaigns, product launches, creative marketing strategy, crisis communications as well as strategic internal/external communications. Megan earned her master’s degree from Georgetown University in Corporate Communications and Public Relations. … Read more

Sofía joined Oceana for a year as an Office Administrator in 2014 and returned to that position early in 2016. She holds graduate degrees in Economics and Administrative Science, and in Business Administration. She worked in the administration of other Chilean NGOs, and in the economic evaluation of marine conservation projects. She is certified PADI … Read more

Melissa Forsyth, originally from San Diego, joined Oceana in 2013. Her passion is visual storytelling, which led her to a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Journalism from Brooks Institute of Photography. After getting her first taste of East Coast life interning on NPR’s Science Desk, she joined Oceana as the Multimedia Producer. She loves making … Read more

Eric Bilsky is Oceana’s Senior Attorney and Assistant General Counsel. Mr. Bilsky has fought for marine conservation in a range of cases and issues. He has worked with Oceana since its founding in 2001. Prior to joining Oceana, Mr. Bilsky served as an attorney with the Ocean Law Project at Earthjustice and a Legal Practice … Read more

Although I come from a mountain region, when I was a child we used to go every year to the Polish Baltic seaside for holidays. I remember rushing through the dunes in excitement in order to get to the beach as quickly as possible and finally see and smell the sea. And I still can … Read more

Matt joined Oceana in 2013, gradually transitioning into his most recent role of Grants Analyst. He holds a B.S. in Geography from the University of Maryland, College Park and loves working with people from all corners of the globe every day. Prior to coming to Oceana, he taught guitar, bass, ukulele, and mandolin lessons to … Read more