People & Partner Type: Executive Committee

Patricia was born and grew up in Lima, Peru, in a house full of books, a few blocks away from the ocean. Her parents, both child psychiatrists, figured out from very early on Patricia’s future as a scientist and gently pushed her in that direction. She obtained a degree in in Biology in 1980 and … Read more

Josh grew up in Northern Ontario, Canada and spent his childhood lost in the creeks and swamps around his house, with countless hours spent chasing reptiles and all things that creep and crawl. He is still hard-wired to chase reptiles whenever he can, much to his son’s delight… and his wife’s dismay. Turning his boyhood … Read more

Nancy Golden is Oceana’s vice president of global development and has more than 25 years of fundraising experience. She leads the Major Gifts, Events, Corporate and Celebrity Partnerships and Planned Giving teams. Prior to joining Oceana in 2015 as Vice President for Development, Nancy served for 15 years as the Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) … Read more

Christopher Sharkey is Chief Financial Officer of Oceana.  A seasoned executive with nearly 25 years of committed service to international and domestic NGO’s. Sharkey’s broad experience in the areas of finance, administrative functions, and programmatic operations include 11 years as Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Citizens Development Corps and 10 years as Vice … Read more

Janelle Chanona joined Oceana as its new leader for Belize in January 2014.  The former Belize newscaster and Belmopan native now leads Oceana’s efforts to protect Belize’s marine resources. Chanona, a long time anchor for News Five, Great Belize Productions in Belize, most recently ran her own media and production company. She has produced documentaries … Read more

As a child, I spent countless hours with my grandmother on Juno Beach in Southern Florida observing and recording the activities of sea turtles. A conservationist long before it was fashionable, “The Turtle Lady” dedicated decades to protecting and preserving these magnificent marine animals. From her strong example, I have seen first hand how the … Read more

Mike has worked at Oceana since 2001 in a variety of roles, currently as Senior Advisor. In that capacity, he is responsible for providing strategic guidance and organizational troubleshooting, among other duties. Until May of 2019, he was Chief Scientist and Strategy Officer, working to identify strategic opportunities for Oceana expansion into new countries, in … Read more

Matt leads Oceana’s corporate campaign team – with a focus on winning global commitments for large scale plastic reduction from some of the largest companies on the planet. He previously led Oceana’s global marketing and communications efforts for nearly two decades and played a primary role in building Oceana’s brand and multi-million strong grassroots supporter … Read more

Jacqueline Savitz is Chief Policy Officer for Oceana. Her background and training in marine biology and environmental toxicology, combined with three decades of environmental advocacy experience, provide Oceana with a combination of sound science, clear environmental vision and successful leadership. In addition to overseeing Oceana’s work in the United States, Mexico and Belize, Savitz also … Read more

Jim Simon is Oceana’s President and General Counsel. Since 2003, he has helped to lead Oceana’s evolution from a start-up to an accomplished policy advocacy group with more than 250 major victories and campaigns in 12 countries. Simon’s responsibilities include overseeing fundraising, which has grown tenfold. He supervises the law department, as well as finance, … Read more