ORCA CONSERVANCY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Steve Christianson, J.D.
PRESIDENT | ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
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Steve has been a member of Orca Conservancy since 2017 and is currently working with Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP.
Steve has played a vital role in assisting Orca Conservancy with our continued work with Klamath Dams removal, being a strong presence within Orca Conservancy’s comment letters, and offering solid legal advice.
Steve grew up in Illinois and currently resides in Southern California. Steve enjoys running and is an avid fan of the Grateful Dead.
Matt Gundred
TREASURER | ACCOUNTING
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Matt joined Orca Conservancy in 2020 and is currently employed with Pacific Whale Foundation as their Controller in Maui, Hawaii.
Matt holds an MBA in Accounting from the University of Phoenix and has 30+ years of corporate accounting/tax experience.
Matt grew up in a U.S. Navy family stationed at the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and he graduated from Oak Harbor High School. Matt has resided in Hawaii since 2004.
In his free time, Matt enjoys hiking, water sports (surfing, paddling, rowing), team sports (baseball, softball, volleyball), & snowboarding.
Ness Lennon
BOARD DIRECTOR
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Vanessa (Ness) joined Orca Conservancy in 2016 and is all about the hands-on approach. Her work has been instrumental in having Orca Conservancy awarded the City of Federal Way Governor Proclamation for our work with the yearly Storming the Sound with Salmon event.
Ness appears in the documentary Artifishal which highlights the unprecedented and successful removal of farmed Atlantic salmon net pens within Washington state.
Ness is originally from Leeds, West Yorkshire in Northern England. She is currently enlisted with the United States Navy and is stationed in Michigan.
Sara Madura
BOARD DIRECTOR
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Sara joined Orca Conservancy in 2021. Sara holds a Bachelors of Science in Biology from Grand Valley State University.
Sara has loved orcas since childhood. She became passionate about the Southern Resident killer whales after having many encounters with them back in 2007.
Sara currently works in veterinary medicine. Originally from Michigan, Sara moved to Washington in 2014 and has been participating in beach cleanups and habitat restoration events to help support the orcas.
Wildlife, nature, hiking and backpacking, kayaking, mycology, and photography are some of her other passions.
Kendra Nelson, BSC
SECRETARY
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Kendra joined Orca Conservancy in 2022.
Kendra graduated from BYU Hawai’i in 2020 with a BSc in biology with a marine emphasis. In university, she worked in a marine biology lab and as a teaching assistant.
Kendra is extremely passionate about research & science communication. She has several years of experience working with organizations to raise awareness for conservation issues through social media platforms & content creation. She particularly loves using her platform to talk about killer whales, ctenophores, and plastic pollution.
Kendra currently lives in British Columbia but is originally from Arizona (and still adapting to the cold weather in the PNW). In her free time, you can find her hunting for invertebrates in tide pools, reading, or freediving.
Nichole Novak
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
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Nichole joined Orca Conservancy in 2022.
Nichole has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
She is passionate about conservation and sustainability and serves on the Green Team at EvergreenHealth in Kirkland, where she works as a Volunteer Coordinator.
Nichole moved to Washington from California in 2019 and loves to spend her free time hiking, exploring on her paddleboard, reading, and volunteering.
Chloe Kotik, PhD Student
BOARD DIRECTOR
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Chloe joined Orca Conservancy's board of directors in 2023.
She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 2019 and 2020, respectively, and has been researching the health, behavior, and population dynamics of killer whales in the eastern North Pacific for 5 years.
She is passionate about conducting research that can be directly incorporated into the conservation and management of free-ranging cetaceans and is thrilled to extend the scope of that work alongside the Orca Conservancy.
Chloe has lived and worked in Boston, San Diego, and Friday Harbor and is currently a doctoral student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she is investigating the life history and anthropogenic contamination of Bigg’s killer whales.
In her spare time, she is a ceramics artist and equestrian.
Kayley Pingeon
BOARD DIRECTOR
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Kayley graduated from Green River College in 2021 with an associate’s degree in Natural Resource Management for Parks and Recreation Management, Water Quality Management, Forestry Management and Geographic Information System (GIS). Kayley just recently completed her double major at the University of Washington in Environmental Studies and American Indian Studies.
Fall of 2023 Kayley will be continuing her education in graduate school at the University of Washington’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. Much of her educational goals are centered around her passions for the Southern Resident orcas, environmental justice, sustainability, biodiversity, and native plants.
Kayley grew up in Washington which has led to her passion for the Southern Resident killer whales. Her passions have grown to include salmon and all things related to their conservation and to how humans can coexist with all living and non-living things on this planet, which directly relates to the protection of the SRKWs.
Kayley is also working with the Green River College managing a group of Student interns called Free the Green, doing restoration work along salmon-bearing streams and rivers in the Green River watershed. She also works with the Green River Coalition helping to manage high school and middle school interns on stream restorations along the Green Duwamish River as well as helping lead community habitat restoration events that help to support the salmon, local biodiversity, and orcas.
Recently, Kayley has been looking into ways that traditional foods can be incorporated and prioritized when planning restoration sites, and is looking to continue that journey with her graduate work.
ORCA CONSERVANCY STAFF
Shari Tarantino
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
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Shari joined OC as the volunteer Board President in 2011 and then moved to the Executive Director role in 2020.
Shari has spent the majority of her career in leadership roles which encompass business administration, communications, non-profit development, government and corporate affairs, and environmental advocacy. Shari grew up in northeast Ohio and attended the College of Business Administration at Kent State University. She resided in Canada between 2008 – 2012 which further expanded her experience with Canadian government affairs.
Currently residing in Seattle, Shari spends her spare time organizing local beach clean-ups, hiking, photography, and observing marine life from her home.
Dr. David Bain, PhD
CHIEF SCIENTIST
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Dr. Bain joined OC as a scientist volunteer in 2012 and moved into our Chief Scientist role in 2020.
Dr. Bain has studied killer whales since 1978. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Cruz, did a post-doctoral fellowships at UC Davis and the National Marine Mammal Lab. His work has addressed many aspects of their biology and behavior. In recent years he has focused on the effects of disturbance. David received a Puget Sound Hero Award from People for Puget Sound for his work protecting the nearshore habitat of Maury Island from development.
Dr. Bain is a co-author of Canada’s Resident Killer Whale Recovery Strategy under SARA. In addition to his research, he is active in protecting and restoring habitat for killer whales and their prey.
He has lived in Bothell since 1998.
Tamara Kelley
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
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Tamara joined Orca Conservancy in 2012 and has held many different roles in the organization including Secretary and President prior to moving into the role of Director of Development.
Tamara graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts and has 10 years experience in eCommerce, digital marketing, and content creation. Tamara has been instrumental in producing thought-provoking videos as well as managing our mission statement and branding across all social media channels.
In 2021, she successfully completed and became a member of the Salish Sea Association of Marine Naturalists (SSAM).
Tamara enjoys the outdoors, videography, surfing, snowboarding, whale watching, and traveling.
ORCA CONSERVANCY CONSULTANTS
Mary Kate ‘MK’ Rosack
CONSULTANT
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MK joined Orca Conservancy in 2020 and is a strategic marketing leader with a passion for protecting whales and our oceans. She brings a unique perspective with diverse experience in sales, marketing, and communications across Fortune 500 companies like Procter & Gamble and Darden Restaurants.
MK is Certified in Nonprofit Management, an experienced Board Director, and passionate about fundraising. MK has a Bachelor of Science in Advertising and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Florida and is working on a Certificate in Fundraising and Development from Rollins College Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership.
MK is passionate about assisting with the recovery of the Southern Resident killer whale population and protecting the wild places on which it depends.