Network Coordination Team Bios

Bill Aalbersberg – Bill is the Director of the Institute of Applied Science at the University of the South Pacific, which provides a Pacific home for the Network.  He has worked in conservation in Fiji for almost 20 years with 10 years of experience in using participatory techniques in community conservation.  Bill is a member of the Management and Finance committees of the NCT.

Wayne Andrew – Wayne is the manager of the Helen Reef Management Program in Palau and has experience with training and implementing LMMA approaches with local communities.  Wayne is also a member of TNC’s Micronesians in Island Conservation (MIC) program and an advisor to the NOAA-sponsored Pacific Islands Marine Protected Area Community and is particularly well-suited for his new role as the Network’s Micronesia Regional Coordinator.

Asap Bukurou – Asap is the newest member of the NCT and serves as Palau’s country coordinator.  Trained as a biologist, Asap has recently completed the University of the South Pacific’s program on Community-based Conservation and is further developing his skills in community organizing, networking and project planning.  Asap is responsible for coordinating with and training for the growing number of community sites in Palau.

Susan Ewen – Susan is the Community Conservation Areas Coordinator for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) PNG program focusing on community driven work in the TNC Bismarck sea project with a focus on marine conservation. Susan assists in the implementation of TNC Marine Conservation Projects in Kimbe, Manus, and Kavieng.  She also serves as a 40% Country Coordinator for the PNG LMMA Network and is responsible for partnership building with stakeholders, technical assistance and financial and administrative oversight.  She will be joining the Project Support and Communications committees.

Daisy Flores-Salgado – Daisy has been the Philippine LMMA Network coordinator since 2003.  She has 12 years experience with international environmental NGOs, having worked for WWF Philippines, UNDP Environment Unit, and Oxfam GB.  Daisy has worked on enterprise development for the urban poor and has extensive experience doing participatory community conservation fieldwork in remote areas, including Tubbataha Reefs in the Sulu Sea and Turtle Islands.  Daisy has a Masters Degree in Environment and Natural Resource Management.  She is a member of the Communications and Project Support committees. 

Hugh Govan – Hugh is a marine biologist with more than a decade in community-based conservation work in the Pacific and Central America.  He relocated to Fiji in mid-2003.  Hugh is the acting country liaison for the Solomon Islands and is a member of the Management and Project Support committees of the NCT.

Mike Guilbeaux – Mike is a Director of the Community Conservation Network, which works mainly in Micronesia and Indonesia on community-based marine conservation.  Mike is the former Micronesia representative and is a member of the Finance and Communications committees of the NCT.

Elizabeth Holle – Elizabeth is a chemist and is the Vice-Dean for the Faculty of Mathematics and Science at the University of Cenderwasih in Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia.  She is committed to working with the LMMA communities in eastern Indonesia and trains students on the community-based approach to conservation.  

Eugene Joseph – Eugene is a staff of the Conservation Society of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia and a member of their Marine Team.  Eugene is skilled in both bio-physical and socio-economic monitoring and has extensive experience working with and organizing local communities.

Cliff Marlessy – Cliff has extensive experience with community-based conservation work in West Papua and the Molucca Islands.  Cliff is the acting country liaison for Indonesia and a member of the Project Support committee of the NCT. 

Tony  Matelaomao – Tony is the probationary fulltime SILMMA country coordinator.  Tony worked with the International Waters Program Solomon Islands as Communications Assistant and later Programme Assistant in 2006. Prior to that, he had been working for Solomon Telekom as Public Relations Officer for five years and as Senior Marketing Officer for another three years.  Tony left formal employment in 2000 following the ethnic crisis that scarred Solomon Islands at the time until 2006.

Selino Maxin – Selino recently joined the Conservation Society of Pohnpei Marine Team in early 2005.  He was selected to the team for his extensive skills and experiences in local fishing techniques.  Selino has been coordinating and training community fish and coral monitoring within two MPA communities since he started at CSP.

Brad Phillip – Brad is a staff of the Conservation Society of Pohnpei and a member of their Marine Team.  As co-coordinator of LMMA Network in Pohnpei, Brad has assisted in conducting community training, cross-site visits, and Network meetings in Pohnpei.  Brad has also extensive experience in conducting public awareness campaigns focusing on resource management issues.

Nick Salafsky – Nick is a co-director of Foundations of Success, which works to organize Learning Networks around the world.  He previously worked for the MacArthur Foundation and the Biodiversity Support Program.  Nick is a member of the Finance and Communications committees of the NCT.

Annisah Sapul – Annisah is a field science officer for TNC-PNG stationed at Kimbe Bay, West New Britain. Annisah has a marine science background and spends 40% of her time as the country network's Data Manager and as a Project Coordinator, with a focus on Kimbe Bay. Annisah is a specialist in community biological and socio-economic monitoring and assists community members to collect and analyze their own data. Annisah is a member of the Data Management and Analysis committee of the NCT.

Rebecca Samuel – Rebecca has a marine science background, is an experienced community-based conservation officer and serves as a Technical Coordinator for the PNG country network (based in Madang). Rebecca specializes in community led initiatives including resource surveys, habitat mapping and community organizing.  In addition to her formal education, she has completed the University of the South Pacific’s program on Community-based Conservation. Rebecca is a member of the Project Support committee of the NCT.

Pamela Seeto – Pam has over eight years experience in marine conservation in Papua New Guinea and the Western Pacific.  She currently works for the Western Pacific Program at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. In this role she provides strategic and technical guidance to the Foundation and to grant recipients on effective marine conservation.  She also spends 25% of her time as the Strategic and Technical Advisor to the PNG LMMA Network.  Prior to working for the Packard Foundation, Pam was the Marine Technical Advisor for Conservation International in PNG. Pam is a member of the Finance and Project Support committees of the NCT.

Alifereti Tawake – Alifereti is currently a researcher for the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji.  Prior to joining the USP faculty, Alifereti worked with a USP-sponsored research team implementing an LMMA project in Verata tikina in Fiji.  Alifereti is a member of the Communications, Learning and Project Support committees of the NCT. 

Silverio Wale – Silverio comes from Radesifolame, in Langa Langa Lagoon, Malaita Province in the Solomon Islands. For the last ten years he has been working on community development projects focusing on forest/land conservation, resources management, and implementing sustainable livelihood enterprises as alternative income within the conservation areas.  Silverio is a member of the Project Support committee of the NCT.

Ron Vave – Ron is the overall database manager for the Network and assists in training LMMA country representatives on data collection, analysis, results interpretation and storage of both the biological and socioeconomic data.  He has a Masters degree in Marine Biology from USP and is a member of the Data Management and Analysis (DMA) working group, which falls under the Learning committee.