LMMA Network Staff, Coordination Team, and Technical Advisors
The following is a listing of staff, NCT members and key technical advisors (note that their main institutional affiliations may or may not necessarily be directly involved with the LMMA Network; for LMMA partner organizations, see Partners).
Bill Aalbersberg – Bill is the Director of the Institute of Applied Science at the University of the South Pacific (USP), which provides a Pacific home for the Network. He has worked in conservation in Fiji for almost 20 years with 10 years of experience using participatory techniques in community conservation. He has been a leader in the development of the LMMA Network both regionally and nationally in Fiji. Bill is currently chair of the Finance committee of the NCT and helps manage several LMMA contracts through USP.
William Andrew – William is the new coordinator for the Palau Locally-Managed Area Network. A former Senior Conservation Officer of the Helen Reef Resource Management Program, he has extensive experience in enforcement and monitoring. He headed the turtle tagging program and community biological monitoring at Helen Reef and has recorded over eight years of data. William attended the Phonpei Agriculture and Trade School in the Federated States of Micronesia, and is a Legislator of his home state of Hatohobei.
Maxine Anjiga – Maxine is the Executive Director and holds a Bachelors of Art Degree from the University of Papua New Guinea, majoring in Organizational Psychology. She also has a Graduate Diploma in Not For Profit Management from Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland New Zealand. She has 12 years of experience working with NGOs and organizational development in PNG.
Jovelyn T. Cleofe – Jovy is the current Philippine Country Coordinator and Chairperson of the Country’s Board of Trustees. She has been working with coastal communities since the mid 80s doing livelihood development, gender mainstreaming and education and training work. She is also the Executive Director of CERD, one of the partner NGOs in the Philippines.
James Comley – James is a Research Advisor with the Institute of Applied Science at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, focusing on understanding ecological changes resulting from management and the wider health and status of inshore fisheries. Previously he was the Head of Marine Science at Coral Cay Conservation, an organization through which he worked extensively throughout the Asia-Pacific region. He currently serves as a technical advisor to the Network and is on the NCT Learning Committee.
Chito Dugan – Chito is the Executive Director of SIKAT, Inc. and Philippines country network co-coordinator. Since 1998 he has worked with small-scale fishers to improve management of their fisheries and social conditions through a community-based coastal resource management program. He also served as Managing Director of a national network of volunteer organizations for 2 years. He earned his degree in Community Development at the University of the Philippines and is currently taking his Masters Degree program in Environmental Studies at Miriam College.
Hugh Govan – Hugh was originally a marine biologist but now “generalizes” in governance and participatory processes. He has more than two decades of community-based conservation work in the Pacific and Latin America. He relocated to Fiji in mid-2003. Hugh is the acting country liaison for the Solomon Islands country network and is a member of the Country Support and Learning committees of the NCT.
Mike Guilbeaux – Mike works in community-based marine conservation with a focus on Micronesia and Indonesia. He serves as a technical advisor to the LMMA Network, assisting with the design and implementation of marine conservation projects and training activities in Micronesia. Previously he was Executive Director of the Community Conservation Network, and the LMMA Network’s Micronesia representative. Mike has provided guidance and training to participating members in community-based adaptive management since the inception of the Network. He is currently a member of the Finance and Learning committees of the NCT.
Elizabeth Holle – Lies is a chemist and 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. Lies is a member of the Learning committee of the NCT.
Eugene Joseph – Eugene is the Marine Program Manager for Conservation Society of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia and served numerous years as a co-coordinator for Pohnpei LMMA. He holds an Associate of Science Degree in Marine Studies from the College of Micronesia-FSM and recently completed a Graduate Diploma in the Not For Profit Management program with Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand. Eugene is skilled in both biophysical and socioeconomic monitoring and has extensive experience working with and organizing local communities. Eugene is now the Micronesia LMMA Coordinator and a member of the Communications committee of the NCT.
Kesdy-Ray Ladore – Kesdy-Ray joined the Conservation Society of Pohnpei (CSP) Marine Team in 2006 as an assistant to the RARE campaign on Marine Protected Areas. He also attended the Marine Studies program at the College of Micronesia-FSM. In 2008, Kesdy-Ray became the MPA Network Coordinator for CSP and took over the role of Country Coordinator for Pohnpei LMMA Network with assistance from Eugene Joseph.
Richard Margoluis – Richard is Co-Director and Co-Founder of Foundations of Success, a founding organization of the Network. His work centers on assisting partner organizations to develop adaptive management systems, evaluating conservation projects and programs, managing applied research related to monitoring and evaluation, organizing learning networks, and facilitating cross-site and cross-institutional learning. Richard currently serves as a technical advisor to the Network and is on the NCT Learning Committee.
Cliff Marlessy – Cliff is the Country Coordinator for the Indonesia LMMA Network. He has extensive experience with community-based conservation work in West Papua and the Molucca Islands. Cliff is a member of the Country Support and Learning committees of the Network Coordination Team.
Semisi Meo – Meo is a senior scientific officer at the University of the South Pacific’s Institute of Applied Sciences in Fiji. He has a background in marine biology and chemistry, and has worked for 10 years in community-based adaptive management. Meo headed the Fiji country network (FLMMA) biological group; in this role, he coordinated a partner organization monitoring forum to critique survey methodologies, and assisted with the development of the Marine Resources Inventory survey protocol for the Fisheries Dept. He is chair of the FLMMA Design Administration and Management working group and the Country Support committee of the NCT.
Selino Maxin – Selino 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 also attended the Marine Studies program at the College of Micronesia-FSM. He has been coordinating and training community fish and coral monitoring within three MPA communities since he started at CSP. Selino is also leading the Pohnpei coral monitoring team and currently serving the role of data manager for Pohnpei LMMA.
Toni Parras – Toni has worked in marine conservation and sustainable development in the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific for over ten years, and in film production for another ten. She has a Masters degree in Marine Affairs & Policy and a Bachelors in Communication. As the Communication Specialist for the overall LMMA Network, Toni develops and edits various communication products, and works with country coordinators and site teams to tell their stories and lessons. Toni also works to help foundations and other organizations evaluate their programs and communication efforts.
Amelia Pei – Amelia is the current Secretariat for the Fiji Locally-Managed Marine Area Network (FLMMA), after having joined FLMMA in 2009. She has a diploma and a bachelor of applied science in environment.
Eri Pesto – Eri is based in Port Moresby. She is the Program Assistant and responsible for PNGCLMA administration, finances and logistics for all programs. She holds a Certificate in Office Procedures and Secretarial Studies. She is currently completing a Graduate Diploma Not for Profit Management from Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland New Zealand. She has 25 years of experience with administration and finance in the NGO and public sectors.
Etika Rupeni – Etika was a founding member of both the Fiji and regional LMMA Network and continues to serve as a technical advisor. He is currently the Regional Programme Manager of Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International (FSPI) Communities and Coasts programme, leading coastal resource management efforts in Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati and Tuvalu, and is the Regional Coordinator for Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation. He formerly held management roles with WWF and WCS, working on Fiji-based conservation projects in marine, forest, watershed, climate adaptation and eco-regional planning.
Sukulu Rupeni –Sukulu Rupeni is the Chairperson for the Fiji LMMA country network Communications and Awareness Working Group and a consultant for the University of the South Pacific in Suva. She has worked in community development and conservation in Fiji for 15 years. Sukulu specializes in the use of theatre for community development and conservation, training youths from target communities on climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development, then working with them to create plays, songs and traditional dances that are performed as awareness tools in communities. Sukulu is also a member of the overall Network’s Communication Committee.
Nick Salafsky – Nick is founder and co-director of Foundations of Success, which works to organize Learning Networks around the world. Previously, he worked with the MacArthur Foundation and the USAID-funded Biodiversity Support Program. Nick helped shape the forming of the LMMA Network as well as the development of various community-based conservation efforts, evaluation approaches, and learning networks over the past decade. Nick is a member of the Finance Committee 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 is based in Madang and is the Learning and Networking Program Coordinator /Technical Trainer with PNGCLMA. She holds a Bachelors of Science Degree, majoring in Marine Biology. She has also completed the University of South Pacific’s (USP) Pacific Islands Community Conservation Course (PICCC). She has worked with the PNGLMMA Network for the last 8 years.
Pamela Seeto – Pam has over ten years experience in the not-for-profit sector 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 its grant recipients, including the LMMA Network and the PNG Centre for Locally Managed Areas. Pam is a member of the Finance Committee of the NCT.
Margaret Tabunakawai-Vakalalabure – Margie is a Fisheries Officer with the Fiji Department of Fisheries. She has been with the Fiji Locally-Managed Marine Area Network (FLMMA) since 2006 and served as Secretariat for four years. She has a Masters in Communication for Social Marketing towards Conservation and a Bachelor of Arts in Marine Affairs and Geography. Margie has done extensive work in the Northern Division of Fiji to determine the impacts of opening and closing an MPA and is currently a key point person for the Regional LMMA Network in Fiji.
Alifereti Tawake – Alifereti has worked on natural resource management, development and conservation issues throughout the Indo-Pacific for over 15 years. His work with the Fiji LMMA Network (FLMMA) won him the international Whitley Award for People and the Environment in 2004. He served on the Network’s Country Support, Communications and Learning committees (the latter as chair), and helped fundraise for the Network through First Peoples Worldwide. He serves as a technical advisor to FLMMA and the Network’s Learning Committee. Alifereti is one of the IUCN-WCPA North & South Pacific Marine Coordinators and is currently earning his PhD at James Cook University.
Wendy Tan – Wendy serves as Manager of the overall LMMA Network. In this position since 2007, she manages Network activities, coordinates Network communications, provides support and oversight to Country Networks, handles Network budget and donor relations, and serves as a primary contact for the Network. She also serves on all Network Committees. Wendy has nearly 20 years experience in international development, conservation and the NGO sector. Previously with Conservation International’s Indonesia Program, she was instrumental in the development and growth of CI’s Asia programs, providing leadership in organizational management and program development.
Ron Vave – Ron is Assistant Project Manager for the LMMA Network at the University of the South Pacific’s Institute of Applied Science, and an Executive Board member of the Fiji country network. He assists in training LMMA country reps on data collection, analysis, results interpretation and storage of biological and socioeconomic data. He has a Masters degree in Marine Biology from USP and is a member of the Network’s Data Management and Analysis working group. Previously the Network’s Data Manager and currently the Chair of the Learning committee, Ron is leading the revision of the Network’s Learning Agenda.
Sunia Waqainabete – Sunia is the Senior Research Officer for the Fiji Department of Fisheries and is currently the Country Coordinator for the Fiji country LMMA Network (FLMMA).