Oceans and Communities

Staff

Oceans and Communities is founded and directed by Peter Fugazzotto, who has more than 15 years experience in environmental campaigning and organization building.

Most recently, he served as the Campaign Director at the Sea Turtle Restoration Project where he was charged with developing new programs, managing 5 campaigners, raising foundation and individual income, and serving on the management team. One of the key program areas that he led was the Turtles and Trade program that helped catalyze the interest of the public and other NGOs around the conflict between the World Trade Organization and the US Endangered Species Act as it related to sea turtles.

Prior to his time at STRP, he worked with Communities for a Better Environment and Earth Island Institute, at which he also served on the Board of Directors. Additionally, he has consulted for Earthjustice, Global Community Monitor, Project Underground, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and other environmental organizations.

He is the author of several publications including Slain by Trade: The Attack of the World Trade Organization on Endangered Sea Turtles and the US Endangered Species Act, Dead Turtles: Good for the Global Economy, and Boiling Point: The Impact of Climate Change on Sea Turtles and the Urgent Need to Take Action. He also served as a producer on the documentary video Last Journey for the Leatherback. He holds a BA from Stanford University.

Advisory Board

Frank Galea, CFA

Frank Galea is a Compliance Manager for a top 10 mutual fund company. He has been awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and is a member of the Social Investment Forum (SIF). Frank’s previous work experience includes being on the management team of a fundraising bureau serving numerous organizations such as Neighbor-to-Neighbor, Medical Aid for El Salvador, and Food First.

Frank’s involvement with environmental and sustainability issues dates back to his days as receptionist and volunteer coordinator at Earth Island Institute in the early nineties. Frank had the opportunity to travel with Earth Island’s Sea Turtle Restoration Project to accompany project staff in their field and community work near Mazunte, Mexico’s turtle hatching beaches. He is hoping to reconnect with his activist and non-profit sector roots by serving environmental organizations in an advisory capacity.

Wences Magun

Born on Bagabag Island, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, Wences has been working for the past 20 years to protect the rights of people and the environment in Papua New Guinea. Highlights of his career include serving as the Western Pacific Campaigner for the Sea Turtle Restoration Project (current), as an investigative journalist who exposed human rights violations for the Kiunga-Aiambak Road and Logging project, as a consultant to Conservation International’s Community Based Coastal and Marine Conservation Project in Milne Bay, and as Education Officer for World Widlife Fund’s Kikori Basin Project.

An impassioned leader, Wence has been instrumental in developing local NGOs including the Madang-based Women and Youth in Development, the Milne Bay Church Development Fund Association and most recently Mas Kagin Tapani. He lives in Port Moresby with his wife, son, and extended family.

Koa Pickering

Growing up in coastal Northern California, and with family roots in Hawai’i, Koa became an ocean lover at a young age. He spent countless hours of summer vacations body surfing and playing in the Pacific. To stay close to the coast in college, Koa earned his undergraduate degree in Fine Art from the University of California Santa Cruz. He then went on to graduate school in the East Coast, completing his Master in Landscape Architecture and Planning from Harvard University’s School of Design.

Koa lives in Marin County, California, and has been a practicing landscape architect for over ten years. When not working, Koa can usually be found in the ocean, somewhere along the Northern California coast, pursuing the elusive goal of surfing every day. He also enjoys terrestrial pursuits such as trail running, mushroom hunting, and even moonlighting in the kitchen at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, California.

Matt Quirie

Matt Quirie is currently Vice President of Marketing at TrialPay (www.trialpay.com).  Prior to TrialPay, Matt was Director of eCommerce for Roxio where he developed Roxio’s Global Affiliate Program, quadrupling revenue in less than a year. He then took the helm to run all online organic sales and partnership marketing. Prior to Roxio, Matt ran business development at IUMA and managed the business affairs for eMusic.com. Matt’s career began at Netscape where he worked in the Legal Department and in the Server Products Division. Matt holds a BA of History from Santa Clara University.

Matt’s interest in the environment began at an early age camping and hiking throughout the California Coastal areas with his Dad.  Today he and his family get out to nature as much as possible, enjoying the beauty of this world through camping, hiking and climbing.