OAEC's WATER Institute
Co-Director

Brock Dolman co-founded (in 1994) the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center where he co-directs the WATER Institute. A wildlife biologist and watershed ecologist, he has been actively promoting “Bringing Back Beaver in California” since the early 2000s. He was given the Salmonid Restoration Federation’s coveted Golden Pipe Award in 2012: “…for his leading role as a proponent of "working with beavers" to restore native habitat.

Carnivore Conservation Director
Project Coyote

Michelle Lute, Ph.D., a conservation scientist and advocate with 15 years’ experience in biodiversity conservation on public and private lands around the globe, is the Carnivore Conservation Director for Project Coyote overseeing the organization’s programs and campaigns across the country, helping promote human-wildlife coexistence through effective public engagement, equitable participatory processes and evidence-based decision-making. She began her career in the National Park Service, then worked for non-profits and held research positions at universities across the US, and most recently served as Wildlife Conservationist at the New Mexico State Land Office. Michelle has authored more than 30 publications in ecology and social science disciplines.

Director of the International Marine Mammal Project
Earth Island Institute

David Phillips, a biologist specialized in marine wildlife conservation and Director of Earth Island Institute’s International Marine Mammal Project, has also served as the Institute's Executive Director since its founding in 1982 and has played a leading role in building its network of activist projects. David has represented marine mammal conservation issues at international conventions, including the International Whaling Commission, and has testified before Congress. The U.N.’s Environment Programme granted him its Leadership Award in honor of his efforts to protect dolphins from indiscriminate fishing techniques. In 2009, he helped open the David Brower Center, a LEED Platinum-rated green building that serves as a hub for the environmental movement.

Editor
Earth Island Journal

Maureen Nandini Mitra is the Editor of Earth Island Journal, an award-winning, environmental magazine. In addition to her work at the Journal, she occasionally writes for other international publications and co-hosts Terra Verde, an environmental issues-themed talk show on KPFA public radio in Berkeley. Her work has appeared in the San Francisco Public Press, Grist, Truthout, The Guardian, The New Internationalist, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, among others.