Our CREW

Leadership Team

 

Pete Malinowski
Executive Director

Pete Malinowski grew up farming oysters with his parents and siblings on the Fishers Island Oyster Farm. His passion for the environment and

education led him to the New York Harbor School, where he founded the school’s Aquaculture and Oyster Restoration Programs and spent five years as a teacher. This work at Harbor School led to the development of Billion Oyster Project in 2014. Pete spends as much of his free time as possible on the water or in the woods with his three children Adrian, Maxwell and Daisy.

Katie Mosher
Senior Director of Programs

Katie oversees a team of 29 specialists and project managers who have the shared goal of restoring oyster reefs to New York Harbor through public

education initiatives. Mosher began piloting urban oyster restoration projects in New York Harbor in 2007 with local NGO and education partners, including the New York Harbor School. Mosher was the Project Manager for several small and large-scale restoration projects in New York Harbor including the multi-site Oyster Restoration Research Project (2009 - 2012), a six-acre reef project near the Mario Cuomo Bridge (2015 - 2019), and a one-acre project in Jamaica Bay (2016 - 2018). Most recently as Director of Restoration, Mosher’s team completed the installation of five acres of reef habitat in the Bronx River (2020). Since 2015, Mosher has led teams specializing in permitting, fabrication, and installation of reef structures, production of oysters, monitoring and research collaborations, and grant management. Mosher holds a B.A. from Syracuse University, an M.S. from Green Mountain College, and a professional certificate in Conservation Biology from Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation.

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Vicky Maronilla
Director of Finance & Operations

Vicky grew up in Manila, Philippines but had short-term assignments in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the Netherlands prior to moving in New York.

She has 25 years experience in Finance, Contracting and Procurement & HR working with global teams in Production B.V & Shell Exploration. Now with BOP, she's much more connected to shells, but now it's all about oyster shells! Vicky loves to learn new things from the diverse work environment, culture and people with diverse knowledge and experience. An avid tennis player she loves traveling & spending time with family and friends over tapas and happy hour drinks. Reading minds would be her superpower because I like to know what ideas go on great minds.

Brian Reagor
Director of Development & Communications

Brian's journey to Billion Oyster Project began with his passion for history and an understanding of New York harbor's unique ability to connect communities

with their collective past and shared future. Through the waterway, he sees the ultimate example of equality and shared space. As Development Director, he leads a dynamic team of fundraising and communications professionals who seek to foster that deeper engagement: connecting philanthropists, advocates, and the community through BOP's programming. In addition to spending time with his family, Brian is a fervent Liverpool FC supporter in his spare time.

 

Robina Taliaferrow
Director of Community Engagement

Robina oversees a diverse range of programs, including public volunteers, field stations, community science, and public outreach. With over 15

years of experience in leading and supervising teams in the corporate sector, Robina brings invaluable expertise to her work at Billion Oyster Project. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Robina brings a deep-rooted connection to the local environment and community. With a background in client relations and a B.A. in Communications from Hunter College, City University of New York, she transitioned from the private sector to join BOP in 2013, when it was known as the New York Harbor Foundation. In 2017, recognizing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, she led the establishment of a policy and committee dedicated to advancing these principles within Billion Oyster Project.

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Ann Fraioli
Director of Education

As a founding teacher of New York Harbor School, Ann brings her knowledge of field science and love of teaching to the Billion Oyster Project.

When she's not in the classroom or at the water's edge educating others, you will find her enjoying the outdoors and spending time with her son, Theo. Ann is a pathfinder currently working to expand harbor literacy through the development of new Harbor Schools focused on the marine environment and careers.

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Carolyn Khoury
Director of Restoration

Mike McCann
Director of Science & Research

Carolyn's lifelong passion for marine and estuarine conservation drives her to develop creative solutions to the unique challenges faced by an urban estuary

like New York Harbor. Prior to moving to New York City in 2016, she spent ten years in California gaining experience in marine and coastal resource protection. Carolyn graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in Environmental Studies, and from the University of San Francisco with a Master of Science in Environmental Management, with an emphasis in restoration ecology. Her Master's Project focused on strategies to restore native Olympia Oysters to Tomales Bay, CA.

Mike is a Ph.D. ecologist who loves plants and animals, data, effective communication, and well-run meetings. Before joining Billion Oyster Project,

he worked for The Nature Conservancy for over eight years. Mike received his doctorate from Stony Brook University in 2015 and has done research on snail teeth, the diets of marsh fish, and the world's smallest flowering plants.

 
 

The Crew

Johnny Anderson
Fabrication Manager

Johnny is a Harbor School graduate, and his passion for helping natural and human ecosystems led him back to Billion Oyster Project. Our oyster reef

restoration wouldn’t be possible without Johnny, as he leads volunteers in helping to construct oyster reef structures that end up in the water across NY Harbor. In his free time, Johnny enjoys fixing and riding bikes. He is a native New Yorker and grew up in Brownsville, NY.

Charlotte Boesch
Shell Collection Program Manager

Charlotte is passionate about creating a more sustainable and equitable food system, and happy to work at an organization that reuses restaurant

waste in NYC to help restore our local bodies of waters. She grew up in Putnam County, New York, where she fell in love with the outdoors and the beautiful Hudson Valley! If Charlotte had a superpower she would choose teleportation, so she could travel to her favorite place — Portland, Maine — every weekend!

Natalia Cano
Executive Assistant

Natalia is an administrative professional with a bachelor's in Environmental Policy and Management. Her goal is to help create a more sustainable and

equitable future for our youth, where communities can coincide a thriving and protected estuary. When she’s not helping drive our executive initiatives, she loves eating hot pot and spending time with her family.

Eli Caref
Teaching & Curriculum Specialist

Eli Caref is a Brooklyn native who found her way to New York Harbor while getting her Masters in Environmental Conservation Education at NYU.

She has spent most of the last decade teaching field trips on and around the Hudson River in New York City and Yonkers. After reaching more than 15,000 students, she is excited to focus more on writing curriculum and professional development with teachers. While her favorite Harbor organism used to be the lined seahorse, now she thinks it's probably the oyster toadfish. She also really loves oysters, for both education and eating.

 
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Mari-len Clemente
Senior Accounting/HR Analyst

Mari-len grew up in both the Philippines and San Francisco. She’s a world traveler, history lover, lucid dreamer, and overall adventurer who loves exploring

both local and international spots, from photographing NYC landscapes to visiting the filming location for Cersei’s “shame” walk from Game of Thrones in Croatia. Her favorite thing about BOP are all the people who are so passionate about what they do!

Cate Collinson
Permitting Project Manager

Cate came to New York City by way of Vancouver, Canada. She brings with her a passion for nature based solutions and ecological restoration having been

in environmental consulting for 9 years. Cate is a Professional Biologist (ASPB) and graduated from Bishop’s University with a BA in Environmental Studies before specializing in aquatic and terrestrial restoration with a Post-graduate Certificate in Ecosystem Restoration from Niagara College. She is currently pursuing an MSc in Environment and Management at Royal Roads University. When she isn’t working or studying, Cate is enjoying seasonal outdoor activities or obsessing over her truffle hunting dog, Arlo.

Mike Cohen
Partnership Manager

A life-long New Yorker, Mike has captained vessels in the harbor and up and down the Eastern Seaboard for several decades. In his current role as

Harbor School/BOP Partnership Manager, Mike develops and maintains relationships with industry partners that provide work-based learning (WBL) opportunities to Harbor School students. Mike works closely with Harbor School’s administration and CTE faculty, as well as with city and state agencies like EDC, DOT, the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Port Authority to identify career pathways in marine STEM fields for NYC youth.

Mallory Easton
Teaching & Curriculum Specialist

After long admiring Billion Oyster Project from afar, Mallory transitioned from 12 years as a classroom science teacher to Teaching and Curriculum

Specialist at Billion Oyster Project. She is inspired by young people's questions and curiosity, and passionate about supporting teachers in creating fun and engaging learning experiences. She admittedly doesn't like to eat oysters, but does love hiking, cooking and watching Survivor.

 

Casey Fogarty
Operations Manager

Casey has always been overjoyed to work in and around New York Harbor's marine industry. He began his education at the New York Harbor School

and continued at SUNY Maritime, where he completed both his undergraduate and graduate degrees with a concentration on International Transportation and Trade Management. Casey is a native and lifelong resident of Staten Island who adores everything there is to know and appreciate about New York City and the water that surrounds the city.

Zoë Greenberg
Assistant Dive Safety Officer

Zoë grew up in Brooklyn, traveled the world working underwater, and ended up back in Boerum Hill doing what she loves right here

at home in NYC. She wanted to live beneath the waves as a kid and is now diving as our own BOP mermaid, paving the way for future merpeople.

Inca Gunter
Public Volunteer Coordinator

Inca was born in Canada, but grew up in one of the hidden gems of the Pacific Northwest – Beaverton, Oregon. During her undergraduate studies at the

University of British Columbia, Inca focused on geography, environmental systems, and urban critical theory. She also became extracurricularly involved with community gardening which led to her interest in work concerning food systems and mutual aid — eventually co-founding Beaverton Food Project, a volunteer operated community aid network in her hometown. Inca’s work and experience with volunteer coordination, alongside her passion for activating the restorative potential of liminal spaces led her to Billion Oyster Project.

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Matthew Haiken
Institutional Funding Officer

Matthew grew up sailing on Long Island Sound and practiced law for 15 years before joining BOP in 2010. He currently serves as Institutional Funding

Officer. Matthew is inspired by the chance to provide young people in New York City with opportunities to explore the waters that surround them and to consider career pathways in marine STEM fields.

 

Cody Herrmann
Senior Community Science Coordinator

Cody is an artist, community organizer, and lifelong resident of Flushing, Queens. Inspired by lack of waterfront access and disproportionately

high levels of sewage pollution in her neighborhood, Cody began combining socially engaged art, political advocacy, and community science to create participatory art works and public programs focused on NYC's harbor in 2014.

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Montana Jernigan
Individual Giving Officer

Growing up on the Florida coast, Montana always had a passion for marine life. As a masters student at the College of Charleston, Montana began

her career by teaching environmental geology to undergraduates and creating professional development curriculum to teach middle school teaches about marine debris. Today, at BOP, Montana has translated these passions and skills into her role as a member of the development team!

Natalie Kim
Restoration Field Technician

Natalie grew up in Acton, Massachusetts where her love for the environment and waterways began. After coming to NYC to attend Pace

University, Natalie completed an internship at Billion Oyster Project in 2020. In 2021, she graduated from Pace with majors in Environmental Studies and Peace & Justice Studies. Natalie has also worked at multiple environmental organizations based in NYC including Prospect Park Alliance, Hudson River Park, and the New York Aquarium. Through these jobs, she was able to hone her field work experience before joining Billion Oyster Project full-time in 2023. In her free time, Natalie enjoys spending time with her friends and family and attending Broadway shows.

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Giovanna Kupiec
Senior Communications Coordinator

Giovanna is a native New Yorker, avid oyster eater, and passionate campaigner with a deep love for New York ecology. Her background in Marine

ecology and the restaurant industry showed her the power oysters have to connect people with their waterways. Catch her engaging on social media, cracking jokes, or finding the perfect wine and oyster pairings in her free time.

 
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Briana Leddy
Field Station Coordinator

Briana grew up boating, fishing, and swimming in the waters of the Chesapeake bay. She has over ten years experience teaching and working with

children in both Maryland and Brooklyn. Briana is passionate about marine life and the environment, always thrilled to learn from and share with others. She enjoys spending time at the beach, trading playlists, going to shows, eating and cooking Japanese food, and perpetually hunting for sweet treats.

Ben LoGuidice
Oyster Production Program Manager

Ben's loves for the outdoors comes through growing up fishing on Long Island Sound. Following a dream to get a Marine Biology degree from

Roger Williams University, Ben has turned his love for the water into a career.

Marc Melendez
Waterfront Director

Marc is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn. After graduating from the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School's Vessel Ops

Program in 2012, Marc spent seven years sailing around the world! Marc's vast experience on the water means Billion Oyster Project's fleet of vessels is in good hands. Marc's love for boats doesn't end with the work day. He loves sailing and is out catching wind whenever he gets the chance.

Jessi Olsen
Corporate Partnerships Manager

Jessi is a musician, community organizer and lifelong New Yorker, raised in Nyack, NY, just up the Hudson River. She joins Billion Oyster Project as

Project as Corporate Partnerships Manager by way of a professional career steered by her passion for developing strategic partnerships, bridging communities in and around NYC non-profit organizations. Jessi is delighted to be working alongside the incredible team at BOP to foster new generations of Harbor advocates.

 

Alicia Halpin Ortiz
Education Outreach Coordinator

Alicia was raised in New York City and has always loved exploring the urban and natural environment surrounding her. With hopes of sharing this

excitement effectively, she has worked with numerous environmental organizations in New York and Philadelphia and earned a Masters degree in Science Education. Throughout her career so far, Alicia has been able to work with thousands of students in an effort to support accessible programming, to continue building connections between people and the natural world, and to help foster curious stewards.

Gabriel Peterson
Waterfront Manager

Gabriel grew up in Wisconsin where he fell in love with the water on the Great Lakes. He moved to New York after finishing a degree in saxophone

performance and has been working as a professional mariner on the East Coast for the past several years. When he’s not on BOP’s fleet, you can find him messing about on other boats, riding bicycles, and playing saxophones.

Thay-Ling Moya Perez
Restoration Project Manager

Thay-Ling (she/they) has a lifelong passion for promoting conservation in BIPOC communities, learning about the ancestral knowledge of local natural

environments, and diversifying science as a field. Thay-Ling graduated with a B.S. in Marine Vertebrate Biology from S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook then completed 5 years of graduate studies at the University of Puerto Rico- Mayagüez where she studied coral reef ecology and coastal ecosystem restoration. Part of her previous work focused on water quality, climate disaster emergency management and community education, and coastal ecosystem reconstruction and restoration post Huracán Maria. In her free time she enjoys dancing, the craft of sewing, and ranting to new people she meets about coral reefs and the seahorses in the Harbor.

Zeke King Phillips
Community Stewardship Coordinator

Zeke grew up in (mostly) land-locked Pennsylvania, but always dreamed of becoming a marine biologist. He studied geosciences in college,

focusing on paleontology, and is currently working on a graduate degree in geosciences, ecology, and climate science. He’s also interested science-focused public outreach and community engagement, and is super excited to be involved with community science

 
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Agata Poniatowski
Public Outreach Manager

Agata Poniatowski is the Outreach and Engagement Manager at the Billion Oyster Project. Agata leads organizing, logistical planning, and execution

of public programs and workshops for adult and youth audiences. Additionally, she oversees seasonal hires and interns. Agata is responsible for the implementation and completion of grant deliverables, reports, and metrics. She graduated with a B.S in Sustainable Development and Natural Resource Management through the CUNY BA program. In the past, she interned with WWF Bhutan, WCS in Coney Island and Organization for Aquatic Resource Management in the Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka. When Agata learned the definition of endangered in elementary school, the Long Island, New York native immediately knew her answer to that recurring question: what do you want to be when you grow up? From founding a Save the Pandas club at school to taking her passion into adulthood by interning for several companies like WCS Water Quality Lab, World Cares Center Inc. Outreach, and WWF Freshwater in the Living Himalayas, Agata’s professional trajectory was always met with purpose and intention. Agata began her work at Billion Oyster Project as a summer fellow.

Emily Roan
Remote Setting Technician

Emily was raised as a military brat who wavers between being “from” Wichita KS and Central TX with additional ties to the Florida/Georgia line and Maine.

After short stints in Cordova AK, Buhl ID, and the Hudson Valley. Emily and her wife Darla now call Queens home. Having received a BS in Aquatic Biology from Texas State University and a Masters of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences from the University of Florida, she joins Billion Oyster Project to further her commitment to fostering the relationship between urban populations and their aquatic neighbors through education and restoration. She is proud of her background as an AmeriCorps alumni, community college graduate, and Army veteran. Emily's favorite bodies of water in addition to the greater Harbor area are the Laguna Madre, Chenega Bay, the Guadalupe River, San Marcos Springs, Hamilton Pool, the Penobscot River, the Sewanee River, Balmorhea Springs, Lake Travis, and the variety of creeks located in the Edwards Aquifer region.

Illusion Rivera
Field Station Manager

Illusion is a proud New Yorker and New York Harbor School alumna with a passion for ocean life and environmental justice. She has spent

her life enjoying the natural world and bringing people together to protect it. Her dedication in restoring marine life and protecting natural resources led her to pursue a Master's in Marine Conservation and Policy from Stony Brook University. Today, she brings a number of skills to the team as a Field Station Manager.

Ashley Rodriguez
Public Volunteer Coordinator

Ashley is a public volunteer coordinator at The Billion Oyster Project and proud Harbor School alumn. After graduating from the New York Harbor school in

2020 as part of the Professional Diving team she decided to pursue a degree in Marine Biology at Hawaii Pacific University. While living in Hawaii she took part in leading beach cleanups with the community as a way to give back and spread social awareness. At work she’s on site at our shell pile on Governors Island leading volunteer events, while outside of work she spends her time drawing. She’s always had a passion for both art and marine science and enjoys using her background in Marine biology by creating oceanic themed art both to educate and entertain. While also being an avid shell collector, working at BOP her collection has grown quite a bit!

 

Shinara Sunderlal
Education Outreach Manager

Shinara is an environmental educator and considers herself a global citizen. She grew up in New Delhi, India and has spent the last 10 years living

and learning in England, Costa Rica, California, and New York. Her passion for exploring the environment started in her suburban backyard and led her to experiences with Greenpeace, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. She quickly realized that her impact on creating a more sustainable tomorrow would be minimal if she didn't combine her curiosity for the natural world with her passion for working with children, to educate the next generation of stewards. This led her to pursue a MA at the New York University and continue working to protect the local landscape through building communities around ecological solutions that oysters bring. Shinara is also an avid birder, Indian classical singer, and a budding photographer @WildlifEducashin

Tanasia Swift
Assistant Director of Community Engagement

Tanasia’s love for the remote green & vast blue in and among her concrete jungle started before she even made it to The Harbor School. Since graduating,

she’s kept her promise of change through action and now leads efforts to install oyster reefs throughout the 5 boroughs. Legend has it that she once knitted an entire oyster reef before permits arrived for an actual install.

Joshua Taliaferrow
Fabrication Technician

Joshua was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He’s a Harbor School alumni who later pursued a degree in Information Systems

Technology. He has always been interested in programming and loves hands-on activities - two passions he combined through Harbor School's Ocean Engineering CTE. In his free time, he enjoys learning how to master his latest obsession - snowboarding.

Gail Tierney
Senior Corporate Volunteer Coordinator

Gail comes to Billion Oyster Project from a background in comedy, eco-theatre, community organizing, peace and conflict studies, disability justice,

and small-scale regenerative agriculture. With their own multi-disciplinary approach to climate work, Gail values hearing stories from people in all different disciplines. They think that laughter is the secret sauce, that squirrels know something we should really decipher, and that an uncomfortable, failure-filled, and collectively transformative future is well within our reach. Also, very importantly, seaweed is the coolest, and that’s a stone cold fact.

 
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Kristin Schreiber
Teaching & Curriculum Specialist

Isabella Torres
Field Station Coordinator

Isabella was born and raised in Queens, New York, and often spent her childhood visiting the Rockaways and Florida beaches where she collected

buckets of dried coral and sea shells. Her love for the ocean drove her to attend the New York Harbor School and pursue her bachelor's degree in Marine Geoscience at Eckerd College in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Now she is a field station coordinator, eager to connect the community to the harbor. During her free time, she loves trying different cuisines from all over the world, crocheting, attending concerts, and spending time with friends and family.

Specialist at Billion Oyster Project. She is inspired by young people's questions and curiosity, and passionate about supporting teachers in creating fun and engaging learning experiences. She admittedly doesn't like to eat oysters, but does love hiking, cooking and watching Survivor.

Jennifer Zhu
Marine Habitat Resource Specialist

Jenn is a native New Yorker with a passion for bivalves, coastal restoration and sustainability. Her love for bivalves started when she was conducting

undergraduate research on eastern oysters at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Her research expanded to ribbed mussels and salt marsh restoration when she moved back to the city to pursue her Biology PhD degree at The Graduate Center City University of New York and Baruch College.