Board of Directors
Dr. Austin Gallagher
President, Founder, and Director
Austin@beneaththewaves.org
Austin is an integrative biologist who studies how threatened species cope with aspects of global change. His research focuses on apex predators, namely sharks, and their interactions with prey species as well as humans. He earned his PhD from the University of Miami where he worked on issues related to shark conservation and fisheries. An avid adventurer, Austin is always documenting his research and thinking about new ways to engage the public. His films often tell stories of society’s perceptions of nature, and they have engaged viewers from all walks of life at events around the world.
Dr. Erica Staaterman
Vice-President and Co-founder
Erica@beneaththewaves.org
Erica is a marine scientist who explores auditory scenes in the ocean: the clicks, chirps, and growls of a world that was once thought to be silent. A PhD Candidate at University of Miami, she examines the role of coral reef soundscapes in larval fish navigation. Erica is a naturalist at heart, and has been lucky enough to travel to many parts of the blue planet, always with a camera or hydrophone in hand. She is passionate about combining science and film, and has made several films, including “Sonic Reef,” a film which was awarded third prize in the National Science Foundation’s “Creating the Future” video contest.
Zachary Reichenbach
Treasurer
Zach@beneaththewaves.org
Zachary Reichenbach is Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and is Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). He is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland where he received his Bachelors degree in accounting and his MBA in finance. His professional experience includes providing business valuation and litigation services ranging from simple contract disputes to complex corporate litigation matters. Zach is an avid athlete who can be frequently found competing in ironman triathlons or skiing the mountains in Park City, Utah.
Film Collections Team
Ashwin Bhandiwad
Curator
Collections@beneaththewaves.org
As a Ph.D. student at the University of Washington, Ashwin studies peripheral auditory and visual processing in fishes. His passions for marine science and communicating his research often result in him not shutting up about how cool fish are. His first short documentary, ‘Shifting Sands’, portrayed the legal battles between recreational beach users and shorebird conservationists in North Carolina, and won ‘Best Student Film’ at the first Beneath the Waves Film Festival. He also begrudgingly enjoys freshwater ecosystems.
Betsy Mansfield
Film Submissions Manager
Betsy is a junior at Duke University studying Biology with a Marine Biology Concentration and a Certificate in Documentary Studies. Her love for the ocean started from a young age, and that love continues to grow everyday. Betsy hopes to one day to be able to combine her love of documentary photography and film, and marine biology to communicate the beauty of our oceans and the importance of conservation.
Festivals Team
Edward Pritchard
Director of Festivals
Festivals@beneaththewaves.org
A native of South Florida, Ed has fostered a love for the marine environment since an early age. Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Marine Affairs and Policy at the University of Miami, Ed’s ultimate goal is to work in the areas of wildlife conservation and management. Ed hopes to incorporate his research and conservation programs into effective outreach initiatives that promote community awareness and inspires the next generation of marine stewards.
Andrew Shantz
Scientific Meetings Coordinator
Scifestivals@beneaththewaves.org
Andy is a doctoral candidate at Florida International University studying how the physiology of organisms dictates their role in communities and environments, and how we can use this information to understand how humans are influencing marine ecosystems. Outside of research, he is deeply interested in education and public policy to bring science to a broader audience and raise awareness of the importance, value, and threats to our environmental resources. Andy is also a guest blogger for the Climate Change Ecology blog.
Enrique Quintero
Festivals Team Member
A World Champion Snipe sailor and sailing coach, Enrique has a profound love for the ocean. Born and raised in Miami, he is the Assistant Waterfront Director and Assistant Sailing coach at Ransom Everglades upper school. Enrique promotes the passion and beauty that the ocean holds through his mentoring as a coach. His connection with the ocean began at the age of seven when he began sailing. Through Beneath the Waves, he plans on making a difference in educating the sailing world and promoting a better understanding of the conservation of our oceans.
Dana Tricarico
Festivals Team Member
Whether scuba diving in the peaceful underwater world or swimming on the swim team at her alma mater, Siena College, Dana has been described as a ‘fish’ by nearly all who know her. Currently a Master’s student at the University of Miami in Marine Affairs and Policy, she hopes to work in conservation management with the goal of promoting ecotourism, encouraging sustainability and fostering an appreciation for the outdoors. Dana plans to use film along with other forms of outreach to increase community awareness regarding threats to our marine habitat in an effort to motivate people to channel their own inner ‘fish’.
Perri Moeller
Festivals Team Member
Perri has always loved the ocean from the time she was a baby and took her first steps on sand, until now while diving in reefs all over the world. She is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Miami studying for a double major in Marine Affairs and Policy and Ecosystem Science and Policy. Perri’s ultimate goal is to be able to work in conservation management and environmental education, teaching people about all the fascinating aspects of the environment that she herself gets so excited about. She also one day hopes to manage nature preserves and work on the conservation of lesser known but-ever-so-wonderful organisms that don’t get as much media attention as others.
Social Media and Marketing Team
Alexandria Warneke
Director of Social Media and Marketing
Socialmedia@beneaththewaves.org
Alex currently resides at the Science Outreach Coordinator for Cabrillo National Monument, where she inspires thousands a year to love the watery world. Alex earned her Masters degree in chemical ecology from San Diego State University investigating the effects of heavy metal pollutants on the chemical communication between organisms. Alex is a strong proponent of unconventional science communication and extending the broader impacts of her work to the general public. When she is not busy filming her next rap video, she can normally be found frolicking through the California kelp forest or blogging for Deep Sea News.
Elizabeth Henry
Social Media Coordinator
Elizabeth is a certified social media professional with 14 years of experience in marketing and overall lover of oceans. Her love of water and conservation comes from living in Arizona where there is none. The opportunity to work with Beneath the Waves presented itself on a trip to Miami to tag sharks with the University of Miami RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program.
Evelyn Lewis
Digital Media Specialist
Evelyn has had a passion for marine life from a very young age growing up all along the East Coast. She is an undergraduate at Old Dominion University studying Marine Biology, focusing on how changes in the ocean will affect the juvenile development of marine animals. She is also studying Digital Film with a focus on Documentaries. She has a passion for connecting her research, as well as the research of other marine scientists, to the general public in a way that inspires them to get involved with current marine and environmental issues.
Stephanie Mitchell
Graphic Design Specialist
Stephanie currently resides in the Mid West, but being raised in San Diego has made her a life long lover of the ocean and all her inhabitants! Design is her passion and she loves to push the boundaries of art and composition. When not drawing or painting you can find her playing with her puppy, or typing away on her computer.
David Shiffman
Social Media Consultant
David Shiffman is a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami’s Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy, where he studies the ecology and conservation of sharks. He is an active science communicator using social media and writing for the widely read blog Southern Fried Science.
Susan Gerrish
Director of Major Gifts
Susan@beneaththewaves.org
Susan came to Beneath the Waves Film Festival through her love of films, the oceans, and her passion for the environment. With a business background in sales and marketing she is spearheading fundraising efforts for Beneath the Waves Film Festival to engage and educate the public about the integrative being of our environment with ourselves and the ocean. Susan is leading major gift support to help bring this critically important film festival to educate as many people as possible about the state of the oceans.
Youth Making Ripples Team
Phillip Gravinese
Director of YMR and Development
Phil@beneaththewaves.org
Phil is a PhD Candidate at Florida Institute of Technology and his research focuses on the impacts of climate change scenarios on larval crustacean development and behavior. Phil also has over 6 years of teaching experience at the K-12 level. He has coupled his passion for science and outreach by creating films, designing educational lessons, and sharing his research with the community. Phil hopes that his work through Beneath the Waves and the Youth Making Ripples program will help promote ocean education and dismantle communication barriers between the scientific community and the public.
Lauren Toth
Director of YMR
Youthmakingripples@gmail.com
As a native of South Florida, Lauren became fascinated by the ocean at a very young age. Her interest in marine science brought her to the University of Miami where she pursued dual majors in Marine Biology and Film and to Florida Tech where she recently completed her PhD. Her dissertation and current post-doctoral research focuses on the impacts of climate change and oceanography on millennial-scale coral-reef development in the tropical eastern Pacific.
Allie Folcik
YMR Team Member
Allie is an undergraduate at Florida Institute of Technology majoring in conservation biology, with a minor in sustainability. Currently, she is an intern in the Crustacean Ecology laboratory and assists with ongoing ecological research projects. Allie worked with the Youth Making Ripples competition during its inaugural year and hopes to continue inspiring young people to conserve their local environments