Howard Garrett received his degree in Sociology from The Colorado College in 1980 and began his lifelong study of orca natural history with the Center for Whale Research in 1981. In 1995 he founded The Tokitae Foundation, dedicated to returning the orca Lolita to her native waters in the Pacific Northwest. He co-founded Orca Network in November 2001 with his wife Susan Berta and is currently the Board President

Fred Sharpe has been studying the foraging ecology of humpback whales in SE Alaska since 1987. He received his Ph.D. from Simon Fraser University and is currently a Co-Investigator with the Whale-SETI Study Team. Fred’s interest in conservation biology has led him to follow the whales south to their Hawaiian wintering to study their historical ecology and impacts from commercial whaling. He has been awarded the Fairfield Award for Innovative Marine Mammal Research and the Society for Marine Mammology’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Communication. Fred volunteers with NOAA as a large whale disentangler. He is a naturalist in the classical tradition and enjoys botanizing and conserving native grasslands. During his botany undergraduate days (University of Washington) he co-authored and illustrated Wild Plants of the San Juan Islands. After graduation, he continued his work in the archipelago and co-authored and illustrated Birding in the San Juan Islands.

Jared’s work primarily revolves around studying the movements, behaviour, abundance, and ecology of cetacean populations using direct observations and remote sensing technology. He typically spends over 100 days a year at sea conducting field research on killer whales in both hemispheres, but has also been involved in studies on minke, humpback, fin, sei, blue, grey, right and sperm whales in the North Pacific, South Atlantic, Indian, and Southern Oceans. Jared manages several killer whale population datasets, helps advise and direct a number of cetacean research and conservation organizations in North America, has published several scientific articles, and in addition to conducting conservation based field research also responds to cetacean incidents such as entanglements, entrapments, and strandings.

Brad Hanson joined the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in April of 2003. Previously, Brad worked as a Wildlife Biologist at the National Marine Mammal Laboratory in Seattle, WA. Brad received a Ph.D. from the University of Washington where he worked on the development of improved tag attachment systems for small cetaceans. He also holds an M.S. in Fisheries from the University of Washington and a B.A. in Zoology also from the University of Washington.

Current Research

Brad is an ecologist and is currently studying foraging and habitat use of Southern Resident killer whales and health assessment of harbor and Dall's porpoises.

Darren completed his BSc in Biology (1996-1999) and a Ph.D. in Behavioural Ecology (2000-2003) at the University of Leeds (UK). Since 2008 he has worked at the University of Exeter and was promoted to full Professor of Animal Behaviour in 2016. Darren has held key leadership and advisory roles at national and international organizations.

Darren’s research focuses on the ecology and evolution of group living. His joint work with the Center for Whale Research has examined how social factors contribute to survival and reproductive success in Southern Resident killer whales.

Tara was appointed by Gov. Jay Inslee as the state's orca recovery coordinator in May 2021. Before that she worked in salmon recovery at RCO and led the Salmon Section. Before that, she worked on aquatic planning and science at the Washington Departments of Ecology and Natural Resources. Tara received her bachelor of science degree in environmental science, policy, and management from the University of California at Berkeley and her master’s degree from The Evergreen State College in Olympia. She lived, taught, traveled, and worked overseas for several years, in Asia and Central and South America.

Kayeloni is an Indigenous woman from Spokane and Nez Perce Nations, growing up primarily in Idaho. Through her cultural ties, she was brought up with a strong connection to the many precious life sources including water, land and wildlife.

Prior to joining American Rivers in 2022, she served as the Communications Manager for the Nez Perce Tribe for five years. There she managed a majority of external and internal communications including media relations, public relations and acting as public information officer during emergencies. During that time, she was an integral part of the Salmon Orca Project, providing communications services as they related to the Lower Snake River and advocating for breaching of the four lower Snake River dams.