Chapter Director · Ginaia Kelly

Contact: 831-359-7071 · ginaia@marinesanctuary.org

Ginaia Kelly is an accomplished nonprofit executive with more than 15 years of leadership experience in both global and local organizations. A passionate advocate for ocean conservation, she has lived near Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary for more than 25 years and dedicated much of that time to protecting its waters and wildlife.

Before founding and leading the Monterey Bay chapter of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation in 2018, Kelly served as Board Chair and Interim Executive Director of Save Our Shores, as well as Interim Executive Director of Save the Waves Foundation. She also previously led the Santa Cruz County Chapter of the American Red Cross and served as Director of Workforce Development Services for the County of Santa Cruz/Goodwill of Central Coast. Additionally, she has consulted for several marine conservation nonprofit start-ups.

Kelly holds a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara. She practiced law in Santa Cruz for many years before transitioning full-time to nonprofit leadership.

Deeply committed to the Monterey Bay community, Kelly and her family have volunteered for a variety of local organizations—including 23 years with the Ride A Wave organization, helping children with disabilities experience the joy of surfing in the sanctuary. A former competitive surfer and professional high diver, she now lives along the coast in Davenport with her husband and two sons.

She can still often be found in “board meetings” at Steamer’s Lane.

Development Assistant · Patricia Bose

Contact: pbose@marinesanctuary.org

Patricia grew up with Monterey Bay as the backdrop to many of her childhood adventures. After graduating from San Francisco State University, she spent several years managing health clinics and building corporate wellness programs in the San Francisco Bay Area. She then went on to manage operations for startups in the consumer-packaged goods and e-commerce marketing sectors in Texas and Oregon. After working and volunteering with nature-based organizations like Forest Park Conservancy and the Surfrider Foundation during her time in the Pacific Northwest, she realized her mission of environmental protection and conservation, in any capacity, extended to the same waters and coastline she knows best. Patricia is happy to be back home in Monterey and is committed to continuing this mission alongside the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the community that raised her.

Outside of the office, you can find Patricia running the Monterey Bay Coastal rec trail or through the Forest of Nisene Marks, planning her next backpacking trip, or hanging out with her dogs, Cooper and Caramel.

Executive Operations Coordinator · Corinne Cuozzo

Contact: ccuozzo@marinesanctuary.org

Having recently relocated from the East Coast, Corinne is delighted to dive deeply into her new community and support a local cause with global impact. Joining the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to support the passionate individuals dedicated to preserving our coastal environment and protecting local marine life. Always drawn to the ocean, and now to Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay area, embracing this cause has deepened her appreciation for the region’s unique natural beauty and has underscored the importance of community-driven conservation efforts. Corinne’s dynamic background spans creative design work and high-level operations and administration, with experience in big tech and the hospitality industry in New York City and Paris.

Leon E. Panetta (Co-Chair)

Secretary Leon Panetta is the chairman of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy, The Panetta Institute provides a variety of study opportunities in government, politics and public policy for the California University System. Secretary Panetta has had a fifty-year career in public service at the highest levels of Government. He served in the Obama Administration first as CIA Director and then as Secretary of Defense from 2009-2013.

Prior to 1997 when he co-founded the Panetta Institute with his wife Sylvia Panetta, he served from 1993-1997 in the Clinton Administration as director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and later was appointed White House chief of staff. Elected to Congress in 1976, Secretary Panetta represented the California Central Coast district for 16 years and led in the creation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

He chronicles his life in public service in his best-selling memoir Worthy Fights, which was published in the fall of 2014.

Hilary Bryant (Co-Chair)

Hilary Bryant is Co-founder and Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Buoy Labs, a startup that is working to optimize the way we use water. She was a member of the Santa Cruz City Council from 2010-2014, and served as Mayor in 2013. Hilary and her husband, David Shuman, own Westside Animal Hospital. She also serves on the boards of the Digital NEST, Coastal Watershed Council, Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary. A U.C. Santa Cruz graduate, she earned her B.A. in Biology and enjoys competing in triathlons, biking, surfing and trying to keep up with her two kids.

Gordon E. Eubanks, Jr. (Treasurer)

From April 1999 to March 2005 Eubanks served as president and CEO of Oblix, Inc. Eubanks managed the company’s rapid growth and established its position as the industry’s leading provider of enterprise identity management solutions.  In March 2005 Oblix was sold to Oracle Corporation. Since 2005 he has been doing private investing and working with startup companies.

From 1984 to 1999, Eubanks was president and chief executive officer of Symantec Corporation (NASDAQ: SYMC).  Under his leadership, Symantec evolved into one of the world’s most prominent security software companies.

Eubanks has been active in the philatelic community over the last 15 years currently serving on the board of the Classics Society and is a member of the Collectors Club of New York, the Royal Philatelic Society and other organizations.  He also served on the board of the Philatelic Foundation for two years.  His exhibits have received top national and international awards.

Eubanks received his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Oklahoma State University (1968) and his Master’s degree in Computer Science from the Naval Postgraduate School (1976) in Monterey, California. Eubanks was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy, serving in the nuclear submarine force from 1970 to 1979. In 2005, Eubanks was elected to the Hall of Fame of the Oklahoma State University Engineering School.  Eubanks served for ten years on the board of public company Concur Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNQR).

Eubanks serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Monterey County, The Panetta Institute of Public Policy, and The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. He lives in the Carmel area with his wife Ronda.

Dan Haifley (Secretary)

Dan Haifley served as the first director of Save Our Shores from 1986 to 1993, where he spearheaded 26 local ordinances aimed at onshore facilities for offshore oil and led the campaign for the largest boundary for Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. He worked for the California State Senate and in private industry, and was the first director of O’Neill Sea Odyssey, the free, ocean-going science education program for mostly lower income elementary school students, from 1999-2019. He began the Santa Cruz Sentinel’s Our Ocean Backyard column, alternating with Gary Griggs from 2008-2019. He still writes for publications and produces KSQD FM’s weekly Ocean Report.

He serves as Chair of the Catamaran Literary Reader Board of Directors and Secretary for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Board of Directors, advised the campaign to establish Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, and just completed a $1 million fundraising campaign for the Treasure Cove universally accessible playground in Capitola. He and his wife Rebecca have a disabled adult daughter and a son and daughter in law, and are expecting their first grandchild in 2025.

Ted J. Balestreri

Ted Balesteri is founding CEO and chairman of the Cannery Row Company, Sardine Factory Restaurant, and Inns of Monterey, overseeing enterprises that attract more than six million visitors each year to the Monterey Peninsula. With over 50 years of demonstrated business leadership and board service, Mr. Balestreri has advised on matters of economic strategy to industry, non-profit, and government bodies at local, state, and national levels.

Mr. Balestreri is actively engaged on the boards of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County, Rancho Cielo Youth Campus, Stevenson School, and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. He has been very philanthropic toward these organizations, hosting the Ted J. Balestreri Leadership Classic at the Pebble Beach Resorts. He served as a commissioner with the California Travel and Tourism Commission from 1985 to 2007. He and his wife, Velma, live on the Monterey Peninsula.

Danny Bernstein

Danny Bernstein is the CEO of the Reservoir, a company that supports early-stage innovation in agriculture, sustainability, and working lands. Through hands-on R&D facilities across California—including farms, labs, and engineering shops—the Reservoir helps startups accelerate technology development with real-world impact. Danny also serves as Managing Partner of Reservoir Ventures, a mission-aligned venture fund. His work is focused on building durable economic and environmental outcomes in underinvested regions of the state. Before founding the Reservoir, Danny held executive roles at Google, Microsoft, and Meebo, which was acquired by Google in 2012.

His involvement with the Sanctuary reflects his commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability — values that align closely with his work in ag-tech and supporting solutions for future generations. He lives in Carmel Valley with his wife, two children, and puppy, River.

Nova Covington

Nova Covington is the CEO of One Planet Brands, a private label manufacturing company headquartered in Santa Cruz, California.

Nova Covington was formerly the founder and CEO of Goddess Garden, the leading reef-safe sunscreen brand from 2004-2023. As a mom who was inspired to create better skincare products for her baby daughter, Nova’s passion for healthy, natural body care products grew Goddess Garden to a nationally distributed brand in over 25,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada.

Nova has an Bachelor’s of Arts from Oregon State University in Speech Communication and began her career at Hewlett-Packard in Leadership Development. She later received her Master’s Degree from the University of Denver in International Business and International Communications.

In addition to managing a growing skincare brand, Nova also started a non-profit called Protect Our Mother in 2016, an ocean protection foundation focused on protecting ocean mammal habitat and preserving our beautiful, and vitally important, coral reefs. POM helped support the 2017 Hawai’i bill banning chemical sunscreens in the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

In 2018, Nova joined the Board of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. She was also an elected Board member on the NOAA Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Citizen Advisory Board as the alternate Business Chair in 2025.

Sam Farr

Congressman Sam Farr is fifth-generation Californian who grew up in the Monterey Bay region. Farr represented the Monterey Bay region in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 until his retirement in 2016. During his tenure, he was recognized as a leader in legislative efforts for educational excellence, environmental protection and economic development. Farr authored the legislation creating Pinnacles National Park and led Congressional efforts to have President Clinton designate the California Coastal National Monument in 2000. He also led efforts to designate federal lands at the former Fort Ord Army Base as a national monument status and create a coastal state park.

Farr has long been an advocate for our oceans. He is an original co-chair of the bipartisan House Oceans Caucus, and wrote the legislation to establish a National Ocean Policy. In 1980, he was elected to the California State Assembly, where he was known for writing one of the nation’s strictest oil spill liability laws. During his tenure in the state assembly, Farr worked with then-Congressman Leon Panetta and the late Senator Henry Miller in creating the Monterey Bay National Maine Sanctuary. Farr first held elective office when he became a Monterey County Supervisor in 1975. Farr and his wife Shary are longtime residents of Carmel.

Fred Keeley

Yvette Lopez Brooks

Yvette Lopez Brooks is CEO of United Way of Santa Cruz County and former two-term Mayor and City Councilmember of Capitola, where she made history as the city’s first Latina Mayor. A passionate advocate for equity and opportunity, she has dedicated her career to education, public service, and nonprofit leadership.

Before joining United Way, Yvette spent over a decade with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and led the nonprofit Your Future Is Our Business, connecting youth to career pathways. Her policy leadership in Capitola included initiatives supporting inclusive governance, LGBTQ+ visibility, youth empowerment, and infrastructure improvements for environmental resilience.

A longtime resident of Capitola and UCSC alumna, Yvette brings a deep commitment to community collaboration and environmental stewardship. She serves on the board of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation to help ensure future generations inherit a thriving ocean and a healthy Central Coast.

Martine Watkins

Martine Watkins serves as the Senior Manager of Local Government and Business Affairs at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and is a former Mayor and two-term Santa Cruz City Councilmember. With a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from CSU Monterey Bay and the Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute of Public Policy, Martine has spent her career advancing policy solutions that center equity, environmental sustainability, and community health.

She has led successful city of Santa Cruz and regional efforts, including the adoption of a Health in All Policies framework, the creation of a local dedicated Children’s Fund, and policies supporting climate resilience and public health—such as sugar-sweetened beverage taxes and tobacco prevention measures. Martine’s leadership is rooted in collaborative problem-solving, strong regional partnerships, and a commitment to long-term systems change.

Her passion for ocean conservation and climate adaptation is reflected in her work at the Aquarium, where she leads government engagement across the Central Coast, and through her service on regional boards that protect and uplift the Monterey Bay and surrounding communities.

Lisa Wooninck (Ex Officio, Superintendent MBNMS)

Joel Johnson (Ex Officio, President and CEO)

Joel R. Johnson is an award-winning, executive conservation leader who was most recently Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation working on the global biodiversity extinction crisis and promoting the hopeful solution of Half-Earth. He was previously a co-founder in Admirable Devil from 2016 – 2020, an award-winning marketing firm based in Washington, DC with clients including Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, The Orvis Company, and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company among others. 

Joel was Chief Marketing Officer at the nation’s largest and oldest coldwater conservation organization, Trout Unlimited from 2014 – 2016 and Senior Vice President of Strategy at GMMB, the preeminent advocacy and public affairs firm.  He has led brand strategy at advertising agencies in Chicago, New York, and London, including Spike Lee’s ad agency, Spike DDB, where he created iconic campaigns for the NBA, Pepsi, and MLB. 

He lives outside Washington, DC, is a married father, has fly-fished over 50 of America’s rivers, and has been his family’s historian for nearly 20 years. He is a graduate of Northwestern University and Swarthmore College. 

Christina Sandera (In Memoriam)

Christina Sandera served on our Board of Directors with deep personal commitment until her sudden passing in July 2024. A passionate animal advocate, Christina was instrumental in opening doors and forging connections—most notably bringing in the support of her partner, Clint Eastwood, making possible some of our most impactful events. Her legacy lives on through the Christina Sandera Memorial Fund, established to support the causes she cared about most. Learn more.