The MERS Team

Meet Our Staff, Board, and Research Associates

• • Caitlin Birdsall

    Executive Director; Co-founder

    

    Caitlin Birdsall

    Executive Director; Co-founder

    Caitlin has been involved with MERS since the beginning, but only joined the team as staff in 2021. Her past experiences have allowed her to work as a manager, project coordinator, research assistant and naturalist in British Columbia, the Philippines and Australia. She is interested in creating practical tools that enable marine conservation and connecting people of all ages to oceans to inspire stewardship. Caitlin worked for Ocean Wise where she managed the North Coast Cetacean Research Initiative in Prince Rupert from 2014 to 2020 and the Ocean Wise Sightings Network from 2009-2013. She is also the founder of the North Coast Ecology Centre in Prince Rupert. She holds a BSc in Wildlife Biology from the University of Northern B.C. and is a certified Heritage Interpreter.

  • Nicole Doe

    Director of Operations

    

    Nicole Doe

    Director of Operations

    Nicole grew up in Edmonton, Alberta and fell in love with the west coast and marine life through spending childhood summers in Victoria, British Columbia. Nicole is motivated by work directed at mitigating interactions between people and life in the ocean. She holds a BSc in Biology and Ocean Sciences from the University of Victoria, a technical diploma in Fish, Wildlife and Recreation from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and currently, completing a GIS certificate through BCIT. Previously, she has worked as a Biology Technician for Parks Canada at the Saguenay – St. Lawrence Marine Park, Fisheries Technologist on Northern Vancouver Island and Retail and Visitor Experience Manager at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea.

  • Jackie Hildering

    Education & Communications Director; Co-founder

    

    Jackie Hildering

    Education & Communications Director; Co-founder

    Jackie taught in international schools in the Netherlands before returning to BC to work as a marine naturalist striving to create positive environmental change. In addition to her education / communications roles, she conducts Humpback Research for MERS and participates in whale research surveys with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. She uses her underwater photography and storytelling as “The Marine Detective” to increase awareness of the biodiversity, mystery and fragility of life in the northeast Pacific Ocean. On camera experience includes work with the BBC, PBS, and Animal Planet. See her award-winning website for more background. Jackie lives and learns in the Territories of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw (the Kwak̕wala-speaking Peoples). Photo credit: Andrew Topham.

  • Christie McMillan

    Science Lead; Co-founder

    

    Christie McMillan

    Science Lead; Co-founder

    Christie has studied Humpback Whales on both the east and west coasts of North America. She completed her Master’s degree at Simon Fraser University where she studied Humpback Whale prey and energetics. She spent two years disentangling whales with the Center for Coastal Studies’ Marine Animal Emergency Response Program. Along with being the MERS Science Lead, Christie works as an Aquatic Biologist for the DFO Cetacean Research Program, leading the CeMoRe project to monitor the seasonal abundance, distribution, and behaviour of cetaceans in the southern Salish Sea. She also worked for the DFO Species at Risk Program and conducted fieldwork on Humpback, Fin, and Killer Whales, Sea Otters, and other marine species at risk in BC.

  • Marieke Knierim

    Outreach & Office Coordinator

    

    Marieke Knierim

    Outreach & Office Coordinator

    Marieke has a deep connection to MERS’ core study area. She grew up near Echo Bay, a remote community in the heart of the Broughton Archipelago with more whales and other wildlife as neighbours than humans. After studying child psychology at the University of Victoria and working in the Vancouver Island North school district, she came to MERS to meld her love for education with her love of the sea. She has worked as a marine naturalist since 2015 and, right from the start, put great effort into documenting individual whales and contributing her data to MERS. She has spent her life on the coast, and is happiest out on the ocean and hiking through the forests of Vancouver Island.

  • Felicia Vachon

    Research Coordinator

    

    Felicia Vachon

    Research Coordinator

    Felicia is a marine mammal scientist interested in the interconnectedness of animal behaviour, social structure, culture, and conservation. She completed her PhD in the Whitehead lab at Dalhousie University studying Eastern Caribbean sperm whales and has contributed to projects on a wide variety of different cetacean species (sperm whales, killer whales, pilot whales, beaked whales, bottlenose dolphins), all around the world (Caribbean, Cape Breton, Newfoundland, Western Australia). Her love and passion for the ocean and its inhabitants have taken her from the East Coast to Vancouver Island where she is working to further our understanding and conservation efforts of marine mammals as a research coordinator for MERS.

  • Effie Korpershoek

    Communications Assistant

    

    Effie Korpershoek

    Communications Assistant

    Effie joined the team as Communications Assistant in 2024. After successfully obtaining certifications in outdoor education in both Canada and New Zealand, she returned to her home country of the Netherlands to explore her interest in storytelling. Here, she pursued academics in International Communications at Erasmus University Rotterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. During her studies, Effie focused on environmental issues and biodiversity management. Over the last few years, she has been combining her love for the natural world with her passion for storytelling, working as a content editor and writer for National Geographic Benelux and as a wildlife guide in British Columbia during the summer months. She knows a lot about Grizzly Bears! 

• Our Board of Directors

  • Leah Thorpe

    Board Chair; Co-founder

    

    Leah Thorpe

    Board Chair; Co-founder

    Leah is a marine educator who has worked as a biologist and naturalist for various organizations in British Columbia and the Gulf of Mexico. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology and geography from The University of Victoria and a Master’s degree in Environmental Education and Communications from Royal Roads University. Leah has worked closely with Cetacea Contracting to help collect, repair and reconstruct several whale skeletons including work on a Blue Whale skeleton for The University of British Columbia’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum. She was previously the Director of Communications and Education for Cetus Research & Conservation Society and is currently working at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea as the Director of Exhibits and Engagement.

  • Jake Etzkorn

    Vice-Chair

    

    Jake Etzkorn

    Vice-Chair

    Jake was raised on a lighthouse station on the west coast of Vancouver Island and has worked and played on and around the ocean most of his life. Jake spent several summers working for Cetus Research and Conservation Society as a warden at the Robson Bight (Michael Bigg) Ecological Reserve. He has also worked as a Marine Planner for Living Oceans Society, based out of Sointula, BC, where he contributed to planning for the Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area, the Marine Plan Partnership for the Pacific North Coast, and the Scott Islands Marine National Wildlife Area. He currently works as a Scientific Support Technician for the Hakai Institute, based on Quadra Island. He has an undergraduate degree in Biology from Vancouver Island University.

  • Anita Blakely

    Secretary

    

    Anita Blakely

    Secretary

    Anita Blakley grew up in Ontario and spent the summers fishing in the Great Lakes. After visiting grandparents on Vancouver Island, her love for marine animals was solidified. Anita holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Victoria. While at UVic, she completed five Co-op work terms at the Pacific Biological Station and attended classes at the Bamfield Marine Station. Anita joined LGL Limited – Environmental Research Associates in 1995 and has participated in a diversity of projects ranging from tagging salmonids to First Nations’ fisheries joint-management. Anita became a Registered Professional Biologist in 2003. In her off hours, she enjoys exploring the West Coast beaches with her family, cooking, and volunteering.

  • Don Gordon

    Treasurer

    

    Don Gordon

    Treasurer

    Don has worked for more than thirty years in the non-profit sector as a senior fundraising and management executive. Don has also served as a volunteer director with a number of nonprofit organizations and was a founding Governor of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance. Don is an avid scuba divemaster and amateur marine naturalist. He is a Certified Fundraising Executive, holds the National Certificate in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto.

  • Rhona Govender

    Member-at-Large

    

    Rhona Govender

    Member-at-Large

    Rhona first fell in love with the ocean as a child in South Africa exploring tide pools. This ultimately led her to work in marine ecology, including as a Marine Conservation Analyst with Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and as a steering committee member for SeaChoice. She has her M.Sc. in Zoology from UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries where she completed a global analysis of the contribution of small-scale fisheries, along with a B.Sc. in Animal Biology. She currently works for DFO. She can often be found at the dog beach making new four-legged friends and is still as excited now as when she was a kid exploring the intertidal and learning about nature.

• MERS Research Associates

  • Tasli Shaw

    Research Associate

    

    Tasli Shaw

    Research Associate

    Tasli is a MERS Research Associate in support of her work maintaining a sightings database and catalogue for Humpback Whales sighted in the Salish Sea (cataloguing effort began in 1997 by Mark Malleson). These efforts also contribute to the Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration. Tasli does further work processing whale research data for Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) – Humpback Whale data for the DFO CeMoRe Project and Bigg’s Killer Whale data for DFO’s long standing photo-ID project (in collaboration with Bay Cetology). She co-authored the most recent Bigg’s Killer Whale photo-identification catalogue and has over 11 years’ experience working on the Salish Sea as both a captain and naturalist.

  • Mark Sawyer and Ashley Hoyland

    Research Associates

    

    Mark Sawyer and Ashley Hoyland

    Research Associates

    Mark and Ashley are MERS Research Associates in support of their work to catalogue Humpback Whales off the west coast of Vancouver Island (“The Humpback Whales of Clayoquot & Barkley”). These sightings help inform the Canadian Pacific Humpback Collaboration. In addition to their work as MERS Research Associates, their Grey Whale sightings data contributes to monitoring efforts up and down the coast, and for this they are members of the Pacific Coast Feeding Group Consortium. Prior to moving to Canada in 2014, Mark and Ashley were both schoolteachers in the United Kingdom. They now educate visitors about the west coast, working as captains and naturalists in Clayoquot Sound since 2015. They are proud parents of Arthur, who loves being on the water almost as much as they do.

  • Ali Gladwell

    Research Associate; Graduate Student

    

    Ali Gladwell

    Research Associate; Graduate Student

    Ali is currently a graduate student at the University of Victoria with the Applied Conservation Science Lab. Her project is exploring boater behaviour around marine mammals around northeast Vancouver Island. The results will help guide MERS’ education efforts in the future regarding knowledge and compliance to the Marine Mammal Regulations and further best practices. Ali holds an undergraduate degree in Marine Biology from Dalhousie University, with a focus of population dynamics and monitoring of offshore seabird populations and Indigenous fishery management in the Maritimes. Her recent efforts include providing science communication and education to a wide variety of audiences. She lives in Victoria and gets out on the ocean or into the mountains as much as possible!

  • Joan Moreaux

    Research Associate; Graduate Student

    

    Joan Moreaux

    Research Associate; Graduate Student

    Joan is currently a Master’s student at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She holds two Bachelor’s degrees, one in Biological Sciences from UBC and one in Commerce from Concordia University. She also spent a semester at the Bamfield Marine Science Center. Originally from Montréal, Joan moved to the West Coast to follow her love of the ocean. Under the supervision of Dr. Villy Christensen and in collaboration with MERS, she is studying Humpback Whale prey consumption in British Columbia. In addition to her studies, Joan works as a science technician for Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Marine Mammal Conservation Physiology program where she participates in Humpback and Killer Whale research.