OUR TEAM

Robert A. DiGiovanni, Jr. - Founder and Chief Scientist

Chief Scientist Robert A. DiGiovanni, Jr. is a nationally recognized expert in the field of marine mammal and sea turtle strandings.  He has responded to over 4,600 strandings and directed his team in various rescue and rehabilitation techniques, including the disentanglement of Leatherback sea turtles, animal transport, and post-rescue animal care. 

Rob has satellite tagged over 120 animals, including four species of seals, three species of dolphins, and four species of sea turtles.  He is presently serving as the principal investigator on aerial surveys conducted in the mid-Atlantic region, surveying the coastal waters from Virginia to Delaware, including the Chesapeake Bay, for sea turtles and marine mammals.  Additionally, he has coordinated the open water capture of two bottlenose dolphins in distress, and coordinated the first mass stranding response of common dolphins in New York. 

Rob is also working on developing and training a Specially Trained Animal Response Team (START) funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which integrates incident command system into the stranding network at an incident management team level. 

Rob lectures at both universities and community events about his first-hand experience with marine mammals and sea turtles.  

Email rdigiovanni@amseas.org

Kimberly Durham - Necropsy Program Coordinator and NYS Sea Turtle Stranding Coordinator

Kimberly Durham has worked within the field of marine mammal and sea turtle stranding investigations for twenty-six years. Her expertise and career interests include marine mammal and sea turtle pathobiology, large whale mortality and serious injury investigations, zoonotic and infectious disease studies, and marine mammal and sea turtle education. 

Kimberly has extensive large whale necropsy experience and was appointed by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to serve as a North Atlantic Right whale necropsy team lead. She has conducted stranding investigations on over 100 large whale species and is a recognized large whale necropsy team lead for regional large whale mortality investigations. She also has extensive marine mammal and sea turtle anatomical and clinical expertise.  She has developed and implemented critical care treatments for injured and cold stunned sea turtles and infirmed pinniped and dolphin species.  She has extensive knowledge with marine mammal and sea turtle rehabilitation techniques and has lead the rehabilitation and subsequent release of two Risso’s dolphins, two bottlenose dolphins and two harbor porpoises. 

As an adjunct instructor at Stony Brook State University of New York, Kimberly lectures on the biology and conservation of sea turtles and pathobiology of marine mammals and sea turtles.  Kimberly is an outreach specialist and has provided lectures to 9-12, undergraduate, graduate and the public.   

Kimberly has been trained in the Incident Command System (ICS) and serves as a Logistics Section Chief (LSC) with the regional Specially Trained Animal Response Team (START) funded by the National Oceanic and Administration. 

email kdurham@amseas.org

Allison DePerte - Research Associate and Field Biologist
Allison DePerte graduated with a BA in Interdisciplinary Psychology/ Biology from Southampton College of Long Island University, and has been working in the marine mammal and sea turtle research and response community for the past 14 years. Throughout her career, she has performed aerial, shipboard and land based surveys for marine mammals and sea turtles, and managed data for multiple survey projects. She has assisted in the rehabilitation of seals, sea turtles, and dolphins, including the first Risso's dolphin that was released into US waters. Allison is trained as a Planning Section Chief and is active on the START team. Allison also develops and leads education outreach activities and enjoys interacting with students of all ages. 

Email adeperte@amseas.org

Sammi Chaves - Field Biologist and Educator

Sammi Chaves joined the AMSEAS team as a Field Biologist in December 2020. Having grown up on Martha’s Vineyard, she has always been humbled by the ocean. Sammi’s background in wildlife biology began back in 2012 when she had her first internship with Biodiversity Works on Martha’s Vineyard. Since then, she has interned with a variety of stranding organizations and other non-profits throughout the northeast, assisting with wildlife conservation, marine mammal stranding response, and marine animal rehabilitation. Sammi’s interest in marine science pushed her to pursue an undergraduate degree at Wheaton College where she majored in biology. Since joining the team, Sammi has enjoyed putting her prior rehabilitation skills to work caring for our cold-stunned sea turtle patients that were flown in from Massachusetts during the 2020 cold stun season.

EMAIL sightings@amseas.org

Helen Watrous - Field Biologist and Educator

Helen Watrous joined Atlantic Marine Conservation Society in September 2021. Helen knew from a young age that she wanted to be a marine biologist, having always loved marine animals. Helen graduated from Western Michigan University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. While at Western, she took advantage of opportunities to get closer to the water and study animals. She worked in a fisheries lab looking at fish morphometrics, took a marine mammal behavior class at the USM Gulf Coast Research Lab in Mississippi, and took a tropical biology class in Belize. After graduating, Helen spent a year working with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources conducting fish surveys and collaborating on a reef restoration project with The Nature Conservancy. She then attended graduate school at the University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science where she graduated with her Master of Professional Science (MPS) degree in Marine Conservation in August 2020. Helen interned with Mote Marine Laboratory from December 2019 – August 2020, where she worked in the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital and with the Stranding Investigations Program. She completed her master’s thesis while working with the Stranding Investigations Program, conducting a spatiotemporal analysis of sea turtle strandings in Sarasota, Florida from 2010 – 2019. Before joining AMSEAS, Helen also completed an internship with the International Fund for Animal Welfare where she assisted with stranding response, necropsies, hotline coverage, and data collection.

Email response@amseas.org

Lindsey Reisz - Education Coordinator

Lindsey Reisz joined the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society in January 2021 after completing her master’s research with Mote Marine Laboratory’s Stranding Investigations Program in Sarasota, Florida. Lindsey graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science with an emphasis in Biological Oceanography. Her undergraduate independent study focused on analyzing the nesting habits of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) on the Grecian Island of Zakynthos. Previously, Lindsey worked in the Florida Keys for various organizations that focus on educating and engaging with people of all ages about the marine environment and conservation. Additionally, she taught science in the Florida public school system for three years before attending graduate school at the University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Lindsey graduated with her Master of Professional Science (MPS) degree in Marine Mammal Science in December 2020. As a part of the MPS program requirements, Lindsey interned with Mote Marine Laboratory from May - December 2020, where she participated in stranding response, necropsies, and data collection and analysis. Her master’s thesis consisted of a spatiotemporal analysis of a decade worth of stranded sea turtles and human interactions data in Sarasota County and Longboat Key, Florida.

EMAIL EDUCATION@AMSEAS.ORG

Jennifer Scalo - Social Media Specialist 

Jennifer Scalo graduated from Stony Brook University, where she received a Master’s degree in Marine Conservation and Policy. From a young age, Jennifer’s passion for the marine environment blossomed. Growing up, she frequented the ocean with her family and began pursuing ecotourism and conservation advocacy during her free time. Before joining Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, she participated in a variety of field research projects, including tagging and collecting samples from Caribbean Reef Sharks for stable isotope analysis in Eleuthera, tagging and tracking black-backed gulls in New York, and completing health assessments of sea turtles in the Bahamas. She most recently completed research focused on the age structure and residency of humpback whales in the New York Bight using drone-based imagery. Jennifer is very excited to be surrounded by a team of hardworking scientists committed to promoting conservation of the marine environment. As she says, “I am so honored to work with an organization that embodies the values that I align with in my aspiration to become a marine mammal conservationist. I am constantly inspired by the dedicated individuals on the AMSEAS team and the members of the public that help us work to make a difference.”

EMAIL VOLUNTEERS@AMSEAS.ORG