Officers of the Board
Lad Handelman, Co-Founder, is a long-time Santa Barbara resident who as a commercial fisherman/diver amassed over 10,000 hours underwater along California shorelines. He is the founder of two pioneering enterprises known for the development of subsea equipment and marine construction techniques, Cal Dive International and Oceaneering International—both now New York Stock Exchange companies. Having made his mark on the subsea industry in countless ways, including taking practical diving depths from 200´ to 3,000´, he is a legend in the commercial diving industry. Since losing the use of his body from the chest down as a result of a 1985 skiing accident, Lad has continued to sponsor and support projects and organizations that improve the quality of the ocean and its resources.
BRUCE ALLEN, Co-Founder, is a Consulting Physicist with 26 years experience in scientific and space systems project management, and space systems technical management. He served as a Technical staff member for the Voyager Spacecraft mission to Jupiter and Saturn in the Tracking and Telemetry group at JPL’s Deep Space Network. In 1981 he founded Intersol Corp, which developed specialized zero-g furnace designs for the Space Shuttle program and designed and manufactured solar energy devices and systems sold worldwide.
JIM NELSON, Vice President / Treasurer, retired from Cal Dive International, Inc., a marine contractor and operator of offshore oil and gas properties and production facilities, where he was, Chief Financial Officer, Vice Chairman and a Director. Mr. Nelson currently serves on the Boards of Directors of four publicly traded companies: W&T Offshore, Inc., an independent oil and natural gas company focused in the Gulf of Mexico; Oil States International, Inc., a diversified oilfield services company; Input/Output, a seismic services provider; and Quintana Maritime Ltd., an international provider of dry bulk cargo marine transportation services based in Athens, Greece. He also is a member of the Board for The Ucross Foundation, an artist colony located on a 20,000 acre working cattle ranch in Wyoming; and Volunteers Of America (VOA), a human service organization providing homeless, correctional, youth and substance abuse programs in Wyoming & Montana.
PEGGY EWING, Secretary
During her years as an undergraduate at the University of California, Peggy worked as a commercial abalone diver at the Channel Islands. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marine Biology, she was employed as a research diver for the University, participating in the Exxon population studies to determine the effects of the 1969 oil spill on the abalone beds around the Channel Islands. Additionally, she worked as a salmon biologist for the Fish and Game department in Alaska, and spent several years abroad, primarily in Scotland, working in the offshore oil industry. Peggy is a long-time environmentalist and, while she currently resides in north San Diego County, is an active member of Heal the Ocean in Santa Barbara.
JUDY ROSSITER
Executive Director
Judy is an Educator and Marketing Consultant, originally from Seattle, Washington, with a broad background in both the for-profit and not-for-profit business sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from the University of Puget Sound, with post-graduate study in Marketing and Communications. After moving to California in 1997, her career has been focused on organizations committed to environmental and social change. She has lived in Santa Barbara for six years, working in Fundraising and Development for several non-profit organizations in the area. She is also co-owner of a marketing and public relations company serving north Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
Jack Finnegan
Development Coordinator
ADVISORY BOARD
John Weller, Environmental Photographic Journalist
Matthew R. Simmons, Chairman, SCI
Jeff Harris, CEO, Buffalo Brothers Studios
William Rogers, Atty.
Byron Ishkanian, Safety Engineer
Larry Barels, Chairman, Divecon Services, Inc.
David Lack, President, Lack Construction
Tim Tremblay, President, Tremblay Financial Services
John Whitehurst, Journalist, CASA Magazine
Patt Wardlaw, Chairman, Specialty Tool & Bolt
Rober Hudson, Documentary Filmmaker
