KARYSSA ARNETT - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Karyssa is a marine biologist and educator with an undergraduate degree studying marine science and conservation at the University of British Columbia. Born and raised in rural Alberta, she escaped to the coast to pursue her passion in ocean conservation. Karyssa discovered her love for Vancouver Island's marine life while attending field school at the Bamfield Marine Science Center. Previously, she has worked as an Educator and Interpreter at the Vancouver Aquarium and volunteered in marine mammal rehabilitation for the Marine Mammal Rescue Center. Before SIMRS, Karyssa worked as a whale watching Naturalist in Tofino and Ucluelet, where she spent many hours on the water documenting whale encounters and reporting sea lion entanglements.

JEN DART - PRESIDENT

Jen Dart advocates for local businesses and community welfare as the Executive Director of the Tofino-Long Beach Chamber of Commerce. Jen has been a member of the SIMRS Board of Director for many years in various roles and currently acts as the President for the society.

REBECCA BROTEN - SECRETARY TREASURER

Rebecca owns a bookkeeping business (Bull Kelp Bookkeeping) and works with a variety of small businesses and non-profits in Tofino and Ucluelet.  She started with SIMRS in 2012 by taking over the bookkeeping and soon joined the Board of Directors as the Secretary Treasurer.  Although Rebecca didn't know much about the organization when she started, she has since learned a great deal from both the original Lead Investigator Rod Palm and other team members.  Rebecca provides much of her time and skills to the organization and feels proud to support the many monitoring and research projects conducted by SIMRS that fill an important niche on the west coast.

LISA FLETCHER - DIRECTOR

Lisa is a small business owner (The Factory) and jewellery artist (Lisa Fletcher Jewellery) in Tofino but in her previous life she was a biologist with a BSc from Vancouver Island University. She has worked with many local organizations in marine habitats and salmon enhancement on the West Coast and values all the great work being done by all. Lisa is very excited to be on the SIMRS board and help support environmental monitoring and research in this magical place we call home.

SOPHIE VANDERBANCK - PROGRAM COORDINATOR/ OPERATIONS ASSISTANT

Sophie is a biologist and passionate marine conservationist, who’s deep connection to the ocean begun in the lagoons of Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean, where she grew up. She studied Natural Resource Conservation at UBC, in British Columbia, and in Haida Gwaii with the Haida Gwaii Higher Education Society. Growing up in a family that stocked their bookshelf with marine species identification textbooks and snorkelled to collect animals for observation in their fish tanks, set the stage for her love of working at the Ucluelet catch-and-release Aquarium. Here she worked as a naturalist, sharing her passion for marine life, and managed the Ucluelet Aquarium Marine Debris Initiative, collecting microplastic data on local beaches.

JESSICA HUTCHINSON - VICE PRESIDENT

Jessica Hutchinson specializes in ecological restoration, riparian area management and landscape level planning. She has worked in the environmental field for 17 years conducting wildlife habitat assessments, terrestrial ecosystem inventories, fisheries habitat assessments, and watershed level restoration plans. She is currently the Executive Director for Central Westcoast Forest Society. Jessica first got involved with SIMRS working as a field technician and volunteer, mapping eel grass in southern Clayoquot Sound in 2003. She has been on the board of directors since 2004, as president from 2006 to 2018 and now continues her support as a director.

TIFFANY OLSEN - DIRECTOR

Tiff started her west coast career attending the University of Victoria for a degree in Biology. Originally from Alberta, the beautiful coastline captured her heart. After travelling and working in the tropics for several years as a bird biologist, she decided to settle down in Tofino, a place she visited often during her time in Victoria. She works as a manager at surf sister, and never turns down a chance to be out in nature. Tiffany feels very lucky to have a part in the conservation and research of the area she loves so much, by being a part of SIMRS.

JARED DICK - DIRECTOR

DANIEL O’FARRELL - DIRECTOR

THANK YOU TO OUR PAST DIRECTORS

Thank you to all our previous Directors whose generosity, advice, passion, and dedication has helped guide SIMRS in our mission over the years!

Ashley Hoyland, John Forde, Jennifer Steven, Mark Sawyer, Marla Barker, Dennis Currie, Joe Martin, Peter Schulze, Lily Burke, Michael Mullin, Kevin Jordan, Elizabeth Schmidt, Jennifer Thomson, Jacqueline Windh, Karen Woodbridge, Wilfred Atleo, Dominique Dupuis ‘Pipot’, Patrick Koreski, Carla Watson, Jennifer Allen, Jur Bekker, Bill McIntyre, Bill Vernon, Jamie Bray, Bob Nixon, Colleen Wilson, Kechura Palm, and Sandra Thomson - all our thanks!