Our board
Andrew Rosenberg, Chair
Dr. Andrew Rosenberg is a marine scientist, environmental and science policy expert. He recently retired after serving as the inaugural director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists. He has previously served as the dean of the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire, the chief scientist for Conservation International, and northeast regional administrator as well as deputy director of the National Marine Fisheries Service at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Dr. Rosenberg is also the convening lead author of the oceans chapter of the Third US National Climate Assessment and served on the secretariat for the full assessment. He was a convening lead author of the first UN World Ocean Assessment. He served on the National Academy of Sciences’ Ocean Studies Board and the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.
Nate Bernitz
Nate Bernitz is a Community & Economic Development Field Specialist for the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, and joined the board in 2018. Nate received a Bachelor’s degree from The Evergreen State College and a Master’s in Public Administration at the University of New Hampshire. Nate is the chair of the environmental programs and policy committee and also serves on Mass Oyster’s executive committee and communications committee.
Nate has experience working in the shellfish industry, including in public affairs for Taylor Shellfish Farms, which followed co-founding the nation's first college-student-run shellfish garden. Nate came to Mass Oyster with a wide-ranging background in nonprofits, higher education, and environmental initiatives in marketing and communications, development, education, and volunteer management capacities.
Sam Peper, Treasurer
Sam is a retired finance and operations executive that recently joined the Mass Oyster Project board. He is also actively involved with other not-for-profit organizations utilizing his professional skills and experience to give back and grow their missions. Sam is an avid sailor and boater that spends as much time on the water as possible during the summer months. Sam and his wife Cathy live on Cape Cod and have three adult children and six grandchildren.
Joe Caiazzo
Joe Caiazzo is the co-founder of The JCN Group, a Boston based public affairs firm. He has over a decade of experience in politics. He served in a number of states in senior positions for Senator Sanders 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. Joe managed the successful re-election for Senator Sheldon Whitehouse in 2018 and worked as the RI State Director in the 2016 general election for the Clinton campaign. Joe has also worked for Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congressmen Joe Kennedy, Congressmen Bill Keating, and dozens of other candidate and issue campaigns. In addition to working extensively throughout New England, he has worked in Illinois and Florida.
Joe is a published author, offering analysis on local and federal elections. He has offered commentary in various media publications. He is a Political Partner at the Truman National Security Project. Joe is an Eagle Scout and holds a BA in history and theology from Barry University in Miami, Florida. He lives in a suburb of Boston with his wife Nicole, daughter, and pug Ethel.
Bridget Callahan
Bridget recently started a new role at Ocean Spray Cranberries as their Associate Sustainability Manager, leading the sustainability team and ESG strategy. Before Ocean Spray, she worked with large food and beverage companies to achieve their waste and recycling goals like Zero Waste to Landfill. Bridget holds a Bachelor of Science, Environmental Science with a concentration in Biological Conservation and minor in Economics from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). Bridget joined the Mass Oyster board as an associate in fall, 2022 and is focusing her efforts on shell recycling and other programmatic initiatives.
Emily Clark
Emily Clark is a Project Manager at the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI). Prior to joining CUAHSI, Emily volunteered as a Shorebird Monitor at Cape Cod National Seashore in Wellfleet, Massachusetts where she located and monitored nesting endangered shorebirds. Emily holds a BS in Environmental Science from the University of Tampa, an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University, a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, and a Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines (WEDG) certification from the Waterfront Alliance. Emily joined the Mass Oyster board as an associate in fall 2022 and is focusing her efforts on restoration and other programmatic initiatives.
Joshua Gee
Joshua Gee is the Director of Digital Customer experience at the MTA. While Josh lives in New York, he’s a Massachusetts native and been active with MOP for five years. He helps maintain MOP’s website, back-end digital infrastructure, and creates a lot of our public-facing content.
Before working at the MTA, Josh worked for Boston City Hall, the Boston Globe, and political campaigns across Massachusetts and the country.
Advisory Board Members
Alexandra Coughlin
Alexandra Coughlin has extensive experience in local food sourcing, agricultural operations, and nonprofit management. For the last 4 years she served as the Strategic Support Manager at GreenLight Fund, a national nonprofit that helps open opportunities for children, youth and families experiencing poverty. Alexandra uses her development and operational acumen to support Mass Oyster in the hopes of working toward a healthy climate through oyster restoration.
Alexandra holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Syracuse University and is currently pursuing a Master's degree at Malmö University in Sweden in the Leadership for Sustainability program.
Adam Heilemann
Adam Heilemann is a Managing Director and Head of Liquidity Management at State Street Bank & Trust and has 20 years of experience in fixed income investing, treasury, and financial services. Adam holds a bachelor’s degree in freshwater biology from St. Lawrence University, a Master’s in Business Administration from Duke University, and a Master’s in Public Administration in economics from Harvard University. Adam serves as a volunteer/board member at the following organizations: Equinox Preservation Trust, Boston Partner’s in Education, The Real Medicine Foundation, The Nature Conservancy of Vermont, and The Friends of the Middlesex Fells Reservation.
Andrew Hultin
Andrew is from Weymouth, where he works for the Department of Planning and Community Development. He joined MOP in 2018 as an outlet to contribute his passion for preservation of coastal estuaries. Andrew is pursuing a masters degree in public policy with an environmental focus. At Mass Oyster he chairs the Science Committee and focus on policy and restoration efforts.
Travis Marcoux
Travis Marcoux was born and raised in Massachusetts and received his BS in Psychobiology from the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. After graduating, Travis worked on various shellfish and ecological projects across the Maine coastline working for the State of Maine and a private marine resource company. Further pursuing his Marine Science career, Travis moved to Hawaiʽi and received his Masters in Marine Science, studying metabolism and energetics of coral reef fishes. Travis is also a USCG Submarine Pilot/Boat Captain and, with a small team, founded Hawaiʽi Uncharted Research Collective, a non-profit research collective studying endangered megafauna in the Hawaiian islands. Since moving back to New England, Travis has been working as a biotechnical scientist and joined the Mass Oyster Project Team in 2021 as a means to give back to the community and shoreline that he grew up enjoying.
Sarah Valencik
Sarah first started working with MOP in 2017 as a volunteer at the Gloucester Upweller. She soon joined the board and in 2020, she became the MOP President. She has a passion for the environment and works to do all that she can to make sure the world is a healthy and safe place for future generations.
Steve Parkes
Steve Parkes lives in North Andover. While semi-retired, he made his career in the seafood industry. He helped found Cape Ann Fresh Catch, a community-supported fisheries organization. He was also a founding board member and acting Executive Director of the Northeast Seafood Coalition. He has been active in a number of nonprofit organizations that support Massachusetts' beaches and shores. He was a board member of MOP for seven years, where he was an integral part of developing and building out our upweller program. Steve served as President of MOP for two years.
Dr. Mark Wagner
Dr. Mark Wagner is the founding and current director of the Binienda Center for Civic Engagement at Worcester State University, which has been recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for Community Engagement. His educational research argues social values such as caring, loyalty and generosity are understood implicitly and explicitly through the perception and interpretation of non-linguistic signs, in and out of the classroom. Dr. Wagner served on Board for the Department of Higher Education that established Preparing Citizens as one of the central goals of education in the state of Massachusetts. Mark is also a poet and musician whose work has been recognized by publishers and his peers. He can be reached at mwagner2@worcester.edu and markgwagner@charter.net.
Theresa Baybutt
Theresa Baybutt is a GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Graduate Gemologist who specializes in pearls which fuels her passion about oysters and the health and cleanliness of our oceans. Among her many accomplishments, degrees, and corporate career, she is the founder and owner of Treasure Bay Jewelry®️ and The Power of Pearls ®️ Foundation, with over 20 years of experience in the jewelry industry as maker, designer and consultant. She is also a published author. Theresa serves as a Board Member/volunteer with organizations such as, The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, The School of The Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, The Society of North American Goldsmiths, and Newton Wellesley Hospital.
Staff
Liv Woods, Executive Director
Liv joined the Massachusetts Oyster Project (MOP) as Executive Director in May, 2023. Liv brought 20 years of experience across a breadth of industries: healthcare, health insurance, hospital management, and academic organizations. In addition, she has been active with a range of consulting engagements with for-profit and non-profit organizations. Liv was employed previously by one of Boston’s largest health insurance companies Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, where for almost a decade she was part of the strategic planning division, as well as a member of the internal consulting group. In her most recent role, Liv was Director of Fundraising and Operations with the American Amputee Soccer Association.
She is currently board chair for Tomorrow’s Women Today, a board member for the American Amputee Soccer Association, and volunteers for Open Table Food Pantry. Liv has a B.A. from University of Connecticut and M.B.A from Simmons School of Management.
Erika Smith, Program Coordinator
Erika Smith joined the MOP Shell Recycling team in 2022. Erika spent 15 years in Austin, TX leading operations for multiple startups. Her love of the ocean and passion to be part of conservation and restoration brought her back to her home state where she now resides in Orleans, MA. After the 2022 summer season, her love of oysters, improving water quality and restoring native shellfish populations back in MA waters, led her to joining Mass Oyster as program coordinator. She will be focusing on our upweller and shell recycling programs as well as volunteer coordination.