Reef Check Board of Directors - Saving Reefs Worldwide

Reef Check Board of Directors

Honorary Chairs
Leonardo DiCaprio Actor and Environmentalist	Dr. Sylvia Earle Oceanographer and Conservationist

Chair
Sue Chen CEO, Nova-Ortho Med

Board of Directors
Scott Campbell UBS Eric Cohen Sea Dwelling Creatures David Dinwiddie CEO, Palmira Group Gregor Hodgson Reef Check Executive Director	Tim Hynes BioStorage Technologies, Inc. Gary L. Justice Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher Tim Krause Energx Controls Inc. Russ Lesser President, Body Glove	Francey Marzicola Principal/Founder, Full Spectrum Marketing Robert McClatchy United Parcel Service Susi McConaghy Development Specialist Jim Miller Attorney	Regina Rubino IMAGE: Global Vision Craig Shuman Environmental Consultant Richard Woulfe Dive Industry Representative Eddy Medora In Memoriam

Sue Chen - Board Chair
CEO, Nova-Ortho Med

Sue Chen is the founder and CEO of Nova Ortho-Med, Inc. Started in 1993, Nova is an industry leader in Mobility and Bathroom Safety products providing greater independence and personal well being to physically challenged people. Nova is changing the look and perception of medical equipment and the millions of Americans reliant on assistive devices by incorporating style, fashion, and function to products such as designer canes and colorful walkers. Nova’s mission is strong and simple: take care of our people, take care of our customers, and take care of our community. Our community spans locally, nationally, and internationally donating our products to the following events and organizations: The Music Center Los Angeles venues, Center of Achievement for The Physically Disabled, Haiti Relief, Hurricane Katrina, Project Care – Baja Mexico, Ilbosco Foundation, Arthritis Foundation, ALS Chapter of Los Angeles, Western Independent Living, and many more. Sue is working to educate people about the hope and possibilities of life – regardless of physical challenges.

In 2008, Nova was recognized at the White House by USPAACC as a leader in Asian American business. In 2008 and 2009, Sue was a finalist for the Wells Fargo Asian American Leadership Award. In 2008, Sue was featured in the book by Kaira Rouda, “Real You Incorporated – 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs.” In 2010, Sue was chosen by the Annenberg Foundation as a Community Champion for the Alchemy Leadership Seminar to educate and elevate the non-profit sector of Los Angeles.

Sue is passionately committed to saving our planet and oceans. Sue is an avid diver, underwater photographer, classical pianist, and happy Angelino. Sue is most proud of her family who lives here in Los Angeles and her native country of Taiwan.

Eric Cohen
Sea Dwelling Creatures

Eric is the co-owner of Sea Dwelling Creatures, Inc., one of the largest importers in the USA of Aquarium Marine products. Eric and his brother Scott grew up in Southern California where his father owned and operated Aquarium Fish Retail Stores in the San Fernando Valley. Always an aquarium hobbyist, Eric and his brother entered into the commercial Aquarium livestock business in 1991. Earlier on, Eric became a certified diver at the age of 18 and has traveled all over the South Pacific logging hundreds of dives working with local aquarium fish collectors. Eric has extensive training in aquarium fish and coral collection, and works along with local collectors to improve and teach a sustainable manner of collection techniques. Eric joined Reef Check as a board member in 2002 and has made a commitment to support Reef Check. Helping the industry adopt a sustainable philosophy, Sea Dwelling Creatures urges Retailers and Hobbyists to become members of Reef Check which creates industry wide support and awareness.

Gregor Hodgson, PhD.
Founder & Executive Director

Gregor Hodgson is the Executive Director of Reef Check. Dr. Hodgson is a coral reef ecologist, who received his bachelors in 1979 from the University of California, Santa Barbara. From 1980-1982, he volunteered with the US Peace Corps in the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Cebu City, Philippines, and earned a PhD in zoology in 1989 from the University of Hawaii. Subsequently, Dr. Hodgson worked in Hong Kong where he served as the Environmental Sciences Manager for Binnie Black & Veatch, carrying out environmental impact assessments and baseline ecological surveys of coastal and marine areas. He designed and led integrated coastal management projects in China and Vietnam and also taught at two Hong Kong universities. From 2000 to 2004, Dr. Hodgson was a visiting professor at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and taught Environmental Science, International Coastal Management and Marine Conservation. He now works full time on marine conservation through Reef Check.

Tim Hynes
BioStorage Technologies, Inc.

Tim Hynes has been in executive sales management for over 20 years with a focus in the medical industry. His career began on a different path however, receiving his bachelor’s degree in Marine Science from Southampton College, Long Island University. Upon graduation Tim joined the U.S. Peace Corps as a Fisheries Volunteer in the Philippines. It was during this time that he first met Gregor Hodgson, Reef Check’s Executive Director. Throughout his career Tim has maintained a relationship with the sea and marine conservation. A recent trip back to the Philippines found him diving on some of the very reefs he visited over 25 years ago. Due in great part to the efforts of Reef Check those reefs are healthy and are examples of the power a local community can have in preserving this all important resource. These testimonials are what keeps Tim motivated and hopeful.

Gary L. Justice, Esq. – Board Vice President
Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher

Gary Justice, the Board Vice President of Reef Check, is a senior partner in the trial department of the international law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. He received his J.D. in 1979 from Duke University School of Law, where he was an Editor of the Duke Law Journal and was elected to the Order of the Coif. His specialties include insurance coverage litigation, mass torts and land use litigation. Mr. Justice is a scuba diver with over 300 logged dives around the world, including many in California. He is passionate about reversing the destruction of our oceans. He has been active on behalf of many other environmental organizations, including the National Parks Association (pro bono litigation), Seacology and the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. For a number of years he was the Board President of Reef Check.

Russ Lesser
President, Body Glove

Russ attended Manhattan Beach schools from kindergarten through high school and then graduated from California State University at Long Beach with a degree in accounting. He served in the U.S. Army as a first Lieutenant in the finance corps, then worked as a CPA in the Long Beach based firm of Windes & McClaughry. He was a partner from 1970 to 1990. In 1986 he was elected managing partner. In 1990, when he left the firm to become president of Body Glove International there were about 110 employees at Windes, making it one of the largest single office CPA firms in the country.

Russ has been married to Charlotte for over 44 years and they have three grown children. He served eight years on the Manhattan Beach City Council, including two terms as Mayor. Russ and Charlotte have received many awards individually and jointly, including Citizens of the year in Manhattan Beach, and Citizens of the year for the South Bay. Charlotte has been chosen as “Woman of the Year” for Los Angeles County and presently serves on the Los Angeles County Commission for Women.

They both have served on numerous boards and commissions through the years.

Russ, along with his sons Tim and Greg, friends Jim Miller, Pat Dietz, Rich Wenzel, Evan Calbi, Bill Severance, and Body Glove attorney Hillary Kane form the Folk/Rock Band Thin Ice. They have played at various venues in the South Bay. Russ plays guitar, does vocals, and has written a selection of songs, including two that have been released on a new album commemorating 100 years of surfing in the United States, and a theme song for the International Year of the Reef, 2008, which is being sung by children’s choral groups around the world and is on many internet sites.

Regina Rubino
IMAGE: Global Vision

Regina Rubino is an entrepreneur specializing in concept development, organization and management of "Turn-Key" operations as well as strategic design and marketing projects created on behalf of leading international investors and businesses. Her focus has shifted back to the United States after spending more than a decade in Asia and she brings a uniquely global understanding to her local perspective - with passion, affinity and respect for the world, its people, places and products. Her love of the ocean brought her onto the Board at Reef Check to help strengthen the Brand Identity. An award winning designer with more than 25 years experience, her work is included in the US Library of Congress Permanent Collection.

Craig Shuman
Environmental Consultant

Dr. Craig Shuman began working with Reef Check while he was a graduate student at UCLA where he focused his research on the ecological and socio-economic impacts of the marine aquarium trade in the Philippines. Following the completion of his degree, Craig joined Heal the Bay to work on marine science and policy issues in southern California. After several years at Heal the Bay, Craig returned to Reef Check to develop the Reef Check California Program, affording him the opportunity to regularly dive along California’s spectacular coastline and interact with Reef Check’s highly dedicated volunteers. Craig is a founding partner of Strategic Earth Consulting and currently serves as the Marine Advisor to the California Fish and Game Commission. He has been a Reef Check Board member since 2002.

Richard Woulfe
Dive Industry Representative

Richard has over 25 years of travel marketing experience. He has extensive dive and incentive group travel management experience and has developed and operated over 300 programs in 60 countries. He has extensive operations, marketing, sales management experience in diverse travel segments. Rich has over 30 years of dive travel experience and has made more than 5000 dives in over 50 destinations around the world.

Richard is a graduate of Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio with a BA in Economics. He has lived in Colombia, SA, Costa Rica and Japan and is fluent in Spanish. He is an avid outdoorsman, diver and water adventurer and reads extensively about health and hospitality. He lives in San Diego, California.