Dr. Randy Wells

Vice President of Marine Mammal Conservation, Brookfield Zoo Chicago
Director, Sarasota Dolphin Research Program

Randall Wells directs the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, the world’s longest-running dolphin conservation research program.  He began studying bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota Bay, Florida, as a high school volunteer at Mote Marine Laboratory in 1970, engaging in behavioral studies of shark-dolphin behavioral interactions as well as dolphin tagging. Wells received his Bachelor’s degree in Zoology from the University of South Florida in 1975, his Masters in Zoology from the University of Florida in 1978, and his PhD in Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1986.  He was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1987.  He has worked with Brookfield Zoo Chicago since 1989, where he is Vice President of Marine Mammal Conservation. Wells is a Professor of Ocean Sciences (adjunct) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Professor of Marine Mammal Science (adjunct) at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, through which he supervises masters and doctoral students.

Wells’ current research program uses a collaborative approach to examine the behavior, social structure, life history, ecology, health, and population biology of bottlenose dolphins along the central west coast of Florida, with studies focusing on up to five concurrent generations of a locally resident ~170-member dolphin community.  Recent research topics include the effects of human activities on coastal dolphins, such as boat traffic, fishing activities, human feeding of wild dolphins, and pollution, and the impacts of other environmental disturbances such as red tides.  Wells has been involved in the development, refining, attachment, testing, and deployment of dolphin tags, including telemetry tags, since 1970.  Wells has served as principal (PI) or co-PI for more than 250 funded marine mammal research projects.  He has led or been a PI for bottlenose dolphin health assessment projects in Sarasota Bay, FL, over the West Florida Shelf, Beaufort, NC, St. Joseph Bay, FL, Brunswick, GA, Mississippi Sound, Barataria Bay, LA, and Bermuda. 

In addition to bottlenose dolphin research, Wells has engaged in surveys to define the distribution of the highly endangered vaquita in the Gulf of California, studies of the behavior of: spinner and pantropical spotted dolphins in Hawaii, Guiana dolphins in Brazil, Atlantic spotted and bottlenose dolphins over the West Florida Shelf, blue, gray, and humpback whales, ranging, social, and dive patterns of franciscanas off Argentina and Brazil, the effects of industrial activities on bowhead whales in the Beaufort Sea, the impacts of boat traffic on manatees in Florida and Belize, and the reintroduction and/or follow-up tracking of captive, rescued, and rehabilitated bottlenose, Risso’s, Guiana, Atlantic spotted, and rough-toothed dolphins, and short-finned pilot, pygmy killer, and melon-headed whales back into their native waters.  He has participated in conservation consultations on: baiji and finless porpoises in China, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in the Solomon Islands, Chinese white dolphins off Hong Kong and Taiwan, vaquitas in Mexico, and Mekong River dolphins in Cambodia.

Wells has authored/co-authored 4 books and more than 340 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters.  He has been presenter or co-author of more than 845 presentations at professional meetings or invited public or university lectures.  He has advised/co-advised or provided resources for more than 100 graduate students, and more than 500 undergraduate interns have been trained through the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. Wells was President of the Society for Marine Mammalogy during 2010-2012, serves on the Board of Editors and Conservation Committee, and received the society’s Kenneth S. Norris Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.  Wells also serves on the Committee of Scientific Advisors on Marine Mammals for the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission.  He is the past-chair of the NOAA/USFWS Atlantic Scientific Review Group and the NOAA/USFWS Working Group on Marine Mammal Unusual Mortality Events. Wells serves on IUCN’s Cetacean Specialist Group, and on the Steering Group for the U.S. Animal Telemetry Network.  After more than 50 years, he still gets a thrill out of observing dolphins in the wild.

Lindsay Roland, M.S.

Director of Conservation Education, Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Lindsay Roland is the Director of Conservation Education at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where she oversees the educational eco-boat tours, summer camps, and educational programming. She also serves as the principal investigator on Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s NOAA-permitted dolphin photo-identification study. Lindsay graduated from Furman University with a degree in Biology and then went on to complete her Master’s Degree in Marine Science at Jacksonville University where she conducted her thesis research on the synchronous swimming of bottlenose dolphins. Before joining the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Education team in 2015, she gained valuable experience at both Dolphin Research Center and Mote Marine Laboratory. She enjoys being able to share her passion for dolphin research and marine conservation to inspire guests of all ages about the incredible world of marine science.

Dr. Sylvia Earle

National Geographic’s Explorer at Large

National Geographic Society Explorer in Residence Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, called Her Deepness by the New Yorker and the New York Times, Living Legend by the Library of Congress, and first Hero for the Planet by Time Magazine, is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist, government official, and director for corporate and non-profit organizations including the Kerr McGee Corporation, Dresser Industries, Oryx Energy, the Aspen Institute, the Conservation Fund, American Rivers, Mote Marine Laboratory, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Rutgers Institute for Marine Science, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and Ocean Futures.

Formerly Chief Scientist of NOAA, Dr. Earle is the Founder of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research, Inc. (DOER), Founder of the Sylvia Earle Alliance (S.E.A.) / Mission Blue, Chair of the Advisory Council of the Harte Research Institute, inspiration for the ocean in Google Earth, leader of the NGS Sustainable Seas Expeditions, and the subject of the 2014 Netflix film, Mission Blue. She has a B.S. degree from Florida State University, M.S. and PhD. from Duke University, 27 honorary degrees and has authored more than 200 scientific, technical and popular publications including 13 books (most recently Blue Hope in 2014), lectured in more than 90 countries, and appeared in hundreds of radio and television productions.

She has led more than 100 expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater including leading the first team of women aquanauts during the Tektite Project in 1970, participating in ten saturation dives, most recently in July 2012, and setting a record for solo diving in 1,000 meters depth. Her research concerns marine ecosystems with special reference to exploration, conservation and the development and use of new technologies for access and effective operations in the deep sea and other remote environments.

Dr. James “Buddy” Powell

Chief Zoological Officer & Executive Director – Clearwater Marine Aquarium, CMA Research Institute

For more than 40 years, Dr. James “Buddy” Powell has worked to conserve manatees and other endangered species around the world through science and education. With an integrated approach to unlock solutions for conservation issues, his efforts have resulted in coastal protected areas in Florida, West Africa, Central America and Cuba.

As native Floridian in the 1970s, Dr. Powell’s work began with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as a biologist and manatee specialist. In 1986, he moved to West Africa where he studied manatees and forest elephants for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). After a cultural adjustment and gaining experience in managing people and changing human behavior, he was pivotal in establishing several coastal protected areas. He moved to Belize in the 1990s to manage WCS’s Glover’s Reef Marine Research Station. Upon his return to Florida, Dr. Powell administered the state’s research program on marine mammals and sea turtles for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In 2001, he became a Vice President at Wildlife Trust where he oversaw the Aquatic and National Divisions.

In 2008, Dr. Powell co-founded Sea to Shore Alliance. The organization was created to improve the health and productivity of coastal environments for the endangered species and human livelihoods that depend on them through research, education and conservation. Dr. Powell joined CMA as VP of Research & Conservation when Sea to Shore Alliance merged with Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

Dr. Powell received his BSc. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Florida, his Masters in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington, and his PhD in Zoology from the University of Cambridge in England. He was the recipient of the prestigious Pew Award in Marine Conservation in 2000, has been featured on “Champions of the Wild” and National Geographic’s “Wild Chronicles” documentaries, and has been honored with multiple awards and certificates. Dr. Powell has authored two books, numerous scientific publications and popular articles.

Jamal Galves

“The Real Manatee Man”

Belize Program Coordinator – CMA Research Institute

A native of Belize, Jamal Galves has been passionate about protecting wildlife since childhood. From the age of 12, he knew he wanted to work with animals – specifically manatees.

In 1998, Jamal met Executive Director Dr. James “Buddy” Powell and USGS scientist Robert Bonde while participating in his first manatee health assessment. Working with these two renowned scientists influenced Jamal enormously; he was immediately hooked and soon found himself taking every opportunity to work with manatees. While most of his high school classmates were spending their weekends and holidays relaxing, Jamal was working with scientists, monitoring and feeding two manatees in their final stages of rehabilitation. He eventually helped with the tracking of those two manatees after their release.

After finishing high school, Jamal volunteered to work with Nicole Auil Gomez, an associate with Sea to Shore Alliance, now CMA Research Institute, and was eventually given a full-time position as coordinator of the manatee project., continuing his dream of protecting wildlife. Jamal’s responsibilities include addressing and responding to any manatee related incidents in the entire country of Belize; capturing, tagging, and tracking manatees; collecting data; rescue, release and monitoring of rehabilitated manatees in the wild; and educational outreach and awareness.

Jamal recently was awarded the prestigious Ocean Hero Award by Oceana Belize for his dedicated, passionate and heroic work with the endangered manatee. He has also been presented with the Belize National Hero Award (Meritorious Award” from the Belize Government for his conservation contribution to the country. He have been named a National Geographic Explorer and Natgeo PhotoArk Edge Fellow. “These animals are in trouble and need our help – I have dedicated my life to helping this species,” he said upon accepting the award.

Tanya Ward

Manatee Care Manager – Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Tanya Ward is the Manatee Care Manager at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Tanya is originally from Virginia and moved to Clearwater Florida in 1999 to pursue her dream of working in the rescue and rehabilitation field with marine mammals. She started her career volunteering at CMA in various departments including the rescue team, the sea turtle department, and the Full Circle Program. This led to a full-time job with the Full Circle Program. A grant-based program working with at-risk youth in an animal- assisted therapy setting. Through volunteer and full-time work at CMA, it led her to Lowry Park Zoo, now known as Zoo Tampa, where she worked in the David A. Straz, Jr. Manatee Hospital for ten years. During that time, she trained under Virginia Edmonds, the current president of the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP). After ZooTampa, Tanya moved to Colorado in 2013 working at Colorado State University in their Veterinary equine teaching hospital. She returned to Clearwater, Florida in 2014 and began working at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on the Veldt team, then moved to Edge of Africa where she was the Supervisor over the lions, hyenas, Nile crocodile, ring-tail lemurs and hippos. She continued volunteer work at CMA as a rescue team member upon her return to Florida working with CMARI and CMA on manatee calls as well as other marine life. I am excited to be a part of the new hospital at CMA, working closely with the MRP and continuing to contribute to Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s mission.