Meet Our Team

David Bailey

DIRECTOR OF FARMER ADVANCEMENT

As Director of Farmer Advancement, Dave develops and executes supportive programs for active and advanced ocean farmers. Additionally, he provides technical assistance to farmers and translates science into industry-relevant solutions.

Dave brings over 10 years of sustainable aquaculture experience, working at the intersection of biology and engineering. Dave was a Research Associate at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, where he developed best practices to expand the commercial ocean farming industry in socially and ecologically responsible ways. He holds a B.S. from the University of Rhode Island and a Master of Science from the University of New Hampshire, where he focused on fisheries and aquaculture science.

Kendall Barbery

DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

As Director of Partnerships and Program Development for GreenWave, Kendall develops the organization’s program strategy and leads partnership development and expansion efforts. Since joining GreenWave in 2017, Kendall helped develop the organization’s Training & Support and Innovation programs, delivered training to over 600 prospective and current ocean farmers, and incubated four kelp hatcheries across New England, the west coast, and Alaska. She served on the leadership team for the development of GreenWave’s online Regenerative Ocean Farming Hub.

Kendall has a background as a marine technician and deckhand, including six seasons of set-netting and drifting for sockeye salmon throughout the Bristol Bay watershed in southwest Alaska, and spent several years designing and managing land-based green infrastructure projects before migrating back to the ocean with GreenWave. Kendall holds a master’s degree in environmental science from Yale School of the Environment.

Amy Blankstein

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Amy leads GreenWave’s fundraising strategy, implementation, and philanthropic outreach efforts. First as a magazine journalist and later as a nonprofit development and communications specialist, she continues to be inspired by the stories of the local farmers and producers, community activists, artists, and small business owners she has had the opportunity to cover and promote.

Before joining GreenWave, Amy directed fundraising and communications strategy for Just Food, a New York City-based nonprofit supporting community-led efforts to advocate for and increase access to healthy, sustainable food.

Dr. Charles Yarish

CHIEF SCIENTIST

As Chief Scientist, Dr. Charles Yarish advises on the scientific underpinnings of GreenWave’s kelp hatchery and the Kelp Climate Fund methodology. He is an extensively published, award-winning Professor Emeritus in the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Connecticut. He received the 1992 Marinalg Award for his work in East Africa. Among his many achievements, he is credited for his involvement in developing the global and North American seaweed aquaculture industries (including Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture & nutrient bioextraction) and establishing the internationally recognized Seaweed Marine Biotechnology Laboratory at UCONN. He has been a national lecturer, secretary, a member of the Phycological of America’s Executive Committee and President (2001). In 2019 Dr. Yarish received the Phycological Society of America’s Award of Excellence for his sustained scholarly contributions and impact on the field of phycology over his career.

Dr. Yarish received his BS degree from Brooklyn College (City University of New York), his MA degree from the University of Texas (Austin), and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University. Currently, he is a visiting scientist at The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Toby Sheppard Bloch

DIRECTOR OF INFRASTRUCTURE

Toby is an entrepreneur and social impact leader with significant experience conceiving and growing enterprises that provide access to wealth-building employment opportunities for historically excluded community members. As a GreenWave's Infrastructure Director, Toby oversees all facilities operations and infrastructure-related special projects.

He works with producers, researchers, policymakers, and buyers to build equitable and sustainable businesses. Before joining GreenWave, Toby led a social enterprise that mitigated the urban heat island effect through green infrastructure improvements to support safer, healthier, and more equitable communities while creating jobs for people most directly impacted by climate change.

‘Discovering’ there were 520 miles of coastline in New York City, Toby shifted his focus to nature-based solutions to the climate crisis that leveraged the power of the ocean rather than building walls to contain it. He thrives on deconstructing complex systems and finding ways to make them more responsive to the people they serve.

Grace Collery

SENIOR MARKET DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM MANAGER

As Market Development Program Manager, Grace leads programming to establish predictable, scalable demand for regenerative ocean farmers' crops.

Grace has a background in food systems, with experience advising entrepreneurs, launching innovation and accelerator programs, and working as a grocery buyer. Prior to GreenWave, her work at KitchenTown and Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator enabled mission-driven companies to develop new products, raise capital, and scale. Grace is passionate about building a resilient and equitable future for our food systems and oceans alike.

Sam Garwin

DIRECTOR OF MARKET DEVELOPMENT

Sam Garwin leads strategy for GreenWave’s market development work, with a focus on designing and executing proof of concept pilots, digital tools, targeted commercial research, and value chain coordination to support the growth of the seaweed industry. Sam draws on more than a decade of experience building sustainable supply chains and socially responsible business models and supports regenerative food systems more broadly through her consulting firm, 5th Quarter Foods. Sam was previously the CEO of Fleishers, a pioneer of pasture-raised whole animal retail butchery; and an early employee of Maya Mountain Cacao, a social enterprise dedicated to direct-trade organic cocoa bean sourcing. Before working in food and agriculture, Sam was a product manager at Endeca, a B2B e-commerce and business analytics software company acquired by Oracle in 2011. Sam holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Science and Biology from Cornell University.

Ron Gautreau

SENIOR FARMER TRAINER

Ron has worn several hats on the farm including first mate, chief engineer, scientist and photographer. He now joins the GreenWave team as Senior Farmer Trainer.

Having owned and worked on boats most of his life along with being a trained biologist gives him a unique perspective and appreciation of the evolving workings of the farm.

Lindsay Olsen

DIRECTOR OF TRAINING & SUPPORT

Lindsay grew up on the back deck of her family’s commercial fishing boat in Alaska, catching salmon in the summer months and tending their oyster farm in the off-season. This experience cemented her drive to work towards a sustainable future for our oceans and the people who depend on them.

First as a Thomas J. Watson fellow, then later as an experiential educator and academic researcher, Lindsay has lived and worked in coastal communities in South Africa, New Zealand, Indonesia, and northern Scandinavia.

She holds a B.A. from Williams College and a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment, where she focused on social entrepreneurship and marine conservation.

Olympia Piedra

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

As Director of Finance and Administration, Olympia oversees the financial operations and day-to-day accounting procedures at GreenWave.

Olympia brings over 20 years of experience supporting the financial operations of both businesses and nonprofits. Originally from Atlanta, Olympia moved to the beautiful seaside town of Homer, Alaska in the summer of 2010. There she learned the importance of conservation and environmental protection while witnessing drastically changing landscapes and oceans. Olympia is excited to contribute her skills in finance to support an organization working towards positive social and climate impact. She holds a B.Sc. degree in Business and Finance from Brenau University and an M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University.

Krizl Soriano

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Krizl’s experience in food systems work is rooted in land-based agriculture. After moving to Connecticut in 2014, she spent two years with FoodCorps connecting kids to healthy food in schools. Following her service, Krizl dug deeper into food justice through vegetable farming, managing a mobile farmers market, and collaborations on programs out of UConn Extension’s Sustainable Food Systems department.

Now, she manages and implements GreenWave’s internal and external communications strategy. Krizl holds Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Environmental Studies from Florida State University. When she’s not in the office, Krizl enjoys cooking, being a dog and cat mom, throwing pottery, and growing flowers and vegetables.

Julia Whistler

SENIOR PLATFORM PRODUCT MANAGER

As Senior Platform Product Manager, Julia leads the development of GreenWave's online platform to meet the needs of the regenerative ocean farming community. Before joining GreenWave, Julia worked at Fair Trade USA where she built products to promote sustainability and supply chain transparency in service of global workers in fisheries, farms, and factories.

There she learned about the sustainable seafood movement, which resonated with her lifelong love of the ocean from growing up in Narragansett Bay & Long Island Sound. Julia is passionate about understanding farmer’s needs and building tools that make becoming and being a successful regenerative ocean farmer easier.

Ben Kelsey

INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGER

As Infrastructure Manager, Ben Kelsey manages and maintains GreenWave’s farm operations in Branford and Groton, CT. A lifelong New England mariner, Ben is the founder of Kelsey Island Ocean Farm. He has crewed for tall ships (including the schooner Amistad), worked as a lobsterman on Long Island Sound, and grew up repairing boats at Kelsey Boat Yard. Having experienced the impacts of climate change unfolding in real-time, Ben became an ocean farmer to continue his livelihood on the water and support his coastal community.

Ben is a graduate of the Sound School in New Haven, CT, where he learned the fundamental concepts of aquaculture production. Ben holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in anthropology and archaeology. As a professional archaeologist, he worked closely with Indigenous communities to preserve America’s cultural resources for future generations.

L. Megan Mauricette

OFFICE COORDINATOR

In her role as Office Coordinator, Megan supports on-the-ground operations and functions as the connective tissue for GreenWave’s New Haven headquarters.

Leana leverages her background in sustainable business development, program management, and regenerative blue economy to develop hard and soft infrastructure improvements. With experience in diverse community engagement and entrepreneurship, Megan uses her expertise and love for sustainability to implement improvements with a systems-thinking framework. She holds Bachelor’s and MBA degrees in Sustainability.

Virginia Litovich

PROGRAMS COORDINATOR

Virginia joins the GreenWave team as the Programs Coordinator to support the growth of our training programs and evaluate GreenWave’s impact. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and a Master’s of International Sustainable Development from the Heller School of Public Policy at Brandeis University. Her academic focus was on the economic and social development of coastal communities, especially of vulnerable populations. Her studies concentrated on ways in which the ocean presents unique opportunities for sustainable development in the era of climate change.

Bea Mora

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

As Development Manager, Bea supports the Director of Development with donor relations and systems management.

Bea earned a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Sarah Lawrence College, where she first learned about and became inspired by food justice and land sovereignty movements. She went on to complete Farm School NYC's Citywide Urban Agriculture certificate program, during which she became a member of La Finca del Sur community garden in the South Bronx and apprenticed at East New York Farms!.

Prior to joining GreenWave, Bea held development positions most recently at GrowNYC (a NYC-local environmental nonprofit focusing on green space, conservation, education, and food access & agriculture) and Urban Green Council (a NYC-based green building policy, research, and education nonprofit). Bea is now based in Southern California where she has a new appreciation for her proximity to the ocean.

Maggie Aydlett

KELP SEED PRODUCTION MANAGER

As Kelp Seed Production Manager, Maggie supports GreenWave’s commercial hatchery operations with a focus on new technologies and techniques to meet the needs of the growing kelp farming industry. Before joining GreenWave, she worked as a researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the sustainable aquaculture field where she gained experience in gametophyte culturing, kelp seed production, and kelp farming.

Maggie holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of Maine, where she focused on the microbiome of intertidal seaweeds. She enjoys rollerblading, sewing, paddle boarding, and playing sports in her free time.

Paige Resnick

DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

In her role as Development and Communications Coordinator, Paige provides research, editorial, and administrative support for the Development and Communications teams.

Paige holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago where she studied linguistics and creative writing. Prior to joining GreenWave, Paige was a cookbook and recipe editor. Paige is a midwesterner and has a passion for thinking deeply about the food we put on the dinner table.

Sophie Spiegel

KELP SEED PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

As Kelp Seed Production Coordinator, Sophie supports the day-to-day operations of GreenWave’s nursery.

Prior to joining GreenWave, Sophie worked as a post-graduate research associate at Yale University, working in collaboration with the USDA and small farmers on the Climate Smart Commodities Project. Sophie is passionate about ensuring food security amid a changing climate. Sophie holds aB.S. in Public Health from the College of Charleston where she focused her undergraduate research on establishing baseline data on the food safety of marine macroalgae species in South Carolina. She then continued her studies in environmental science at the Arava Institute.