Spring 2026: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution elects a returning Trustee, Life Trustees, and New Corporation Members
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Village Campus. (©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) May 15, 2026
Woods Hole, Mass. – At Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s (WHOI's) Spring Joint Meeting, leadership elected one returning Trustee, two Life Trustees, and sixteen new Corporation Members.
WHOI President and Director Peter de Menocal announced that Jamie Austin will continue serving on the Board of Trustees, citing his decades of affiliation and expertise in ocean science. He also welcomed the new Corporation Members for their diverse strengths across strategy, technology, research, and environmental stewardship, and recognized the Life Trustees for their deep, long-term commitment to the institution.
De Menocal noted that these appointments come at a pivotal time as WHOI expands its impact on ocean health and innovation, expressing confidence in their leadership to help guide the institution’s mission and future.
Returning Trustee
James A. Austin Jr.
Austin has served as a WHOI Trustee for 17 years. He is a senior scientist in the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, where he has been a faculty member for more than four decades.
In addition to his role at WHOI, Austin serves on advisory bodies for the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography and the University of New Hampshire’s School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering. He has also been affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ocean Exploration Advisory Working Group and has been a member of the MIT Joint Program community since 1997.
Life Trustees
Susan Burke
Burke is a longtime supporter of WHOI through the Coleman and Susan Burke Foundation and has served on WHOI’s Advancement Committee. She has also contributed to the Neil Armstrong Annual Support Fund.
She is a founding member and vice president of the Hollister House Garden Board of Directors and has served for more than 30 years on the board of the New York Botanical Garden, where she participates on several committees, including the Executive and Science Committees. Burke is also a founding member of the Garden Conservancy, where she serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Communications Committee.
Her prior leadership roles include serving as president of the Administrative Board of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and holding senior positions in public relations and advertising. She and her late husband, Coleman “Coley” P. Burke, have been longtime supporters of WHOI and other nonprofit organizations.
Robin Powell Mandjes
Mandjes was first elected to the WHOI Corporation in 2011 and to the Board of Trustees in 2017. She serves on the Committee on the Board and the Audit and Risk Committee.
She is principal of Powell Mandjes Associates, advising corporate, nonprofit, and academic organizations on strategy development, fundraising, and external relations. Earlier in her career, she served as director of constituency development for AT&T Broadband’s Northeast Region and spent more than a decade in commercial banking in New York and Boston.
Mandjes currently serves as a trustee of Fiduciary Trust Charitable and as a board member of The Community Builders. Her prior board service includes the Netherlands-based ICCO Cooperation, Williams College, and the New England Aquarium, and she served as vice chair of the board of the Judge Baker Children’s Center. She is a graduate of Williams College and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
New Corporation Members
Christine Blehle
Christine Blehle serves as Managing Partner of Ambina Partners LLC, a growth equity firm focused on lower middle-market enterprise technology and financial services companies. She has brought in over 20 years of private-market investing experience and has led a wide range of transactions, including growth equity investments, founder-led capital solutions, mergers, carve-outs, buy-and-build strategies, and recapitalizations. She serves, or has served, on multiple portfolio company boards, including as an audit committee member. Prior to joining Ambina in 2016, Blehle was an investment professional at XPV Water Partners. Earlier in her career, she worked at EY in private equity transaction due diligence, in investment banking at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities, and in management consulting at McKinsey & Company. She began her career with the United Nations, working in environmental and fisheries programs in New York and Zambia. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and an MSc in Biology from the University of Bonn. She is bilingual in English and German.
William Curry
Bill Curry joined Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) in 2012 and served as President and CEO until 2025 when he retired and became Chair of the BIOS Board of Trustees. Prior to joining BIOS, he was a Senior Scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the Director of the WHOI Ocean and Climate Change Institute (OCCI). Curry has twice served as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation in the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences and from 1995 to 1999, he was the Chair of the WHOI Department of Geology and Geophysics. He has served on the Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council as well as numerous National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) advisory and review panels. In 2004, he was elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).
Daniel Darling
Daniel Darling is co-founder and managing partner of Focal, a Miami based venture capital firm investing in AI software companies throughout the US and Canada. Focal has been the first lead investor in over 50 cutting edge AI startups and has developed a reputation as a specialized first partner for technical founders. Focal has a global base of investors from Australia to Europe and the USA. Daniel was previously an entrepreneur and operator of various technology startups both in the US and Australia ranging from mobile platforms to advertising and media. He holds a degree in Economics and Social Science from University of Sydney as well as conclude executive education at the business schools of Harvard, Stanford and UC Berkeley. He is a mentor at NYU's Endless Frontier Labs, a partner at social impact firm Acumen, and an impact board member at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
John C. Dawley
Jack Dawley is President and Chief Executive Officer of Northland Residential Corporation where he has been responsible for the development of more than 2,000 residential units across New England. For the past 40 years, his is work has spanned the full lifecycle of development – from land acquisition, planning and entitlement through project capitalization, development, sales and marketing and long-term management. He holds degrees from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Babson College. Dawley is an active community leader, serving as a director of Cape Cod Five Savings Bank, Cape Cod Community Health Center, and the Bourne Conservation Trust, and previously served as President of the Builders Association of Greater Boston. He lives in Concord and Cataumet, Massachusetts with his wife, Sarah.
Georgia Gruseke
Georgia Gruseke is the Business Finance Senior Manager at Global Fishing Watch. She manages financial planning and analysis for the Research, Product, and Communications teams, as well as the Latin America and Europe Programs. She has almost 10 years of professional experience in marine conservation and grant management, and a life-long love of the ocean. Georgia graduated from Duke University with a B.S. in biology, a certificate in marine science and conservation, and a minor in environmental science and policy.
Brian Harrington
Brian Harrington currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Wind River Environmental, a Massachusetts’s based provider of nonhazardous liquid waste services to commercial, municipal and residential clients which operates in 17 states. He previously co-founded Hana, a flexible space operating company backed by CBRE which was acquired by Industrious in 2021 and served as Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer for Zipcar which was acquired by Avis Budget Group in 2013. He has led marketing, product and operational teams throughout his career. Brian is also the principal of Nobska Partners, LLC, which invests in early-stage consumer and medical technology companies and is an adjunct professor for Boston College, where he teaches entrepreneurship in the university's degree-granting prison education program at Massachusetts Correctional Institution-Shirley. He is a graduate of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College and received an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.
Matthew Humphreys
Matt Humphreys is a consultant by training but an ocean champion at heart. Matt will soon retire as a Principal with Deloitte - the world’s largest professional services firm - where he has worked as a management consultant for nearly 30 years. As a senior partner at Deloitte, Matt has held multiple leadership roles in the Life Sciences industry and Operations practice. Matt has also served on multiple non-profit boards throughout his career. A diver, a sailor, a surfer, and a paddler - Matt finds his center in or on the water. As a young boy, he took a junior marine biologist course that ignited his love of the ocean. Yet, over his life, Matt has seen first-hand many changes to our ocean globally - and the trends are not good. In retirement Matt plans to shift focus from driving impact among corporate elites to focus on high-impact, high-potential nonprofit organizations, including WHOI. As a trustee for his family foundation, Matt also directs giving to ocean-related causes. Matt splits his time between Seattle and Southern California, living on the coast with his wife Katy and their three dogs (and a cat).
Peter Joseph
Dr. Peter Joseph is a retired emergency physician and climate advocate. Trained in speaking about the threats of climate change by former V.P. Al Gore in 2007, he has led the Marin County, CA chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby since 2011, serving as liaison to his members of Congress. CCL lobbies Congress for a revenue-neutral carbon tax, among other measures, to reduce GHG emissions, and Dr. Joseph has led many lobby meetings on The Hill. He graduated from Columbia College in 1970 with a major in Biology, attended the University of Michigan Medical School from 1970-1977, earning his M.D. degree and Board certification in Internal Medicine, then moved to the SF Bay Area where he practiced Emergency Medicine for 35 years, chairing his department for 15 years and participating in his hospital's effort develop its successful trauma center. Dr. Joseph is an avid scuba diver, traveler and photographer. He and his wife/dive buddy/travel partner have three sons and four grandchildren.
William Kuesel
Bill Kuesel is a Partner at Apollo Global Management, serving in the roles of General Counsel - Americas and General Counsel - Credit. Prior to joining Apollo, he was a Partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP and O’Sullivan LLP, and associated with Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, at each law firm focusing on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions. Bill graduated from Yale University with a BA in Economics and the University of Michigan Law School with a JD. He resides with his wife in Forest Hills, NY, and they also have a home on Scraggy Neck in Cataumet. Between them they have five adult children. On a fun note, Bill has been running the Falmouth Road Race as a proud member of “Team WHOI” for the past couple of years.
Andrew Larkin
Andrew is the owner/operator of the Invictus Oyster Company. He spends his time growing oysters on the North Fork of Long Island. After a 27-year career on Wall Street, Andrew went back to school and earned a master’s in marine Conservancy from Stony Brook University. Oyster farming provides a cross section of marine biology, conservation, business and most importantly, being on the water several days a week. Andrew finds the variety of work to be done on the farm rewarding and challenging. On any given day, he can be found trying to understand oyster mortality, why the engine is not starting, or selling oysters to a new restaurant. Andrew is interested in the ecosystem benefits of his farm and is looking for methods to expand and quantify these benefits. Andrew is married, has 3 children, and resides in Larchmont NY.
Denise Larkin
Denise Larkin is a Client Services Manager at SEO Global, a nonprofit dedicated to closing educational and career opportunity gaps for more than 7,000 young people each year. In her role, she supports a high-performing ecosystem rooted in mentorship, innovation, and access—helping students translate potential into achievement. Denise brings a diverse background across education, finance, and client services. She spent over a decade as a general and special education teacher, leading curriculum initiatives and advancing inclusive, data-driven practices focused on equity and student success. Earlier in her career, Denise held senior roles in international portfolio trading and sales at Salomon Brothers, Union Bank of Switzerland, and ITG Inc., working across New York and London. She holds an MBA in Finance and a Master of Science in Elementary and Special Education. In her spare time, Denise loves spending time outdoors, especially on or near the water with her family and two bulldogs.
Peter Levesque
Peter Levesque is a Senior Fellow at Harvard University and an international business executive with more than 35 years of experience in global transportation and logistics. He most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of CMA CGM and previously as President of Ports America Group, the largest port terminal operator in the United States. Earlier, he was CEO of Modern Terminals Limited in Hong Kong, where he lived and worked for over 25 years.
Levesque holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He is a former two-term Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and past President of The American Club Hong Kong. He currently serves on the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its Leadership Council in Washington, D.C.
Edward Orenstein
Ed Orenstein serves as Co-Chief Investment Officer of Cacti Investments, a family office focused on agricultural and agribusiness investments. He is also President of the Great Harbor Yacht Club Foundation, where he leads initiatives to protect and enhance Nantucket Harbor's ecosystem. Ed has over thirty years of fixed- income experience, including senior roles at Greenwich Capital Markets and the Royal Bank of Scotland, where he led Treasury and rate trading and sales. He holds a B.A. in Economics and Accounting from Duke University. Outside of work, he enjoys kiteboarding, hiking, tennis, and padel.
Duncan Pickard
Duncan Pickard is an attorney at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, in New York. He advises States, international organizations, and companies on a wide range of international and cross-border disputes. He has appeared as counsel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and U.S. courts, among other forums. A specialist in international environmental law, he has represented Pacific and Caribbean Island States in landmark proceedings on climate change before the ICJ and ITLOS and serves as a contributing author to United Nations reports on climate change. Duncan holds degrees from Stanford Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Tufts University. He grew up on Martha's Vineyard.
Richard Sailor
Richard Sailor has worked for over 45 years in the US defense industry, performing applied scientific research in marine geophysics for the US Navy and other clients. He has published scientific papers and given conference presentations and public lectures in the fields of seismology, geodesy, oceanography, geomagnetism, and tectonophysics. Dr. Sailor is a member of the American Geophysical Union, the Institute of Navigation, the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Phi Beta Kappa, and previously served on the Committee on Geodesy of the National Research Council. Richard grew up on the South Shore of Long Island, a coastal environment identical to Cape Cod. There he learned to sail, cruised to Block Island and beyond, worked as a clam digger, interned at the Blue Point Oyster farm, and took a course in Marine Biology taught by a founder of the Environmental Defense Fund. After graduating from Amherst College Summa Cum Laude in Geology, Richard earned a Ph.D. at Harvard University in Geophysics and Geology, with a thesis in global seismology. Richard and his wife Mary Johnston enjoy foreign travel and are long-time supporters of various environmental and humanitarian charities.
Ian Shive
Ian Shive is an Ansel Adams award-winning American photographer and filmmaker whose work documents some of the world’s most pristine environments and brings to the public important conservation stories from around the globe. He is the founder of Tandem Stills + Motion, Inc., one of the world’s leading natural history film producers. In this capacity, Ian has executive produced and hosted more than 50 episodes of nature documentaries for Warner Bros. Discovery, Animal Planet, TRVL Channel, Science Channel, HGTV and Food Network including Nature in Focus, The Last Unknown, and Shark Week. He is most known for sharing America’s public lands and waters with the world, including the National Parks and National Wildlife Refuge System, both of which have also resulted in more than 40 films for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and four best-selling books by Ian, which resulted in widespread critical acclaim including from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. His most recent film he directed and produced Wild Rescue IMAX 3D, is currently in theaters worldwide and Hidden Pacific IMAX 3D, which is also currently in release. He recently wrapped principal photography and his third giant screen IMAX 3D feature, Into the Bayou, which focuses on the important ecosystems of the Gulf Coast and is set for worldwide release in 2027. He resides in Santa Ynez, California.
Edward Washecka
Ed Washecka has more than 25 years of experience in the helicopter operating and leasing industries. He founded Waypoint Leasing and built it into the second-largest helicopter lessor, with a fleet of more than 155 aircraft valued at $1.6 billion. Prior to founding Waypoint, he served as CEO of Era Group Inc., the former helicopter subsidiary of SEACOR Holdings. Over a decade, he grew an initial $50,000 investment into more than $700 million in helicopter assets through organic growth and acquisitions. Era’s 800+ employees supported operations across more than 175 helicopters in the U.S., China, Australia, Brazil, India, and other key markets. Now semi-retired, Ed is an Adjunct Professor at Sacred Heart University, a Council member of the Yale Club of New York City and a Parks and Rec Commissioner for the town of Darien, Connecticut. Ed is a graduate of Yale University (BA, 1990) and Columbia Business School (MBA, 1995) with two children (23 and 25). Ed and his family are rebuilding their family home in Falmouth.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930, its mission is to understand the ocean and its interactions with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate an understanding of the ocean’s role in the changing global environment. WHOI’s pioneering discoveries stem from an ideal combination of science and engineering—one that has made it one of the most trusted and technically advanced leaders in fundamental and applied ocean research and exploration anywhere. WHOI is known for its multidisciplinary approach, superior ship operations, and unparalleled deep-sea robotics capabilities. We play a leading role in ocean observation and operate the most extensive suite of ocean data-gathering platforms in the world. Top scientists, engineers, and students collaborate on more than 800 concurrent projects worldwide—both above and below the waves—pushing the boundaries of knowledge to inform people and policies for a healthier planet. Learn more at whoi.edu.