Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries

Commission

Meet Our Team

Meet the dedicated team behind the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Our staff directory provides an overview of the experts and professionals who drive our fisheries management and conservation efforts. Learn more about their roles, expertise, and how to connect with them as we work together to sustain Atlantic coastal resources.

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Our Commission

Executive Directorate

  • Robert E. Beal

    Executive Director

    Policy development and implementation, legislative activities

  • Alexander Law

    Legislative Program Coordinator

    Staff to Legislative Committee, appropriations requests/follow-ups, Capitol Hill relations, legislation tracking and advocacy

Communications

  • Tina L. Berger

    Director of Communications

    Media relations, public outreach, advisory panel process, Fisheries Focus, press releases, website

  • Madeline Musante

    Fisheries Outreach Coordinator

    Support to outreach, fisheries management, and science programs

Interstate Fisheries Management Program

  • Toni Kerns

    Fisheries Policy Director

    ISFMP oversight & policy development, Atlantic striped bass

  • Tracey Bauer

    Fishery Management Plan Coordinator

    Black sea bass, sciaenids (Atlantic croaker, black drum, red drum, spot and spotted sea trout), weakfish and winter flounder

  • James Boyle IV

    Fishery Management Plan Coordinator

    Atlantic menhaden, Atlantic sturgeon, shad & river herring, spiny dogfish, tautog

  • Emilie Franke

    Fishery Management Plan Coordinator

    Atlantic herring, Atlantic migratory group cobia, Atlantic striped bass, Spanish mackerel

  • Caitlin Starks

    Senior Fishery Management Plan Coordinator

    American eel, American lobster, coastal sharks, horseshoe crab, Jonah crab

  • Chelsea Tuohy staff image

    Chelsea Tuohy

    Fishery Management Plan Coordinator

    Bluefish, northern shrimp, scup, summer flounder

Finance & Administration

  • Laura C. Leach

    Director

    Finance and accounting, human resources, office administration, meetings, grants management

  • Lindsey Aubart

    Cooperative Projects Coordinator

    Cooperative project oversight

  • Lisa B. Carty

    Deputy Director of Administration

    Human resources, meetings, contracts

  • Jayran Farzanegan

    Accounting Manager

    General ledger, payroll

  • Chris Jacobs

    Facilities and Technology Administrator

    IT support

  • Jonathan Sipin

    Bookkeeper

Fisheries Science Program

  • Patrick A. Campfield

    Director

    Fisheries Science Program oversight, fisheries research coordination, peer reviews

  • Katie Drew Ph.D.

    Stock Assessment Team Lead

    Stock assessments (Atlantic menhaden, Atlantic striped bass, Atlantic sturgeon, bluefish, ecological reference points, northern shrimp, shad & river herring, tautog, weakfish), stock assessment training, recreational fishing surveys and analyses

  • Simen Kaalstad

    ACFHP Director and Habitat Committee Coordinator

    Oversees the activities of the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership (ACFHP) and coordinates the activities of the Commission’s Habitat Committee

  • Jeff J. Kipp

    Senior Stock Assessment Scientist

    Stock assessments (American lobster, Atlantic croaker, black drum, Jonah crab, red drum, spot), stock assessment training, fish passage, fishing gear technology, interstate tagging

  • Jainita Patel

    Fisheries Science Coordinator

    Coordination and support of ASMFC science-based committees, including Committee on Economics and Social Sciences; the Assessment Science Committee; the Management and Science Committee; Ecological Reference Point Work Group; Risk & Uncertainty Work Group; and the fisheries-independent data collection and data management efforts of the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP)-South Atlantic and the Northeast…

  • Samara Nehemiah Ph.D.

    Stock Assessment Scientist

    Stock Assessments (American eel, Atlantic croaker, Atlantic menhaden, Atlantic striped bass, coastal sharks, horseshoe crab, tautog)

Atlantic Coastal Cooperative Statistics Program

  • Geoff White

    Director

    Program management and oversight; Coordinating Council support

  • Julie Defilippi Simpson

    Deputy Director

    Annual RFP process and Operations Committee

  • Marisa Powell

    Program Assistant

    Program support and outreach

Data Team

  • Michael Opiekun

    Data Team Lead

  • Anna-Mai Christmas-Svajdlenka

    Data Coordinator

  • Joe Myers

    Senior Data Coordinator

    Staff contact for Commercial Technical Committee; SAFIS data; Seafood Traceability

  • Jennifer Ni

    Data Analyst

    Staff contact for highly migratory species data; data load verification processes

  • Heather Power

    Senior Data Coordinator

    Staff contact for data loads and merges; Biological Review Panel; Bycatch Prioritization Committee

  • Skye Thomas

    Fisheries Data Analyst

RECREATIONAL Team

  • Alex DiJohnson

    Recreational Team Lead

  • Gabe Thompson

    Data Coordinator

    Support for APAIS and For-hire Telephone Survey (FHTS)

  • Trevor Scheffel

    Senior Data Coordinator

    Support for APAIS and FHTS

SOFTWARE Team

  • Ed Martino, Ph.D.

    Software and IT Team Lead

    Guidance for software, APIs, database and security

  • Kranthi

    Software Developer

    SAFIS development and database PL/SOL

  • Daniel Mestawat

    Programmer

    Support for SAFIS and other ACCSP Software

  • Jamal Oudiden

    Programmer

    Support for SAFIS and other ACCSP Software

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