OPC Staff
Samuel P. Schuchat, OPC Secretary/Executive Officer State Coastal Conservancy
Samuel P. Schuchat became Executive Officer of the Coastal Conservancy in July 2001 and is also the Secretary to the California Ocean Protection Council. He was the Executive Director of the Federation of State Conservation Voter Leagues from 1998 to 2001; the Federation is the trade association of 26 environmental Political Action Committees (PAC) in as many states. From 1992 to 1998 he was the Executive Director of the California League of Conservation Voters, the nation’s largest and oldest state environmental PAC with 25,000 members.
He served on the California Fish and Game Commission from 1999 to 2004 including two years as Vice-President. He is currently serving on the Board of Temple Sinai in Oakland. He received his BA in Political Science at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1983, and his MA in Public Administration at San Francisco State University in 1989. He is an avid cyclist and birdwatcher, and has backpacked all over the Eastern and Western United States. He resides in Oakland with his wife and daughter.
Contact: (510) 286-1015 or sschuchat@scc.ca.gov
Mary Small, Deputy Executive Officer, Ocean Program Supervisor
Mary Small has worked on land conservation and environmental planning projects around the state. She has worked for the Coastal Conservancy since 2001, managing dozens of wetland restoration and public access projects around San Francisco Bay and thoughout Southern California. She was the co-director of the Southern California Wetland Recovery Project, a partnership of nineteen state and federal agencies that facilitates the identification of priority projects, integrates science and policy initiatives, and advances wetland restoration efforts. As part of her duties as the Deputy Executive Officer of the Coastal Conservancy she acts as the program supervisor of the Ocean Protection Council staff.
Contact: (510)-286-4181 or msmall@scc.ca.gov
Abe Doherty, OPC Project Specialist
Abe Doherty has been working on coastal management for the State since 2001, including as the Climate Change Coordinator for the Coastal Conservancy, Project Manager for the San Francisco Bay Area Conservancy, and as a Coastal Planner and Enforcement Analyst for the California Coastal Commission. When he lived in New England, he worked as a wetlands consultant, research diver and as staff to the Narragansett Bay Estuary Project. An alum of Brown University, Abe enjoys working at the interface between science and policy. Abe is currently focusing on climate change.
Contact: 510-286-4183 or adoherty@scc.ca.gov
Laura Engeman, OPC Project Manager
Laura Engeman joined the Ocean Protection Council staff as a California Sea Grant fellow in January 2007. She received her Master’s degree in International Environmental Policy at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) in 2006 where she focused on ocean and coastal management. During graduate school, she researched tools for assessing coastal vulnerability and compiled data for the National Ocean Economics Program. She also participated in an internship with the coastal programme of the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific in Fiji. Laura currently resides in San Clemente, where she is learning to sail and enjoys biking, hiking, and spending time at the beach.
Contact: 949-361-8929 or lengeman@scc.ca.gov
Sarah C. Flores, OPC Project Manager
Sarah became a part of the Ocean Protection Council in January of 2011 as a California Sea Grant Fellow. She completed her Master’s in Geology at the University of California, Davis, where she also completed a B.S. in Geology. She has a background in oceanography, paleoclimatology and geochemistry that evolved from various undergraduate and graduate research experiences. In 2010, she completed a policy internship at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership in Washington D.C., that fortuitously coincided Gulf Oil Spill. This opportunity allowed her to better understand the role that marine science and policy play at the national level. Sarah is a published photographer, immensely enjoys traveling, learning new languages, and classical singing.
Contact: 510-286-4179 or sflores@scc.ca.gov
Valerie Termini McCormick, OPC Project Manager
Valerie Termini McCormick joined the Ocean Protection Council staff in October 2007 following a California Sea Grant fellowship at the ocean resources management program in Sacramento. She obtained her masters degree in International Environmental Policy at the Monterey Institute for International Studies (MIIS), in 2006. While a graduate student, she interned at the NOAA National Marine Protected Area Institute in Monterey and as a community fishery policy advisor for the Conservation Society of Pohnpei, in Micronesia. She received her B.A. in Political Science at Whittier College in 1998. Following college, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo, West Africa for 2 ½ years working on environmental protection and education. A transplant from Massachusetts, Valerie enjoys watching the Red Sox beat the Yankees, cooking for friends, gardening, backpacking, scuba-diving, in addition to traveling and eating all over the world with her husband. Valerie is currently working on sustainable fisheries projects for the OPC.
Contact: (510) 286-0319 or vtermini@scc.ca.gov
Clare O’Reilly, OPC Project Manager
Clare O’Reilly joined the Ocean Protection Council staff in February 2011 after working as a Research Specialist and Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her masters degree in Environmental Planning. Clare’s graduate research focused on the interaction between science, policy, and management in river restoration. She wrote her masters thesis on dam removal planning in the California Coast Ranges, a passionate interest she continues to pursue through her involvement with the Clearinghouse for Dam Removal Information. Clare received her BA in Environmental Studies and Geography from Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT. Her academic pursuits have taken her to far flung locales including Madagascar, Portugal, and southeastern France. Prior to graduate school, Clare worked on developing watershed management plans and anadromous fish habitat restoration strategies at the Long Island South Shore Estuary Reserve in her native New York. She also served as staff to the New York Ocean and Great Lakes Ecosystem Conservation Council during its initial development. Her dedication to coastal stewardship was fostered at a young age growing up on the shores of Rockaway Beach, NY. In her spare time she enjoys playing her violin, cooking, and exploring the Bay Area on her bicycle.
Contact: (510) 286-0332 or coreilly@scc.ca.gov
Sheila Semans, OPC Project Specialist
Sheila Semans joined the Coastal Conservancy in 2000 and has been staff to the OPC since its inception. With over seventeen years of experience working in land and water conservation, Sheila currently focuses her work on developing the state’s ocean observing program and mapping the seafloor. Sheila’s experience developing highly collaborative programs has enabled her to work with all of the marine labs throughout the state, and with many local, state and federal agencies. While at the University of Washington’s School of Marine Affairs, Sheila’s graduate work focused on developing tools to bridge the gap between science and policy, something she continues to feel passionate about today. While not at work, Sheila enjoys beachcombing, fishing, free-diving, and gardening at her home in Mendocino.
Contact: (707) 964-0176 or ssemans@scc.ca.gov
Scott Toews, California Sea Grant Fellow
Scott joined the Ocean Protection Council in February 2012 as a California Sea Grant Fellow. He completed his Masters inCoastal and Watershed Science & Policy at the California State University, Monterey Bay and has a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Victoria. Scott’s Master’s thesis examined the role of physical and biological habitat distributions on population structuring of a marine fish using seafloor mapping, ecological, and genetic data. His work has focused on integrating geospatial approaches to ecosystem assessments in near shore systems along the West Coast. Working at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre he gained experience with research diving, public education, and risk management. As an independent contractor Scott’s work has taken him to the Beaufort Sea, Baffin Bay, and throughout the Coast of British Columbia. Scott is an avid scuba-diver, photographer, guitarist, and enjoys travelling and being on the water.
Contact: (510) 286-5203 or stoews@scc.ca.gov
