OPC Announces New Science Advisory Team Members to Strengthen Ocean Stewardship
The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) last week announced new members appointed to its Science Advisory Team, in partnership with California Ocean Science Trust (OST), to inform public decision-making and serve as a key resource to guide California’s coastal and ocean decisions in an era of rapid change.
“California’s coast and ocean are facing accelerating and compounding challenges, including climate change and biodiversity loss,” said OPC Executive Director Jenn Eckerle. “The Science Advisory Team will help us continue grounding our actions in best available science while bringing together the diverse expertise needed to make informed decisions that protect marine ecosystems and coastal communities into the future.”
To meet the state’s increasingly complex and interdisciplinary ocean challenges, the members serve as a dynamic bridge between cutting-edge science, knowledge, and policy action. Collectively, the Science Advisory Team brings together leading experts while actively connecting to a broader, evolving network across disciplines, sectors, and communities.
“The ocean is changing quickly, and our approach to delivering useful, effective science advice must evolve with it,” said OPC Science Advisor Dr. Liz Whiteman, Executive Director of OST. “This updated model gives us the nimbleness to respond at the pace and scale that climate change demands—and ensure the right expertise is at the table when it matters most.”
The Science Advisory Team members reflect a new model to represent California-based scientific institutions with missions to advance science and public service, and four tribal scientists from various regions of the state selected to provide not only scientific expertise, but also connection to tribal communities and Traditional Knowledges across California. The new members announced include:*
- Kevin McKernan, Director of the Marine Department for the Yurok Tribe, representing the tribal science seat for the North Coast region
- Eva Pagaling, Co-Founder and Board President of Ocean Origins, representing the tribal science seat for the Central Coast region
- Dr. Meenakshi Wadhwa, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego
- Dr. Arne Jacobson, Director of the Schatz Energy Research Center at Cal Poly Humboldt
- Dr. Rebecca Vega Thurber, Director of the Marine Science Institute at UC Santa Barbara
- Dr. Andrea Alfaro, Director of the Coastal Marine Sciences Institute at UC Davis
- Dr. Henry Ruhl, Director of the Central & Northern California Ocean Observing System at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI)
The new members reinforce California’s leadership in integrating science into ocean and coastal policy and reflect a continued commitment to transparent, inclusive, and forward-looking decision-making.
* The North Central and South Coast Tribal Science seats are pending confirmation.
