This webpage was updated on March 20, 2026

OPC Science Advisory Team (OPC-SAT)


About the Ocean Protection Council Science Advisory Team

To meet our coastline’s increasingly complex and interdisciplinary challenges, the SAT design has been updated in 2026 to a reimagined model for how science informs public decision-making. Designed for a rapidly changing ocean, the SAT goes beyond traditional advisory roles to serve as a dynamic bridge between cutting-edge science, knowledge, and policy action. It brings together leading experts while actively connecting to a broader, evolving network of knowledge across disciplines, sectors, and communities. By pairing deep expertise and a wider institutional or geographic perspective with a forward-looking lens, the SAT helps anticipate emerging challenges and opportunities—ensuring California’s ocean policies are not only grounded in the best available science, but also shaped by what’s on the horizon.

OPC SAT composition includes: (1) California-based scientific institutions with missions to advance science and a dedication to public service, research or practical portfolios relevant to OPC’s mission and strategic priorities; and (2) organizations or individuals selected for geographic representation and connection to diverse Traditional Ecological Knowledges. The SAT will maintain four geographically-determined Tribal Science seats, to provide connection to expertise in Traditional Ecological Knowledges across California. The tribal seats are representatives of the following geographic regions of California:

  • North Coast – California/Oregon border to Mattole River
  • North Central Coast – Mattole River to Golden Gate Bridge
  • Central Coast – Golden Gate Bridge to Point Conception
  • South Coast – Point Conception to US/Mexico border

The following institutions and individuals have been invited to bring their own deep expertise and to represent strategic bridges between OPC and the broader knowledge held within their respective institutions and geographical regions.

Current Members (Spring 2026)

Science Institutions & Representatives

  • Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego Representative: Meenakshi Wadhwa, Director
  • Schatz Energy Research Center, Cal Poly Humboldt Representative: Arne Jacobson, Director
  • Marine Science Institute, UC Santa Barbara Representative: Rebecca Vega Thurber, Director
  • Coastal Marine Sciences Institute, UC Davis Representative: Andrea Alfaro, Director
  • Central & Northern California Ocean Observing System, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Representative: Henry Ruhl, CeNCOOS Director

Tribal Science Representatives

  • North Coast: Kevin McKernan, Director, Marine Department, Yurok Tribe
  • North Central Coast: To be confirmed
  • Central Coast: Eva Pagaling, Co-Founder and Board President of Ocean Origins ORG
  • South Coast: To be confirmed

Contacts

Jenn Eckerle, Executive Director, Ocean Protection Council
jenn.eckerle@resources.ca.gov

Liz Whiteman, OPC Science Advisor, Executive Director, California Ocean Science Trust
liz.whiteman@oceansciencetrust.org