About Us:
Kristen Bor - resume
Kristen grew up in the great state of Idaho and received her Bachelors degree in chemistry from the University of Puget Sound in Washington. After college, she worked as a SCUBA instructor in Thailand and first handedly observed the problems facing our oceans. It was during this time she decided to go back to school and pursue a Master’s degree in the environmental field. At the Bren School, Kristen is specializing in Coastal Marine Resources Management and is particularly interested in fisheries management, sustainable seafood, and marine conservation. This summer, she will be interning in Santa Barbara with the Ocean Futures Society and the NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary office. In her free time, Kristen enjoys backpacking, diving, music, biking, cooking, white water rafting, and ping-pong.
Dan Ovando - resume
Dan spent his formative years growing up in the hills of Bloomington Indiana, before heading off to the beach and the University of Miami where he received a Bachelor’s degree in ecosystem science and policy as well as biology. After completing his undergraduate education, he continued living in Miami will working as the program coordinator and lab manager for a shark research program based out of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. In this role, Dan helped promote shark conservation by conducting research on the ecology of south Florida sharks while developing awareness in the community about these apex predators. Dan decided to seek his Master’s degree at Bren in order to pursue his interest in developing practical solutions to environmental problems, especially with regards to marine ecosystems. At Bren he has focused his work on coastal marine resource management and the use of economic tools in promoting the development of sustainable fisheries. This summer, Dan will be collecting information on fishing cooperative design for his group project, as well as conducting research on Peruvian fisheries and the use of territorial users rights in fisheries management for the Sustainable Fisheries Group. His hobbies include music, food and drink, travel, surfing and rugby.
Heather Hodges - resume
Heather found her passion for the conservation of natural resources while growing up in Montana. She decided to pursue her Bachelor’s degree through the University of Redlands in California. Although the majority of her four years there were spent on the soccer field she managed to travel to Australia for a semester abroad where she took her first marine biology/fisheries courses and was instantly “hooked”. After graduating she worked as a fisheries technician in Glacier Park, Montana where she researched the endangered Bull Trout populations of the Park’s remote lakes and rivers. She spent the next year working as a substitute high school teacher and soccer coach in Montana and a marine mammals intern at the Shed Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois. She is now pursuing her Master’s degree at the Bren School where she is specializing in marine resource conservation and environmental/resource economics. This spring she worked with The Nature Conservancy on a fisheries management issue in Morro Bay, California. She is stoked to spend another summer back in beautiful Montana kayaking and hiking as well as continuing her work in fisheries management by evaluating catch-share/cooperative based fisheries worldwide as part of her Abalone Group Project.
Ariel Jacobs - resume
Ariel is a Southern California native who has been diving California’s coast for the last 13 years. She received her Bachelors of Science degree in marine biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she worked for two years in an environmental toxicology lab. While working in the biotechnology industry and volunteering with Surfrider and Channelkeeper, Ariel realized that she could best work to improve the quality of the marine environment by continuing her education with a Masters degree at UCSB’s Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. Ariel’s specialization is Coastal Marine Resources Management, with interests in adaptive and ecosystem-based management, establishment and monitoring of marine protected areas, and fisheries co-management. This summer, Ariel will be interning with Reef Check, Dominican Republic, and can’t wait to finally do some warm water diving!
Josh Uecker - resume
Josh grew up in the Black Hills of western South Dakota where he played a lot of soccer and enjoyed the outdoors. He moved to Hilo, Hawaii for school, fell in love with the ocean, and received a Bachelors degree in Marine Science from UH Hilo. He worked for one of his professors during this time doing research on the Wailuku River. This helped him begin to see the connections between seemingly disparate environments and piqued his interest in larger, broader environmental issues. After working oddjobs and doing some traveling overseas he decided to head back to school to get the skills and qualifications needed to address environmental problems. He is currently seeking a Masters degree at UCSB's Bren School and is specializing in both Water and Coastal Marine Resources Management. This summer, Josh hopes to work on some fisheries research projects and river conservation efforts, in addition to visiting his parents in Germany. In his free time he enjoys playing soccer, music, hiking, biking, diving, and making a fool of himself on a surfboard.