Fernando Bretos, Director
Mr. Bretos is the Director of CariMar. He has worked in Cuba since 1998 on a wide variety of marine conservation projects. He oversees the Trinational Initiative for Marine Research and Conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean a multinational effort to study coastal and marine resources shared by the three nations of the Gulf of Mexico: Cuba, Mexico and the United States. He also oversees joint research projects with the Center for Marine Research of the University of Havana on sea turtles, coral reef health and the engagement of remote coastal Cuban communities in protecting their natural resources.
Mr. Bretos is Curator of Ecology at Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science in Miami, Florida. He is responsible for developing marine and coastal science content for the Museum’s relocation to a new $300 million state-of-the-art science center and aquarium scheduled to open in 2016 in downtown Miami
At the Museum he also directs MuVE (Museum Volunteers for the Environment) a volunteer based urban restoration project. The Project empowers South Florida residents to restore urban coastal ecosystems such as mangrove wetlands and upland urban forests. To date thousands of South Florida volunteers have restored over 17 acres of coastal habitat.
Prior to this work Mr. Bretos worked for five years at The Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit marine conservation advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. where he managed the organization’s conservation programs in the Wider Caribbean Basin. Mr. Bretos holds a Master’s degree in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Oberlin College. He is a Kinship Conservation Fellow and Toyota/Audubon Together Green Fellow
Mr. Bretos, whose parents are both Peter Pan migrants from Cuba, is working on a book about how his experience in Cuba has brought him closer to his homeland and driven his passion for nature and science.
Mr. Bretos is the Director of CariMar. He has worked in Cuba since 1998 on a wide variety of marine conservation projects. He oversees the Trinational Initiative for Marine Research and Conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean a multinational effort to study coastal and marine resources shared by the three nations of the Gulf of Mexico: Cuba, Mexico and the United States. He also oversees joint research projects with the Center for Marine Research of the University of Havana on sea turtles, coral reef health and the engagement of remote coastal Cuban communities in protecting their natural resources.
Mr. Bretos is Curator of Ecology at Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science in Miami, Florida. He is responsible for developing marine and coastal science content for the Museum’s relocation to a new $300 million state-of-the-art science center and aquarium scheduled to open in 2016 in downtown Miami
At the Museum he also directs MuVE (Museum Volunteers for the Environment) a volunteer based urban restoration project. The Project empowers South Florida residents to restore urban coastal ecosystems such as mangrove wetlands and upland urban forests. To date thousands of South Florida volunteers have restored over 17 acres of coastal habitat.
Prior to this work Mr. Bretos worked for five years at The Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit marine conservation advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. where he managed the organization’s conservation programs in the Wider Caribbean Basin. Mr. Bretos holds a Master’s degree in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Oberlin College. He is a Kinship Conservation Fellow and Toyota/Audubon Together Green Fellow
Mr. Bretos, whose parents are both Peter Pan migrants from Cuba, is working on a book about how his experience in Cuba has brought him closer to his homeland and driven his passion for nature and science.
Katie Thompson, Program Manager
Katie is the Program Manger at CariMar, where she provides programmatic support for a range of projects. She oversees the Trinational Initiative for Marine Research and Conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean, the social media platform, educational travel, and assists the sea turtle research project and general fundraising efforts. She also helps develop new programmatic initiatives including expanding its work with coastal fishing communities in Cuba.
Katie has a Master’s in Marine Affairs from University of Washington’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. During graduate school, Katie focused on community-based marine conservation strategies and non-profit management. She conducted her thesis on fisheries learning exchanges, which bring fisheries stakeholders together to share resource management best practices.
Before graduate school, Katie was granted a Fulbright Fellowship in Costa Rica where she taught at the Universidad de Costa Rica and worked with sea turtle conservation organizations on the Caribbean coast. She holds a BA in Biology from Oberlin College.
Katie is the Program Manger at CariMar, where she provides programmatic support for a range of projects. She oversees the Trinational Initiative for Marine Research and Conservation in the Gulf of Mexico and Western Caribbean, the social media platform, educational travel, and assists the sea turtle research project and general fundraising efforts. She also helps develop new programmatic initiatives including expanding its work with coastal fishing communities in Cuba.
Katie has a Master’s in Marine Affairs from University of Washington’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. During graduate school, Katie focused on community-based marine conservation strategies and non-profit management. She conducted her thesis on fisheries learning exchanges, which bring fisheries stakeholders together to share resource management best practices.
Before graduate school, Katie was granted a Fulbright Fellowship in Costa Rica where she taught at the Universidad de Costa Rica and worked with sea turtle conservation organizations on the Caribbean coast. She holds a BA in Biology from Oberlin College.
Cover photo by Ziggy Livnat