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About Us

ABOUT THE BISCAYNE BAY MARINE HEALTH COALITION

The Biscayne Bay Marine Health Coalition (BBMHC) is a coalition of volunteers working collaboratively with government agencies, academic institutions, businesses, nonprofits and individuals dedicated to advocating solutions for a healthy and resilient Biscayne Bay watershed. We do this through:

Advocating for Biscayne Bay: We advocate for the protection and restoration of Biscayne Bay to local, state and federal stakeholders, and encourage the implementation of the Biscayne Bay Task Force Report's Recommendations. We do this by encouraging active engagement from the community, speaking up in support of Biscayne Bay protection and recovery projects, and through our representative seat on the Miami-Dade County’s Biscayne Bay Watershed Management Advisory Board.
Building a Community of Advocates: We support Biscayne Bay advocates to take individual and collective actions by facilitating communication tools and networking opportunities that encourage collaboration and innovation.
Educating and Informing Stakeholders: We seek to educate stakeholders on Biscayne Bay health-related issues and on the progress of the Biscayne Bay Task Force Report recommendations through our Bi-Annual Biscayne Bay Marine Health Summit, events, speaking engagements, webinars and newsletters.

For the story of this group, watch: https://youtu.be/3EujhdFxK2A

Current Steering Committee Members

Luiz Rodrigues

Founder of the Biscayne Bay Marine Health Coalition
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Dave Doebler

Chair, Steering Committee

Co-Founder, VolunteerCleanup.Org
www.VolunteerCleanup.Org
Dave@VolunteerCleanup.Org

Member, Miami-Dade County Biscayne Bay Watershed Management Advisory Board
Chair, City of Miami Beach Marine and Waterfront Protection Authority
Former Chair, City of Miami Beach Sustainability Committee
Vice Chair, North Bay Village Sustainability & Resiliency Task Force
Member, Miami Dade County Marine Debris Working Group, EPA Trash Free Seas Working Group, NOAA Marine Southeast Marine Debris Working Group
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Maria Del Mar Trejos

Vice Chair - Steering Committee

Mari is a Resiliency Metrics Analyst at Miami-Dade County, Office of Resilience.
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Karen Beber Futernick

Karen is the Miami-Dade County Liaison for The Surfrider Foundation Miami Chapter where she created a program called SEAS: Swim. Explore. Act. Surf. It’s a 3-part program that’s a path to advocacy and opportunity for underrepresented kids and families. Learning how to swim and feeling safe and comfortable in the water opens up incredible opportunities for education, leisure, sport, study and, of course, ocean advocacy.
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Lauren Jonaitis

Lauren is the Senior Conservation Director of Tropical Audubon Society. She has a M.S. degree in Biology with a focus in Conservation Biology and Population Ecology. Her background includes science communication, environmental permitting/policy, land use planning and coastal ecology.

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Melissa Hew

Melissa specializes in Urban and Coastal Resilience, and is currently a Senior Management Consultant with Arcadis.
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Julia Wester

Julia is the Director of Program Development at Field School. She is also a Lecturer and Associate Director Ecosystem Science & Policy at University of Miami.
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