She is currently assuming her new role as the Director of Conservation for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation where she leads the development and implementation of the Foundation’s strategic programs and projects that support science, conservation, restoration, and stewardship initiatives across the National Marine Sanctuary System and beyond.
Tj began her career in fisheries working at Hubbs Research Institute while pursuing her Master of Marine Science at the University San Diego. She then founded and was the director of the first brand of responsibly harvested and traceable wild caught fish from the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Wild, working to ensure people from all walks of life had equitable access to this new category of seafood. Her most recent role as the Director of Seafood Sustainability at the National Aquarium, involved creating a National Consumer Awareness Campaign stimulating consumer demand for responsible Aquaculture (farmed seafood). From connecting sustainable commercial fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico with conscious consumers to connecting food deserts in Baltimore with sustainable Aquaculture, Tj has 25 years of experience connecting environmental and social sustainability with economic opportunity.
Tj is a Seaweb Seafood Summit Visionary Awardee, a member of the White House Task Force for Sustainable Seafood focused on the future of Aquaculture, a Fish 2.0 Impact Advisor, serves on the Steering Committee for the Coalition for U.S. Seafood Production, a Fellow in the Seafood & Oceans Leadership Institute and holds several other board and committee duties.
When not focused on helping communities and our planet, she can be found with her amazing daughter and two furry rescues.