California Coastkeeper Alliance Staff

Linda Sheehan, Executive Director

As Executive Director, Ms. Sheehan works statewide to protect and expand upon the advances made by local Waterkeeper groups in the areas of water quality and ecosystem protection, and educate state decision-makers about these issues. Ms. Sheehan brings to CCKA almost 20 years of experience in environmental law and policy matters. She has achieved notable success in protecting the health of coastal and marine waters off California by passing landmark legislation to control polluted runoff, improve coastal water quality monitoring, and limit the introduction of harmful invasive species into coastal habitats. Ms. Sheehan currently serves on the Alameda County Local Agency Formation Commission, a regional planning agency, and was appointed to the Technical Advisory Committee of the office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response by the State Senate. Prior to joining CCKA, Ms. Sheehan spent ten years with The Ocean Conservancy's Pacific Regional Office, the last five as Executive Director, overseeing efforts along the West Coast and Hawaii to revitalize marine fisheries, restore clean coastal waters, conserve marine wildlife, and protect ocean ecosystems. Ms. Sheehan holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; an M.P.P. from the University of California, Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy, where she was a Berkeley Policy Fellow; and a J.D. from the University of California's Boalt Hall School of Law.

Angela Haren, Program Director

Angela Haren manages CCKA’s statewide initiatives to protect marine ecosystems and water quality including coordinating a coalition of advocacy groups working to phase out the environmentally damaging use of once-through cooling at coastal power plants and implementing the Marine Life Protection Act. She is also involved in development and outreach for CCKA. Ms. Haren has over seven years of experience working on environmental issues in both the non-profit and government sectors. She was recently appointed to the Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS) Task Force by the State Water Resources Control Board. Ms. Haren worked for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, and her research on marine protected area management was published in April 2007 edition of the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy. She also spent three years working on California water law and development for NRDC in San Francisco. Ms. Haren holds an M.P.P. in Environmental and Natural Resource Policy from the UCLA School of Public Affairs, where she received honors recognition for her policy research on the regulation of underwater noise pollution. Ms. Haren also holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature with a Minor in Political Science from the University of California, Davis and studied international environmental policy at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

Tom Lyons, Program Coordinator

Tom Lyons works on various initiatives aimed at promoting the sound management of marine and freshwater ecosystems in California. He promotes public access to news and information regarding water management in the state. Working actively at improving the transparency of state water quality data, he uses Geographic Information Systems to present them in a way that all Californians can understand. He also devotes his time to fundraising, website content management, and administration. Tom has several years of experience researching alternative fisheries management strategies in the US and in Africa. He has worked with the West African Marine Ecoregion of the World Wildlife Fund to develop management plans for a network of Marine Protected Areas for artisanal fisheries in Senegal. His research on introducing co-management strategies to the management of marine recreational fisheries in Rhode Island has inspired managers and anglers alike to rethink the role of resource users in the management process. Tom holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Brown University.

Dirk Burcham, Regional Kelp Project Manager

Dirk Burcham is responsible for coordinating the activities of the Kelp Restoration Project between the participating Waterkeepers. He ensures the project goals, administrative details, financial obligations, and regulatory requirements are met. Mr. Burcham has over 25 years of experience in the fields of Biology, Project Management and Business. He has worked as a professional Wildlife Biologist and wrote the Key Species Monitoring Project Protocols of the Catalina Conservancy Divers. He is a member of the Board of Scientific Advisors for Reef Check California and is a member of the CCKA Dive Control Board. Additionally, he is an AAUS Scientific Research Diver and an active Dive Volunteer with the Aquarium of the Pacific. Mr. Burcham received a B.S. degree in Zoology from San Diego State University; an M.S. degree in Wildlife Management from Humboldt State University; and is a Certified Wildlife Biologist through The Wildlife Society.

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