Board of Directors and Staff
The Coastal Quest Board wishes to acknowledge George Donaldson’s long-standing service, since 2010. He was an astute advisor and key supporter of the organization and its values. His wonderful spirit and love of the coast will continue to inspire us to protect and restore the coast for people and nature.
A memorial donation can be made here
Board of Directors
Board President: R. Peter "Chip" Mallari
R. Peter “Chip” Mallari is an avid ocean lover with family roots in Hawaii. Chip is a devoted surfer and musician who understands the value of healthy coastal and ocean communities. He joined Coastal Quest in 2010 and brings extensive legal and advising experience.
Chip is a consultant and technology attorney based in Silicon Valley. He has managed and/or participated in the sales, finance, business and corporate development, licensing, intellectual property, marketing, human resources, and facilities and operations of technology companies, either in house or as a consultant. Currently, Chip works as a consultant for start-up companies in a variety of sectors including business technology, social media, music/musical instruments, and athletic apparel. Previously, Chip was the senior director of worldwide legal affairs for Fonality, Inc., a VoIP and unified computing company. Prior to that, he served as managing attorney for IronPort Systems, a company focused on email and web security.
During his time at IronPort, the company’s revenues grew from $30 million a year to over $500 million a year; IronPort was purchased by Cisco Systems, Inc. Prior to IronPort, he was senior corporate counsel at Verisity Design, Inc., a company focused on semiconductor chip design; Verisity was purchased by Cadence Design Systems. Chip performed a wide variety of tasks with IronPort and Verisity (similar to his role at Fonality), with the added role of managing and/or participating in the merger and subsequent integration activities of IronPort into Cisco and Verisity into Cadence, respectively.
Chip started his legal career as a corporate associate at Fenwick & West LLP, a law firm based in Silicon Valley. His practice focused on technology companies, representing both companies and investors in venture capital financings in excess of $250 million, mergers and acquisitions in excess of $7 billion, and public offerings in excess of $550 million. He earned his Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University and a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Davis.
Board Vice President: Cat Kuhlman
Cat Kuhlman was appointed by California Gov Jerry Brown in 2012 to serve as Deputy Secretary for Ocean Policy and Ocean Protection Council Executive. Until she retired in 2016, she provided the vision to lead agencies toward the shared goal of healthy ocean ecosystems and a sustainable future for oceans and those who rely on them to make their living. Her work spans the west coast where she built productive collaborations with neighboring states by identifying common priorities and approaches that serve across political borders. Key to her success, both within California and beyond, was positioning science to inform sound policy goals and decisions, and providing open, transparent processes that led to durable outcomes. Critically, Cat reached out to tribal peoples, fishermen, industry and others to ensure the broadest input and created a stronger understanding of the impacts of climate change on ocean systems and policy options to combat them.
Prior to this role, Cat led the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board where her work at preserving critical headwaters earned her national recognition and multiple awards. Here too, her success derived from fair, open and informed processes where science served as a common denominator. Cat has also served in various capacities within the US Environmental Protection Agency, addressing complex water resource management issues across jurisdictions and national borders. Known as a staunch advocate for resource stewardship and a problem solver who seeks equitable solutions, Cat continues to be sought after for her expertise at working on the intersection of the Clean Water Act and marine resource management. When she’s not working Cat and her husband are avid travelers, exploring waterways and coasts throughout the world.
Treasurer of the Board: Kathryn “Kathy” Randlett
Kathy Randlett earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from California State University, Hayward in 1976. She became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the State of California in 1978 and is currently a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the California Society of CPAs.
Kathy spent five years in public accounting before leaving to become Controller for a real estate development company where she stayed for 7 years before the company was acquired by Quadrant, a subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser. She continued to provide consulting services to Quadrant and coordinated the transition. At the same time, she formed her own business and accounting consulting practice to a variety of mid-size businesses, becoming an integral part of the management team for her clients. In many cases, Kathy bridged the gap between the internal and external accounting functions. She has over 40 years of experience in the accounting field and is currently a retired CPA residing in San Francisco.
A native of the Bay Area, Kathy has always been a supporter of environmental solutions and conservation of our biodiversity and natural resources. She was raised to appreciate the outdoors and continues to enjoy California’s mountains and coastlines.
Board Secretary: Barbara Endemaño Walker
Barbara Endemaño Walker has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Geography from UC Berkeley and a B.A. in Anthropology and African Studies from UCLA. She concurrently serves as the Director of Research Development and the Special Assistant to the Executive Vice Chancellor for Diversity Initiatives at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). Prior to these positions, she was an NSF Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Anthropology and the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA) at UCSB. Her research and publications focus on the political ecology of marine resources, gender and the environment, and broadening participation in higher education and STEM, and she has conducted field work in Ghana, French Polynesia, Mexico, and California. Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, NOAA Sea Grant, the Social Science Research Council, and the Department of Education, among others. She was a founding board member of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP), and she currently leads the Center for Research, Excellence, and Diversity in Team Science (https://oru.research.ucsb.edu/teamscience/). She is also co-author of the book Funding Your Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences: A Practical Guide to Grant and Fellowship Proposals (Routledge 2017).
Board Member and Executive Director: Tegan Hoffmann
Tegan Hoffmann has over 25 years of experience in coastal and ocean conservation and resource management and is one of Coastal Quest’s founding members and the Executive Director of Coastal Quest. After 15 amazing years founding and leading Blue Earth Consultants, both independently and under the ERG umbrella, she left to focus on fulfilling the Coastal Quest vision and mission. Tegan has deep experience working on domestic and international projects, focusing on building climate resilience, and achieving sustainable resource management and conservation goals.
Tegan has extensive know-how designing, developing, and launching projects, programs, and institutions for private foundations, public agencies, and nonprofit organizations. She has authored several publications and received numerous awards and research grants for her work on conservation, resource management, and building local conservation capacity in the Wider Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, from such organizations as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s STAR Fellowship, the University of California’s Pacific Rim Research Program, and the U.S. Indonesia Society. She has developed and conducted several trainings in the Wider Caribbean and Indo-Pacific regions for hundreds of community stakeholders on conservation and resource management issues, and has taught several courses at the University of California. Tegan graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and holds Ph.D. and master’s degrees in geography and a B.S. degree in conservation resource studies.
Board Member: Jen Sokolove
Jen Sokolove leads the program team at the Water Foundation, which drives grantmaking strategy to secure safe water for people, restore and sustain freshwater ecosystems, and build climate resilience. As a member of the senior management team, she helps implement the foundation’s overall mission and works closely with the CEO to engage new partners, develop campaign strategies, and grow field capacity. Jen has been working on sustainability for more than two decades, with a focus on community-based conservation.
Prior to joining the Water Foundation, Jen led grantmaking at the Compton Foundation around movement-building and narrative in climate change, reproductive justice, and peace and security. She first joined Compton to advance its environmental programs on fresh water, climate, and rural conservation in the western United States, as well as sustainable food systems and art for social change. Before Compton, Jen worked on a variety of community-led conservation projects in California, Montana, and the Pacific Northwest. She serves on the boards of the Story of Stuff, EcoAdapt, and the Biodiversity Funders Group, and the advisory board for the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program at UC Santa Cruz. Jen received a PhD in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from UC Berkeley.
Staff
Executive Director: Tegan Hoffmann
Tegan Hoffmann has over 25 years of experience in coastal and ocean conservation and resource management and is one of Coastal Quest’s founding members and the Executive Director of Coastal Quest. After 15 amazing years founding and leading Blue Earth Consultants, both independently and under the ERG umbrella, she left to focus on fulfilling the Coastal Quest vision and mission. Tegan has deep experience working on domestic and international projects, focusing on building climate resilience, and achieving sustainable resource management and conservation goals.
Tegan has extensive know-how designing, developing, and launching projects, programs, and institutions for private foundations, public agencies, and nonprofit organizations. She has authored several publications and received numerous awards and research grants for her work on conservation, resource management, and building local conservation capacity in the Wider Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific, from such organizations as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s STAR Fellowship, the University of California’s Pacific Rim Research Program, and the U.S. Indonesia Society. She has developed and conducted several trainings in the Wider Caribbean and Indo-Pacific regions for hundreds of community stakeholders on conservation and resource management issues, and has taught several courses at the University of California. Tegan graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and holds Ph.D. and master’s degrees in geography and a B.S. degree in conservation resource studies.
Senior Director: Cynthia Mayoral
Cynthia joined Coastal Quest in August 2022 bringing more than 25 years of experience in community-centered coastal conservation and marine resource management around the globe. She is a non-profit leader with a unique combination of deep programmatic, institutional development, and fundraising experience.
Cynthia lived and worked in Latin America for 15 years where she developed and implemented intensive, multi-faceted training programs empowering coastal communities to co-manage their natural resources and provided support and capacity building to local organizations including fisheries cooperatives, indigenous groups, women’s groups, NGOs and national parks. Through training and mentoring in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, volunteer management, program design and implementation, budgeting, grant writing and management, and behavior change, Cynthia supported dozens of local organizations to increase the impact of their efforts to protect biodiversity and coastal livelihoods.
In the Gulf of California, Cynthia partnered with local communities, local and international non-profits, governmental entities, academics and donors to develop, pilot, and scale a conservation education initiative training young Mexican professionals to provide technical assistance and training to small-scale fishers, creating a corps of skilled marine conservation leaders while empowering communities to co-manage their natural resources. Cynthia used that experience to join Rare leadership in developing, piloting and scaling their global coastal fisheries program, Fish Forever, revitalizing coastal habitats while protecting biodiversity and coastal livelihoods. For the past 10 years Cynthia helped lead Rare’s development team in partnership building and organizational resilience in support of Rare’s partners and programs.
Cynthia holds a joint B.A. in Environmental Studies and Spanish Language and Literature from Middlebury College and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from Michigan State University. She is a certified facilitator with the Institute of Cultural Affairs.
She is bi-lingual in English and Spanish.
Director: Tina Lee
Tina Lee works with people to conserve and manage coastal and marine environments through equitable, locally driven, culturally centered approaches.
Tina joined Coastal Quest in June 2022 with over 12 years of experience leading collaborative projects both in the U.S. and globally. She has focused her career on convening multi-sector groups to achieve collective outcomes for the coasts and communities—managing federally funded awards, organizing conferences and meetings, partnering with community organizations, strategic planning, and managing committees and partnerships. Most recently, she spent over four years with NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management Pacific Islands region based in Honolulu, HI. There, she supported the launch of the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve and coordinated the Pacific Risk Management Ohana: a partnership of 100+ organizations building disaster resilience in the Pacific Islands. She is also a skilled diversity, equity, inclusion and justice (DEIJ) practitioner, and launched a DEIJ Working Group to connect a national system of 30 National Estuarine Research Reserves towards building equity into conservation and research practices. Prior to her position with NOAA, Tina played an integral role in achieving social and ecological outcomes with organizations such as the University of Hawaiʻi, Conservation International, and the Hawaiʻi Conservation Alliance.
Tina holds a B.S. in Biology with a focus in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution from the University of California San Diego, and a dual M.A. in Natural Resources/Sustainable Development and International Affairs from American University in Washington D.C. and the U.N. University for Peace in Costa Rica.
She speaks Mandarin and Spanish and enjoys spending time in the ocean, traveling, and making noodles from scratch.
Operations Manager: Andrew White
Andrew joined Coastal Quest in January 2022. As a proven finance and accounting specialist, Andrew brings deep experience and knowledge from both the non-profit and private sectors. Prior to joining Coastal Quest, Andrew worked as a Project Accountant at an International Development firm, Tetra Tech, where he managed the finance departments of several field offices overseas. Before joining Tetra Tech, Andrew worked as a Finance and Administrative Coordinator at an Oakland non-profit, helping manage the organization’s finance, administrative and operations departments. In his role, Andrew helped spearhead new systems that helped improve the organization’s budget and grant processes, a CRM database, as well as managed the operations of the organization. Andrew is also a military veteran, who served for seven years in both the US Navy and the US Army Reserves.
Andrew received his B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of California, Berkeley with a concentration in Conflict Resolution. Andrew is a current graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy where he is pursuing an M.A. in Global Business Administration.
Project Manager: Gabi Polo
Gabi joined Coastal Quest in April 2022 with over 7 years of experience managing complex conservation and development initiatives across the globe. She is passionate about empowering coastal communities to be stewards of their resources and has worked closely with community members—fishers, oyster farmers, women, and indigenous groups—to ensure their needs are heard and that they have a role in making decisions that affect their future. Gabi brings a wealth of expertise in community-led solutions, stakeholder engagement, behavior change, and capacity building. Throughout her career, Gabi has facilitated several participatory mapping, profiling, and visioning exercises with community groups, and implemented trainings, scenario planning sessions, discussions, and other tools to help local actors articulate their goals, priorities, challenges, and potential solutions. She has also planned and supported community consultations to create multi-benefit coastal solutions.
Most recently, she spent five years managing Rare’s flagship program (Fish Forever) to revitalize coastal habitats, protect biodiversity, and secure coastal livelihoods in Central America. In that role, Gabi oversaw program implementation, contributed to program strategy and fundraising, and collaborated with diverse partners to advance sustainable ocean policies and build local capacity for marine resource management. Gabi’s contributions and leadership were essential to achieving critical milestones, including the program’s expansion into new geographies; the declaration of Honduras’s first community-led managed access area; the successful launch and execution of a behavior change campaign to promote responsible fishing; the growth of Honduras’s fully protected reserve network; and the strengthening of the resilience of vulnerable coastal governments and Indigenous communities. Prior to this work, Gabi supported several conservation and livelihoods projects in Belize, Cuba, and Costa Rica with Rare, Ocean Doctor, and University of Florida’s Conservation Law Clinic.
Gabi holds a B.A. in Economics and International Studies from DePaul University and a Master’s in Sustainable Development Practice with a Specialization in Tropical Conservation and Development from the University of Florida. As a native of Ecuador’s largest coastal city, Gabi is fluent in Spanish and has a deep passion for coastal and marine conservation.