Our Team
Director
R. Pamela Reid, Ph.D.
President
Professor, Marine Geosciences
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy
Miami, FL 33149
(305) 421-4606
Email
Pam is a Professor of Marine Geosciences at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami. She has been sailing and doing research in the Bahamas for twenty-five years.
Pam specializes in studies of tropical, shallow marine sediments and reefs, she has written more than ninety publications for scientific journals. She presently represents the University of Miami on the Council for the Bahamas National Trust.
Director
Jamie Foster, Ph.D.
Vice President
Associate Professor
Department of Microbiology and Cell Science
University of Florida
Space Life Sciences Lab
505 Odyssey Way
Merritt Island, FL 32953
Jamie is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida and has led a research group at the Space Life Sciences Lab near the Kennedy Space Center, FL for more than 10 years.
Jamie’s research examines how complex microbial communities, such as stromatolites, form and interact with their surrounding environment. She has published more then 40 scientific articles on the subject and has received numerous awards to support her research efforts. Through her work on Bahamian stromatolites Jamie has developed a deep appreciation for the natural ecosystem of The Bahamas and is dedicated to help preserving this unique environment. Jamie is also committed to teaching and mentoring young Bahamian students in the natural sciences and has co-developed several educational and training programs to engage Bahamian students in these scientific endeavors.
Director
Peter B. Ortner, Ph.D.
Secretary
Research Professor, Marine Biology and Ecology
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Cswy, Miami, FL 33149
(305) 421-4619
Email
Peter has been a Research Professor at the Rosenstiel School for nearly four decades.
He recently retired as the Director of the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, which is hosted by UM, but includes all the major research universities in Florida and the American Caribbean. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and his J.D. from the University of Miami’s Law School where he holds a position as an Adjunct Professor. His ecological research focused on the physical oceanographic regulation of the distributions of semi-tropical and tropical planktonic organisms. In pursuing this research, he led numerous research cruises and field trips in the Bahamas and Caribbean. He is an author on more than a hundred scientific papers or technical reports and recently served as the Chair of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System. While a federal employee working for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Peter held a leadership role in the interagency South Florida Ecosystem Restoration effort and was the Director and Chief Scientist of NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. He and his family are avid sailors and have spent many months exploring Bahamian ecosystems in the Berry Islands, Exuma Cays, and the Abacos.
Director
Alexander Tecle
Treasurer
Anthem Advisors LLC
4000 Ponce de Leon Blvd, Ste 470
Coral Gables, FL 33146
(305) 482-3002
Email
Alexander Tecle was raised in Miami, Florida. As a Florida State Alumnus, Alex procured a Bachelor of Science in Finance degree as well as Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
Within his decade long career as a Private Client Financial Consultant at Fidelity Investments, Alex completed a Masters of Business Administration from Florida International University and a Masters of Taxation at Florida Atlantic University. After leaving Fidelity Investments in 2018, Alexander partnered with a group of Wealth Advisors and became the Director of Wealth Management and Senior Wealth Advisor at Anthem Advisors, LLC. Alex currently serves on the board of directors of The Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation and The Nu-Deco Ensemble.
Special Projects
Erich Mueller, Ph.D.
Maple City MI
(231) 645-4556
Erich has studied corals and reefs for over 30 years at numerous locales around the world. His research interests focus on coral physiology, particularly calcification, and coral health.
Erich also has significant experience in the fields of laboratory administration and education. In the Florida Keys, Erich developed and directed two laboratories for Mote Marine Laboratory, based in Sarasota, FL: Pigeon Key Marine Research Center on Pigeon Cay and the Center for Tropical Research on Summerland Key. He served as Senior Research Scientist at Lee Stocking Island from 2004-2011 and as Director of the facility in 2011.
Erich’s work in education involves a variety of projects. From 1984-1988 he taught, developed and marketed marine field programs at Seacamp/Newfound Harbor Marine Institute (Big Pine Key, FL). He taught at middle school through graduate levels as well as adult programs. Erich uses his background in research, administration and education to develop creative programs that promote awareness and respect for the unique Bahamian environment.
Community Relations
Aiden Burrows
Farmers Cay, Exuma
(242) 427-7602
Email
Aiden is a fisherman and community leader who lives on Farmers Cay, Exuma.
As the last person born on Farmers Cay (expectant mothers now travel to Nassau to give birth), Aiden is dedicated to the preservation of Exuma Cays Heritage. He has served as the representative for local government and is actively involved in conservation initiatives to foster sustainability and environmental preservation in the Family Island communities. BME enthusiastically works with Aiden to advance these goals and integrate our education, research, and art programmes into the local community
Former Director
Barbara J. Thompson
(1954-2018)
Co-founder and director of Bahamas Marine EcoCentre, Barbara Jean Thompson of Nassau, died on March 14th 2018. Barbara was a driving force in many non-profit organizations and is dearly missed by a wide community.
BME president Pamela Reid paid tribute to Barbara’s role as Marine Scientist and environmental conservationist in the following statement read at Barbara’s Life Celebration in Nassau, March 18th 2018:
Barbara had a profound love for marine science and the Bahamian environment. After spending several years at Lee Stocking Island, Exuma, in the late 70s developing fish farming techniques with her husband Alf, Barbara returned to the University of Miami to refine her aquaculture skills. As a grad student studying Marine Geology, I shared several classes with Barbara. We became friends and conducted biological sampling trips for various projects working out of her parent’s vacation home in Marathon in the Florida Cays. We maintained our friendship after Barbara and Alf moved back to Nassau to start tilapia and then shrimp farming, and I began a research program in Exuma studying stromatolites. Stromatolites are microbial reefs that dominated early Earth for much of Earth history. They are rare today, but are uncommonly common in the Exuma Cays, with the most famous locality at Barbara’s ‘happy place’, Lee Stocking Island.
As my research continued, we built a research station at Highborne Cay, with guidance and advice from Barbara, so we could continuously study stromatolites. Some years later, again in consultation with Barbara and assistance from Tommy Goodwin, we moved the research station south to Little Darby Island, just ten miles north of Lee Stocking Island. Throughout these years, Barbara, with her marine science background, problem-solving abilities, and knowledge of all things Bahamian, was invaluable, connecting us with the best people and services, and providing never endingenthusiasm, inspiration and ideas.
About 15 years ago, Barbara and I co-founded a non-profit organization that is now known as Bahamas Marine EcoCentre (www.bahamas-marine-ecocentre.org). The aim of this organization is to conduct education, research and art programs, that, in Barbara’s words, “inspire all individuals – locals and visitors, young and old – to treasure and preserve the natural heritage of the Bahamas.” Our first major project was production of a book of scientific art called “Island of the Sun, a tribute to the northern Exuma Cays”. This habitat-based book features paintings and scientific descriptions by Barbara’s son John and photography by Nikita Shiel-Rolle. Additional projects conducted under Barbara’s guidance included organizing summer science camps for Bahamian youth from Little Farmers Cay, and arranging summer internship programs for Bahamian students at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre and Dr. Sonny Gruber’s shark program at Bimini Biological Field Station. In addition to these education and outreach activities, marine science research is conducted out of Bahama Marine EcoCentre’s Darby Island Research Station, where Barbara again played a major role in all aspects of our operation.
In the words of Barbara’s sister, “its been a blast” promoting marine science in the Bahamas with Barbara over the past several decades. On March 14th, 2018, the governing bodies of several Bahamian environmental organizations, including Bahamas National Trust and Gerace Research Centre in Sal Salvador in addition to Bahamas Marine EcoCentre, lost a true champion and marine science advocate. I lost an amazing friend.
Former Director
Manuel J. Cutillas
(1932-2014)
Manuel J. Cutillas was a founding director and ardent supporter of Bahamas Marine EcoCentre.
As former Chairman of the Board of Bacardi Limited and Chairman of the University of Miami’s International Advisory Board, Manuel spent nearly 50 years in the business founded by his great-great grandfather, Don Facundo Barcardi. Born in Cuba, Manuel moved to Nassau in 1960 after the Castro regime confiscated the family business. An avid fisherman and boater, Manuel was dedicated to environmental preservation and his contributions to environmental causes are legendary.
Science Advisory Board
Jack Fell, Ph.D. Chairman
(305) 421 4603
Email
Jack is a Professor Emeritus, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami.
Jack’s research focuses on field and laboratory studies of fungi. He has examined the biodiversity and activities of fungi in marine regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Antarctic Oceans, including the Caribbean and Arabian Seas. Laboratory investigations involved mating and molecular genetics of fungi, including adaptation of molecular systematics for rapid identification of marine and terrestrial microbes using techniques such as suspension arrays and electrochemistry. These studies resulted in over 200 publications. Jack has cruised extensively through the Bahamas on his sailboat and has led numerous research expeditions to the Bahamas on the University of Miami’s R/V Calanus. His research cruises examined the role of fungi in mangrove detrital decomposition processes, a major nutrient source in tropical food webs. Of the many new species and genera of fungi that Jack and his coworkers described from around the world, nine species and one genus came from Bahamian mangroves. Jack draws on this extensive background to assist and educate students, scientists and visitors at the Darby Island Research Station regarding the marine ecology of the Bahamas.
Craig Grossenbacher
(305) 372-6522
Email
As chief of the Water Resources Coordination Division of Miami-Dade County’s Dept. of Environmental Resources Management.
(DERM), Craig oversees environmental planning, monitoring and restoration projects in Dade County. His office also assists state and federal agencies including the South Florida Water Management District and the Army Corps of Engineers in the planning and design of environmental restoration projects including components of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), the largest hydrologic restoration plan ever undertaken in the United States. He has cruised extensively throughout all of the Bahamas with family and friends for many years. With his background in environmental restoration and knowledge of Bahamian habitats, Craig is uniquely qualified to assist with local efforts to preserve Exuma Cays heritage and address issues such as climate change.
Michael Lombardi
He routinely supports and supervises inshore diving operations for science and industry, and is involved in a variety of developing programs for bringing advanced technology platforms forward as viable tools for the working diver, including advanced closed-circuit rebreathers, portable underwater habitats, and Atmospheric Diving Systems. Portions of this work have taken place through BME, with funding from the National Geographic Society. Michael is the co-Chair of the Marine Technology Society’s Diving Subcommittee and contributes a significant portion of his time to creating community programs through his not for profit organization, Ocean Opportunity Inc.
Noah J. Planavsky, Ph.D.
As a geochemist and sedimentologist, Noah is interested in using the rock record to understand the co-evolution of life and surface environments through Earth’s history. Noah is an Assistant Professor in Department of Geology and Geophysics at Yale University. As a geochemist and sedimentologist, Noah is interested in using the rock record to understand the co-evolution of life and surface environments through Earth’s history. His research integrates field, petrographic, and geochemical work. Noah started research on carbonate sediments in the Bahamas as an undergraduate student and his current Bahamian research is focused on using novel isotopes (e.g., boron) to track the processes leading to carbonate formation. He is an author on over 70 scientific papers and has been involved with PBS and BBC educational shows on the Bahamas.
John Stolz Ph.D.
(412) 396-6333
Email
John Stolz is a Professor of Environmental Microbiology in the Department of Biological Sciences, Noble J. Dick endowed chair in community outreach, and Director of the Center for Environmental Research and Education at Duquesne University.
He received his BS degree in biology at Fordham University and earned his PhD at Boston University in microbial ecology and evolution. He was an NRC Post doctoral fellow at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Department of Geology and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, and an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Plant Biology in the Biochemistry Department at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His main research interests are in the community structure of microbial mats and stromatolites; the microbial metabolism of metals and metalloids including arsenic, selenium, and nitrate; and the environmental impacts of unconventional shale gas extraction. He is currently funded by the Colcom Foundation and the Heinz Endowments to study water quality in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Dr. Stolz has published 86 journal articles, 37 book chapters, and author-edited two books.
Miriam S. Andres, Ph.D
Miriam is a carbonate sedimentologist by training and applies her broad carbonate knowledge to paleoceanographic, paleoclimate, geobiology or resource questions.
Reefs through time and space and particularly stromatolites are her favorite topic. Miriam currently lives and works in Switzerland. She heads up the coordination office for Swiss Drilling, supporting and coordinating scientific continental and ocean scientific drilling for Swiss-based scientists. She consults and sits on the school board of a primary and high school in the Kanton of Zurich apart from in addition to being an external natural sciences expert for senior high school thesis evaluations.
Research Fellows
Erica P. Suosaari, Ph.D.
(202) 633-1801
+61 (0) 438 742 011
Email
Erica’s primary research is focused on interactions between stromatolite-building microbial communities and their surrounding environment and how these factors work together to form distinct morphotypes.
In addition to styding carbonate stromatolites in Shark Bay, Western Australia and the Bahamas, Erica is investigating the role of microbes in the formation of gypsum domes in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile. Erica is also actively involved in educational activities, serving as adjunct faculty at Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, and Curtin University, Perth.
Collaborating Organizations
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
www.rsmas.miami.edu
The Nature Conservancy
www.nature.org
Bahamas National Trust
www.bnt.bs
Science Under Sail
www.scienceundersail.org
Bimini Biological
Field Station
biminisharklab.com
Bush Heritage Australia
bushheritage.org.au
Oceans of Opportunity
oceanopportunity.com
Friends of Darby Island Research Station
Darby Island owners: Bill Chester, Bill Cook, Rick Davis, Eileen Marty, Bill Saeger
Nancy Bottomley, Regatta Point, Exuma (regattapoint.com)
Frank and Marsha Ellis, Bock Cay, Exuma
Charlie Entenmann, Key Largo, FL
Gerhard Heine and Inez Christiani, S/V Fussel
Sandy Mactaggart, Soldier Cay, Exuma
Nancy Maynard, Bob Corell, Jenn Gebelein, Jamie Goodman, Miami FL
Wendell Mckenzie, Barraterre
Tazzy Dave Young, Exuma
Rich Findley, S/V Tradewinds
Wed Design
