Executives
Dr. Denise Herzing, Research Director/Founder: Dr. Herzing received her B.S. in Marine Zoology from Oregon State University in 1979; her M.A. in Behavioral Biology from San Francisco State University in 1988; and her Ph.D. in Behavioral Biology and Environmental Studies from the Union Institute Graduate School in 1993. She began her unprecedented,long-term study of Atlantic spotted dolphins in 1985, and is the founder of The Wild Dolphin Project. Dr. Herzing is the author of numerous articles and papers and is currently a Research Faculty member of Biological and Psychological Sciences at Florida Atlantic University. Most recently Dr. Herzing has been recognized by the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation as a 2008 Fellow.
Dr. Cindy R. Elliser, Research Assistant: Dr. Cindy R. Elliser, received her B.S. in 2000 and her M.S. in 2003 in Biological Sciences from Florida Atlantic University (FAU). She received her PhD in Integrative Biology from FAU in 2010. Since 2002, Elliser has studied wild dolphins as the Research Assistant for The Wild Dolphin Project. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Indian River State College (IRSC). Dr. Ellisers’ main research interests are social structure, behavior, intra and interspecies interactions and effects of environmental changes on marine mammals. She speaks to organizations and clubs as well as students from the elementary to high school level. Elliser has published her work in scientific journals such as Marine Mammal Science and has presented at international scientific conferences including: the Society for Marine Mammalogy, the European Cetacean Society and the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Marine Mammal Symposium.
Dr. Michelle Green, Research Associate: Dr. Michelle Green graduated with a Ph.D. in integrative biology from Florida Atlantic University in May of 2008. She has been spent the past six field seasons with WDP as both a graduate student and research assistant. Dr. Green's specialty is in genetics, researching genetic population structure and assigning paternity for our spotted dolphins.
Graduate Students
Ph.D. Candidates:
Courtney Bender
Masters Students, FAU:
Tiffany Adams
Christopher Malinowski
Jessica Cusick
Bethany Augliere
Megan Weinpress
Board of Directors
| Ruth Petzold |
President |
| Don Mader |
Vice President |
| Denise Herzing, Ph.D. |
Treasurer |
| Ivi Kimmel |
Secretary |
| Linda Castell, DVM |
Chair |
Helve Massakas
|
Director |
Chris Traughber, M.D.
|
Director |
Community Advisory Board
| Barbara Birdsey |
| Susan Lovejoy |
| Anne Marie Lynch |
| Neil McGinness |
| Bill O'Donnell |
| Farley Rentschler |
| Brian Said |
|
Zita Wright |
Scientific Advisory Board
| Sir David Attenborough |
| Randall Brelsford, Ph.D. |
| Fabienne Delfour, Ph.D. |
| Christine Johnson, Ph.D. |
| Stan Kuczaj, Ph.D. |
| Marc Lammers, Ph.D. |
| Adam Pack, Ph.D. |
| Kenneth R. Pelletier, Ph.D., M.C. (hc) |
| Thomas I. White, Ph.D. |
|
