Board of Directors

Co-chair

Peter Hughes

Director of Sustainability
Atlantic Capes Fisheries, Inc.

Located in Cape May, New Jersey, Peter is the director of sustainability for Atlantic Capes Fisheries, Inc. After commercial fishing for squid and mackerel on the East Coast, Peter started working for Atlantic Capes Fisheries, Inc. in 1990. Peter is currently a voting member of the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council and the liaison to the New England Fisheries Management Council, helping them facilitate policy and the responsible stewardship of our nation’s oceans. Peter is also a founder and chairman of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance; a board member of the Science Center for Marine Fisheries, a National Science Foundation-recognized science center; and a board member of the Fisheries Survival Fund. “Maintaining the sustainability of our living marine resources through the use of the best available science is an essential goal and one I will continue to strive to achieve.” Peter and his wife Gwen are raising two children in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, where they have lived for more than 30 years.

Co-Chair

Scott Lundin

Vice President of Permitting, Community, and Environmental Affairs
Equinor Wind US

Scott has been involved with the US offshore wind industry since 2007. He joined Equinor in 2019 to support the US portfolio of offshore wind projects and currently serves as the Vice President for permitting, community, and environmental affairs. In this role, Scott leads a team of subject matter experts responsible for securing authorization to develop, build, and operate offshore wind assets through comprehensive environmental impact assessment and stakeholder engagement.  He began his career as a geological oceanographer conducting marine geophysics and for nearly 20 years, Scott has been supporting the development of complex offshore energy projects off the US East Coast. He is native of southern New England and earned a BS in geology from Northeastern University, an MS in geological oceanography from the University of Rhode Island, and an MBA from Bryant University.

Treasurer

Ross Pearsall

Senior Fisheries Relationship Manager
Ørsted

In addition to his role as senior fisheries relationship manager with Orsted, Ross has a long history in the fishing sector, which includes owning a community-supported fishery and conducting research and development for government and corporate organizations. At the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Ross provided advice on legislation, regulatory actions, and permit applications impacting the nation’s marine sanctuaries and marine monuments.

Ross has also served on the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council’s Summer Flounder, Black Sea Bass, and Scup Advisory Panel serving two terms and is currently on the New England Fishery Management Council’s On-Demand Fishing Gear Conflict Working Group. Additionally, he was elected to the Rhode Island Food Policy Council where he chaired the Fundraising Committee, the Governance Committee, and served as Vice Chair.

Director

Fred Mattera

Executive Director
Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island

Fred has been a well-known member of the North Atlantic fishing community for more than 40 years as not only a fisherman but also as a prominent advocate for his industry. Prior to his role as the executive director of the Commercial Fisheries Center of Rhode Island, he served as Board President of the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation. He is also the owner of North East Safety Training Co., which provides training to commercial and recreational fishermen, and of NESTCo, which conducts drills, trainings, and inspections of commercial fishing vessels.

Director

Bob Beal

Director

Greg Lampman

Director

Julia Livermore

Director

Kevin Wark

Director

Vincent Balzano

A third-generation fisherman with over 30 years of fisheries management experience, Vincent brings a wealth of practical and regulatory expertise. He notably served nine years on the New England Fisheries Management Council and remains active in the groundfish sector, fishing out of Portland, ME and Gloucester, MA.

Director

Elizabeth Marsjanik

Elizabeth Marsjanik is the Director of Environmental Affairs at Vineyard Offshore, where she leads science‑driven environmental strategy and collaborative engagement to support the responsible development of offshore wind. She brings nearly 20 years of experience advancing environmental science, permitting, and compliance through partnership with regulators, researchers, industry peers, and coastal stakeholders.

Since joining Vineyard Offshore in 2018, Elizabeth has played a central role in responsibly advancing the first commercial‑scale offshore wind project in the United States, Vineyard Wind 1. In her current role, she manages science initiatives, environmental monitoring programs, permitting and compliance, emergency response planning, and coordination with scientific stakeholder communities across Vineyard Offshore’s portfolio. She has extensive experience integrating environmental monitoring results into project decision‑making and working with federal and state agencies, scientists, NGOs, fishing interests, and community partners to inform responsible development outcomes.

Prior to offshore wind, Elizabeth managed environmental compliance and permitting programs for more than 100 oil and gas facilities, led research efforts to advance biofuel development, conducted environmental audits, and managed emergency response programs across multiple industries. She holds a degree in marine biology from the University of Rhode Island.

Director

Sam Asci

Sam is the Fisheries Manager for Ocean Winds North America. He leads the company’s engagement and communications with fisheries stakeholders, development of fisheries and marine monitoring plans, development of mitigation measures, and supports federal and state environmental permitting efforts. Prior to his current role, Sam worked as an analyst for the New England Fishery Management Council and has a background in cooperative, industry-based fisheries monitoring and research. He holds a M.S. in Marine Science and Technology from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology, and a B.S. in Fisheries Ecology and Conservation from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Sam is based in Massachusetts.