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

Ruth Perry, PhD

Head of Regulatory Affairs, Offshore Power Americas
Shell Renewable Energy Solutions

Ruth has nearly 15 years of research experience in environmental permitting advising and regulatory analysis, and in developing ocean policy, and joined Shell Exploration and Production Company as a marine scientist and regulatory specialist in 2014. Through her work, she integrates marine science and ocean technology into regulatory policy advocacy and decision-making in the areas of marine ecosystem and environments, marine spatial planning for offshore energy projects in the Americas. Ruth is also responsible for developing public-private science collaborations for expanding knowledge of the offshore environment, such as real-time monitoring of marine life with deep-sea, remotely-operated vehicles; integrated tracking of marine species on artificial structures; and using autonomous technologies. Ruth has a number of publications on these collaborations. She also serves as a member of national steering and policy committees and boards, notably the National Academy of Sciences and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Science Advisory Board. She earned a Doctorate in Oceanography from Texas A&M University in 2013 and worked for NOAA before joining Shell.

Secretary

Katie Almeida

Senior Representative, Government Relations and Sustainability
The Town Dock

Katie is the Senior Representative, Government Relations & Sustainability for the Town Dock located in Point Judith, Rhode Island. The Town Dock is the largest supplier of calamari in the US and owns several vessels that fish for longfin squid, illex squid, whiting, butterfish, fluke, scup, black sea bass, herring, and a mix of groundfish. Katie is responsible for following all state and federal regulations that pertain to the species on which the Town Dock relies. She also sits on several New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council Advisory panels as well as fishery working groups for wind industry issues and the Rhode Island Industry Advisory Committee. Katie is also a board member of the Responsible Offshore Developers Alliance.

Treasurer

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.

Director

Rachel Pachter

Chief Development Officer
Vineyard Wind

Rachel is Vineyard Wind’s chief development officer. Rachel has 18 years of experience in offshore wind development, specifically in permitting and regulatory compliance; environmental and site investigation; federal, state, and local regulations; stakeholder engagement; and public relations. Rachel led and finalized the approval for the first fully permitted offshore wind farm in US federal waters. Rachel oversees all of Vineyard Wind’s development, permitting, and environmental activities, as well as workforce development, community engagement, and cross-industry initiatives on environmental and fisheries matters. Rachel has a degree in geology from the University of Alaska.

Director

Mary Beth Tooley

East Coast Government Affairs Manager
O’Hara Corporation

Mary Beth Tooley serves as the East Coast government affairs manager for the O’Hara Corporation of Rockland, Maine, a family-held company with diverse commercial fisheries interests from the North Atlantic to the Bering Sea. Mary Beth served three terms (2008-2017) as an at-large member of the New England Fishery Management Council. She is the former executive director of the East Coast Pelagic Association and a founding principal in the Marine Resources Education Project, a federally-funded fisheries education and outreach effort organized in partnership with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. She serves as an Atlantic Herring Advisory Panel member to the New England Fishery Management Council and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Mary Beth serves on several boards that support commercial fishing activities, including the Maine Fishermen’s Forum and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance. Mary Beth resides in Lincolnville, Maine.

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

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

Brian Hooker

Director

Bob Beal

Director

Greg Lampman

Director

Julia Livermore

Director

Kevin Wark