Board of Directors

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.

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

Executive Director
Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission

Robert E. Beal serves as Executive Director of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC), where he leads the coordination of fishery management for 27 species of fish and shellfish along the Atlantic coast. In this role, Bob oversees 40 staff members in the Commission’s Arlington office and provides broad oversight to an additional 40 staff located in states along the coast. He brings to ROSA nearly 12 years of experience developing strategic plans and annual action plans that balance commissioner and stakeholder priorities with fiscal realities and the complex driving forces affecting coastal fisheries.

Bob’s regulatory and governance expertise spans the Atlantic seaboard, serving as a non-voting member of the three East Coast federal regional fishery management councils and participating in multiple coordinating bodies including the Northeast Regional Coordinating Council and Southeast Data Assessment and Review Steering Committee. Through these roles, he coordinates and prioritizes state and federal research activities and assessment capabilities. His experience with ASMFC’s governance structure—including its boards, committees, and advisory panels—provides valuable perspective on organizational direction, fiscal responsibility, and efficient administration.

As a liaison between the fifteen Atlantic states and ROSA, Bob connects the organization with states actively involved in every aspect of offshore wind development, from characterizing fishery impacts and exploring needed changes to fishery independent surveys to monitoring construction and operational impacts. His Congressional outreach efforts have successfully secured federal funding for multiple priority fishery dependent and independent data collection programs, and he regularly leads competitive grant proposals for data collection, management, and habitat restoration projects. Bob’s strategic planning capabilities, regulatory experience, and funding connections strengthen ROSA’s capacity to advance collaborative research at the intersection of offshore wind development and fisheries management.

Director

Greg Lampman

Gregory Lampman is the Senior Director of NYSERDA’s Offshore Wind program. Greg leads a talented team of topical experts engaged in advancing competitive procurement of new strategic projects, rigorous contract management of the growing portfolio of projects, advancing grid integration solutions and driving workforce development and economic development including manufacturing and port infrastructure investments to ensure New York maintains its position as the nation’s hub for offshore wind. All of this work is supported by robust environmental and fisheries research, analysis and engagement. Greg is responsible for supporting the regulatory and diverse inter-governmental engagements required to support New York’s offshore wind industry’s responsible and cost-effective growth including support of New York’s offshore wind Technical Working Groups (TWGs), leading relevant research projects to support program innovation, and extensive proactive stakeholder engagement, media engagement and public speaking. These efforts support the Offshore Wind program’s implementation with a focus on NYSERDA’s role as the central procurement entity of offshore wind renewable energy certificates (ORECs) on behalf of New York State’s load-serving entities with a clear focus on promoting diversity, inclusion and equity within the program’s activities consistent with the work of New York State’s Climate Action Council and New York’s nation-leading Climate Act.

Director

Julia Livermore

Julia Livermore is a Deputy Chief of Marine Fisheries the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. She has worked directly on offshore wind development for the Department since 2015. Ms. Livermore’s work involves offshore wind environmental impact and fisheries socioeconomic research, permit reviews for project components in state waters, and engaging regularly with the recreational and commercial fishing industries, developers, and federal agencies. She also leads the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Research and Assessment Branch. She currently serves on the Rhode Island Renewable Energy Intergovernmental Task Force, the New England Fishery Management Council’s Habitat Plan Development Team, and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission species technical committees. She received a bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental studies from Bowdoin College and a master’s degree in Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University. She is also a current PhD candidate at the University of Rhode Island in the department of Marine Affairs.

Director

Kevin Wark

President
Endeavor Fisheries Inc. and New Jersey Marine Fisheries Council Member

Kevin W. Wark is a third-generation commercial fisherman and vessel owner-operator with over four decades of experience in Mid-Atlantic fisheries. A lifelong resident of Long Beach Island, New Jersey, Kevin has designed, built, and operated four commercial fishing vessels, specializing in coastal and offshore gillnet fisheries from Maryland to New York. He currently operates the F/V Dana Christine II, a 46-foot offshore gillnetter, and was named Highliner of the Year by National Fisherman Magazine in 2012.

Kevin has been deeply engaged in fisheries management and collaborative research for more than 30 years, serving on numerous industry advisory panels including the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Monkfish Advisory Panel, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s American Shad and Bluefish Advisory Panels, and NMFS Harbor Porpoise and Large Whale Take Reduction Teams since 1998. He has collaborated on research projects with scientists from multiple universities and agencies, focusing on Atlantic sturgeon, monkfish, bluefish, and coastal sharks, and has co-authored peer-reviewed scientific publications.

With his extensive knowledge of fisheries management systems and regulatory structures, Kevin serves as an advisor and information resource to fishermen throughout the region. He has been involved in offshore wind and fisheries issues since 2018 and currently serves as Fisheries Liaison Officer for the Atlantic Shores Lease Area, bringing a unique combination of practical fishing experience, scientific collaboration, and management engagement to conversations about sustainable fisheries and offshore wind development in the Mid-Atlantic.

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

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.

Director

Nora DeDontney

Senior Director of Development, Vineyard Offshore
As a Senior Director of Development for Vineyard Offshore, Nora oversees the early-stage activities of the Vineyard Mid-Atlantic and Vineyard Northeast lease areas including technical development, permitting, project management, procurement, outreach and environmental activities. Nora has 15 years of experience in the energy industry with experience spanning R&D, business development and early projects. Prior to joining Vineyard Offshore she worked on a Carbon Capture and Sequestration project in the Gulf Coast and a project to transition a power sector to a cleaner and more reliable power source. Nora received a B.S. in Geology and Mechanical Engineering from Caltech and a PhD in Earth Science from Harvard.

Director

Audrey Bard

Strategic Environmental Lead, Equinor Wind US
Audrey is an experienced environmental project manager specializing in the development of major energy projects. With over 15 years of experience in the field, Audrey has a strong background in environmental compliance, impact management, and stakeholder engagement. In her current role at Equinor, she supports various initiatives to enable the coexistence of fisheries and offshore wind, ensuring that clean energy development aligns with marine ecosystems and local communities. Her expertise bridges technical project management and environmental stewardship, driving solutions that support the transition to renewable energy.

Director

Eric Reid

Fisheries Consultant
Eric is based in North Kingstown, RI and has more than 50 years of experience across the commercial and recreational fishing industries. He is the New England Fishery Management Council Chair, a past president of the Rhode Island Seafood Council and the American Seafood Institute, and was a founding member of the East Coast Fisheries Association, the New England Seafood Producers Association, and the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance. He also serves as a U.S. Commissioner to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization and represents regional fisheries interests on several interagency committees. He has worked as a commercial fisherman – both on deck and at the helm – on bottom trawl and longline vessels operating out of ports in RI, MA, and NJ. After 1O years of experience on the water, he redirected his focus to shoreside processing. Eric attended the University of Rhode Island and graduated with an A.S. degree in fisheries and marine technology.