 Mason Weinrich has been the Executive Director of WCNE since 1980; he is also the head naturalist at Capt. Bill and Son's Whale Watch, the Vice President of the Board of Directors of the American Cetacean Society, the Chair of Massachusetts Coastal Advocacy Network, a member of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, and a technical advisor to New England's Large Whale Recovery Team. He has published many articles, both popular and scientific, about the whales of New England. He is the primary captain of our research vessel, Mysticete. He holds a B.S. in Zoology from Cornell University. |
 Heidi Pearson is the Whale Center's Assistant Director and Stranding Coordinator. She joined us in August 2008, after receiving her Ph.D. in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University, and a B.S. in Biological Anthropology and Biology from Duke University. Her graduate research focused on understanding the social strategies of dusky dolphins in New Zealand, and the mating strategies of sea otters in Alaska. Heidi has also conducted behavioral research on bottlenose dolphins, colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, lemurs, and humans. She has published several scientific and popular articles. |
 Jennifer Tackaberry, the WCNE Database/Catalog Manager and the Intern Coordinator, has her Bachelor's degree in Marine Biology from Colby College in Maine. In addition to working with The Whale Center, she has worked in environmental education for the Stellwagen Sanctuary in Provincetown, MA; has stranding response experience working with both the Marine Animal Lifeline and College of the Atlantic in Maine; and has worked with the comprehensive North Atlantic humpback whale catalog at the College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME. |
 Tracy Bowen, Operations Coordinator, started with the Whale Center in January 2005, after spending a number of years as the manager of the Cape Ann Food Co-operative. She brings us great precision in keeping track of programs and financial records, and a great knowledge of and enthusiasm towards both our study subjects and our programs. Tracy is the glue that holds the rest of us together! |
 Laura Ganley started as a 2005 summer intern at The Whale Center. She returned as a naturalist in the summer of 2006 and again in 2007 after graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a B.S. in Zoology. Laura spent the winter in Georgia working with the Wildlife Trust doing aerial surveys of right whales and returns to us again as a naturalist this summer. She plans to study animal behavior in graduate school and continue working toward the conservation of marine mammals. |
 Cara Pekarcik began as an intern at The Whale Center during the summer of 1999. Shewas later hired as the Database/Catalog Manager and Intern Coordinator. After seven years with The Whale Center she left to pursue a career as a high school science teacher. Cara has continued to work as a summer naturalist with us both on the whale watch boats and representing The Whale Center on collaborative multi-disciplinary tagging trips with other research organizations. |
 Kelly Keen was a Whale Center intern in the summer of 2006; this is her first summer asa naturalist with us. She graduated from the University of New England with a B.S. in Psychobiology. Kelly spent last summer in Eastern Australia studying the northern migration of humpback whales from the feeding to the breeding grounds. She is investigating graduate programs with the long-term goal of conducting research with marine mammals in the areas of ecology and conservation. |
 Stephanie Buckner was a Whale Center intern during the summer of 2007. Shegraduated from Bowling Green State University in Ohio with a degree in Biology and a minor in Psychology. She plans to attend graduate school and pursue a career in field research. |
 Kelly Slivka After growing up landlocked in Colorado, Kelly fled to the sea to be a Whale Center intern in the summer of 2008. She was immediately hooked on the whales of New England and the wonderful Whale Center staff, and she is now returning for her first year as a naturalist. Kelly has her B.A. from the University of Colorado, with a major in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and another major in English. Once she completes this much-needed hiatus from her studies, she plans on returning to graduate school in the sciences and hopes somehow to help save the world (like Superman, but with a PhD rather than laser vision). |
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