People: The ability to communicate with people from a wide variety of backgrounds, with proven leadership and managerial skills developed through previous & current employment. Building relationships with local NGOs and host country partners, including local Governments and other officials.
Administration: High level of IT literacy and extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office, statistical software, database managers and mailing list applications such as Mail Chimp. Competent in producing funding applications, budget development, research proposals and making public presentations.
Creative Designing: Knowledge and experience with Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop, Indesign, Premier Pro, After Effects etc), Logic Pro (sound engineering) and WordPress (Webdesign and website maintenance). A breakdown of this experience, along with examples of work and virtual assistant knowledge can be found here.
Research and Monitoring: Competence to take the lead role in fieldwork exercises and other ecological research. The ability to produce an end product under a strict deadline that is worthy of publication. Extensive experience training marine research techniques to others, including species identification. Extensive knowledge of Caribbean fish, corals, other invertebrates and algae. Level 4 REEF expert. One of my main research interests relates to the demise of the Coral Reefs of the Caribbean and the possibility that one of the leading causes is eutrophication derived from nutrient rich water arriving into the region from Amazon, Orinoco and Mississippi river plumes.
Diving & Boating: Divemaster with over 700 dives. Knowledge and experience of equipment cleaning, maintenance and repair. Includes numerous teaching roles and use of compressors. Specialties include PADI Deep Diver and PADI Wreck Diver. Over 150 hours of boat handling experience (Carolina Skiff 24 & 16ft Boston Whaler), including introductory sailing lessons and engine maintenance. Seamanship and Rules of the Road training with the Royal Anguilla Police Force.
Photography & Media: Both terrestrial and marine still photography and videography. The most recent work has been published as ‘An Underwater Guide To Anguilla, BWI’, and also has appeared in many other media outlets. Gallery of images can be found here or @sea_anguilla on Instagram. Production of environmental brochures for public out-reach. Writing newspaper articles and making local radio appearances. Book Authoring.
Community & Volunteering: Working with local communities to ensure stakeholder involvement and a sense of ownership through workshops, meetings, informal interviews and other out-reach. Working with organisations in the UK (The Broads Authority and Norfolk Conservation Corporation) developing practical conservation skills, gaining knowledge of practice and theory of management methods. Sunseed Desert Technology (Spain; Oct – Dec 2004) gave insights into sustainable living. Volunteering in African orphanages (FONELISCO Tanzania; April – June 2006) aided understanding of socio-economic issues in developing areas and how they relate to conservation topics. While in Anguilla worked with the Anguilla Animal Rescue Foundation, the Anguilla Sea Turtle Conservation Group, and the Anguilla National Trust.
Isolated living/survival: Knowledge of basic survival skills and isolation through Duke of Edinburgh Awards (Bronze, Silver & Gold), traveling in remote areas and ecological research. Volunteering experiences have added to this, and recent employment has tested my long-term ability to live on small isolated islands.
Other: Medium level of fluency in Spanish and basic French. A full clean UK driving license held since 1991 and a full Anguillian driving license held since 2007. The ability to work within the E.U. without a work permit. No criminal convictions.