Alumni Board

Officers

Erica Towle, B.S. ’10
President
Erica graduated from the undergraduate program at RSMAS with a B.S. in Marine and Atmospheric Science in 2010. August 2012 marks the beginning of her 3rd year in the Ph.D. program at RSMAS in the MBF division under the direction of Dr. Chris Langdon, where she is studying markers for resilience to the combined stresses of acidification and temperature on Scleractinian corals of the Florida Reef Tract. Much of her work focuses on the species-specific metabolic and physiological response to climate change stress that may inform conservation efforts for threatened and endangered coral species.

Fernando Bretos, M.A. ’06
Vice President
Fernando holds an M.A. in Marine Affairs and Policy from the Rosenstiel School and a B.S. in biology from Oberlin College. Fernando, a marine biologist and environmental educator, is Curator of Ecology and Field Conservation at Miami Science Museum. He is a Research Associate at The Ocean Foundation, where he co-directs its Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Project. He is also Director of the Museum’s Reclamation Project, a community based participatory eco-art project that empowers South Florida residents to restore urban coastal ecosystems such as mangrove wetlands and coastal forests.

Sara Fain, J.D./M.A. ’05
Secretary
Sara earned her J.D. in 2005 from the University of Miami School of Law and M.A. in Marine Affairs and Policy from RSMAS through the University’s joint degree program. She currently is the Senior Staff Counsel with the Everglades Law Center, where she represents a number of environmental organizations on environmental and land use issues, with a focus on the southern Everglades and restoration programs.

Lainey Grossman, B.A. ’07, M.A. ’11
Lainey earned her undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami. She currently serves as the Program Coordinator at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center. The Center educates the public on the importance of protecting South Florida’s natural resources. Lainey is also an active member of the Junior League of Miami and avid Canes fan.

Lauren Ordway, B.A. ’08, M.A. ’09
Lauren participated in the accelerated Marine Affairs and Policy 5 year BA/MA program. After graduation, she spent over two years working for the Environmental Stewardship department at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., where she coordinated the corporation’s relief effort to Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake, oversaw the pilot project installation of a novel exhaust gas scrubber, and managed the Ocean Fund, the company’s charitable giving-arm to marine conservation. Ordway currently works for The Nature Conservancy as an Associate Director of Philanthropy, concentrating on major gifts fundraising. She is actively engaged in Miami’s environmental community, and sits on the Board of Surfrider Foundation’s Miami Chapter.

Joseph Winn, B.A. ’07, M.A. ’09
A career ’Cane, he attended UM as an undergrad right through to the completion of his M.A. in Marine Affairs and Policy. Currently, he resides in Broward County and is President of GreenProfit Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in environmental marketing and business efficiency.