Board Leadership
Toni Arkoosh Pinsky,
Chair
Community Member
Board Member since 2017
In addition to serving on the Board of Directors, Toni has been an active clinic volunteer at both International Bird Rescue’s San Francisco Bay-Delta Wildlife Center and at WildCare in San Rafael, CA, since 2015. She started her career with Tiffany & Co. in 1980, and rose to the position of Director Business Sales from 1993 through 2009. Toni has a Bachelor’s Degree from California State University – Long Beach. She lives in San Anselmo, CA.
John Sifling,
Vice Chair & Treasurer
Principal, Broad Reach Maritime
U.S. Coast Guard Retired
Board Member since 2016
John’s 25-year Coast Guard career included assignments in New England, the Mid-Atlantic, Central Pacific, and Alaska, numerous oil spills responses (including the Exxon Valdez), and emergency salvage and abandoned vessel removal. He retired from the Coast Guard in 2006 as Captain of the Port of Southeast Alaska. He then joined Princess Cruises as VP Fleet Security where he was responsible for security operations and policy development for 18 ships on worldwide itineraries. John lives near Los Angeles and holds a B.S. in Marine Science from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and a M.S. in Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island.
Ron Morris,
Immediate Past Chair
U.S. Coast Guard Retired
Board Member since 2014
Before joining the Board, Ron was President and General Manager of Alaska Clean Seas from 2006 to 2012. Alaska Clean Seas is a not-for-profit cleanup co-op supporting the oil and gas industry exploration and production efforts on the North Slope of Alaska. Bird Rescue has a long history of association with Alaska Clean Seas. Prior to his time with Alaska Clean Seas, Ron served for over 33 years of active duty in the U.S. Coast Guard, completing his Coast Guard career as Captain of the Port for Western Alaska. During his career, he worked with International Bird Rescue in response training and in actual spill responses. He resides in Gig Harbor, Washington.
Ian Robinson
Secretary
Wildlife Veterinarian
Board Member since 2018
Ian received his veterinary degree from the University of Bristol, UK, in 1975 and the diploma of Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (UK) in 2006. After a spell in general practice he joined the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in 1990, to establish the Norfolk Wildlife Hospital, which treated over 6,000 wildlife patients annually. In 2003 he joined the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), moving to Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 2006 and rose to the position of Vice President for Animal Welfare and Conservation before retiring in 2016. As part of his involvement in wildlife rehabilitation and conservation, Ian has attended many oil spills, wildlife emergencies and disaster responses globally.
Board of Directors
Mary Artino,
Social Worker
Board Member since 2021
Mary Artino, is a medical social worker with a fifteen-year career in hospice. Her recently published book, Lessons on Loss Not Taught, KDP, 2021, is available on Amazon.
Mary has been a social worker for 22 years, after a career in the fine arts world which included her position as director of Meyers Bloom Gallery, in Santa Monica, CA and an art collection management program later established for the Ruth Bloom Gallery.
In 2004, Mary became a founding member of Families Uniting Families, a foster family agency based in Long Beach, California.
International Bird Rescue came into Mary’s life after she and her wife, Dr. Julie Matsuura found a blue banded Brown Pelican in 2012, they have been volunteering since 2013.
In 2018, Mary became a founding supporter of the Rukundo Integrity Primary School in Hoima, Uganda.
Carmine Dulisse,
President & CEO,
Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC)
Board Member since 2019
Carmine joined MSRC in March 2017, having spent over 30 years with Exxon Mobil in various positions. Identifying low investment opportunities to broaden and deepen MSRC’s customer base and maximize utilization of the company’s assets have driven Carmine’s initiatives at MSRC. To date, he has expanded MSRC’s spill response capability across the Hawaiian Island chain, the U.S. Caribbean, the Great Lakes, and enhanced coverage throughout Southern California. Carmine has brought MSRC’s Interior Program to market, offering inland OSRO coverage to upstream, midstream and downstream operators leveraging MSRC’s STARs contractor model.
Prior to joining MSRC Carmine was the Exxon Mobil Corporation, Global Emergency Preparedness & Response Manager where he managed a global team of senior advisors that establish and support the process, tools, and training of Exxon Mobil businesses and joint ventures globally in the areas of emergency preparedness and response (EP&R).
From February 2011 through September 2015 he was seconded from Exxon Mobil to the Marine Well Containment Company as the Health, Safety, and Environment Officer, to build industry capability post Deepwater Horizon.
Prior to joining MWCC, Carmine was in several emergency preparedness and Security roles for ExxonMobil Development and Production Companies, and was both the Commercial Manager and Operations Manager for SeaRiver Maritime.
He sailed for several years and held a Masters License: Unlimited Tonnage and earned degrees from Texas A & M University and Texas Maritime Academy. He also served in the Naval Reserve.
Elizabeth Kinney
Procter & Gamble NA
Board Member since 2020
Elizabeth Kinney leads communications across P&G’s North America Home Care business, which includes brands such as Dawn, Cascade, Swiffer and Febreze. She has spent the past nine years at P&G, working across the company in a variety of roles, including corporate media, sustainability, Fabric Care communications, and on P&G’s ‘Thank You Mom’ program. She has a Bachelor’s degree from DePauw University in Indiana, and a Masters in Strategic Communications from American University in Washington, D.C. She is located in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she lives with her husband, Doug.
Maria Hartley
Chevron
Board Member since 2018
Dr. Maria Hartley is the global technical lead in Chevron’s Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response and has been with Chevron since 2008. She is also the assistant lead of Chevron’s Environmental Functional Team which is responsible for providing technical specialists to address environmental issues during potential oil spills and other emergencies. She developed and implemented Chevron’s industry-leading environmental standards and processes worldwide, such as ESHIA (environmental, social, health impact assessment) and the Natural Resources Environmental Performance Standard, and led permitting initiatives for Chevron’s major international capital projects. She advises on biodiversity and endangered species issues and advocacy. Maria also volunteered her expertise to the Red Cross assisting and supporting disaster assessment. Receiving both her Doctorate and Masters of ecology from Rice University, she is now an Adjunct Assistant Professor teaching Ecosystem Management at Rice, and elected member on the Board of Affiliates for the Professional Master’s Program and on the Advisory Board of the School of Natural Sciences. Maria is a British citizen, currently residing in Houston, Texas.
Beth Slatkin,
Director of Marketing and Outreach,
Bay Nature
Board Member since 2010
Beth officially joined Bay Nature in the spring of 2011, but her first contribution was a sidebar on saving local frogs to accompany Bay Nature magazine’s April 2002 cover story “A Leap of Faith.” A passionate observer of and advocate for the natural world, Beth has a dual background in magazine publishing (MJ, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism) and digital marketing for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations which helps her reach new audiences and inspire others to fall in love with local nature. An experienced grant writer, Beth roams Northern California’s wild spaces in her spare time.
Dave Westerholm,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Retired
Board Member since 2020
Dave is currently consulting having recently retired from NOAA where he served over 11 years as a Senior Executive and Director of the Office of Response and Restoration. He led national operational programs in Emergency Response, Marine Debris, Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) and Disaster Preparedness. Prior to NOAA, he had 5 years of corporate experience as Senior Operations Director and Vice President with Anteon and General Dynamics, where he managed portfolios in Maritime Security, IT, Policy and Communications. He is a retired Coast Guard Captain with over 27 years of experience in a variety of fields including maritime safety, port security and environmental protection with his last assignment being Coast Guard’s Chief of Response. He also served as Vice Chair of the National Response Team and Chair of several interagency and industry partnerships focused on emergency response and oil and hazardous material spill research. He holds a science degree from Temple University and a Masters from the University of Michigan.
Dave Wittrock,
Senior Partner, Price Wittrock CPA
Board Member since 2021
Dave Wittrock is a retired tax CPA and attorney with over 40 years experience, working in Seattle and San Francisco. Until retiring in January 2021, he was the managing partner in a CPA firm specializing in corporate tax and financial matters. His clients ranged from a $5MM venture funded startup to $500MM public companies.
Dave is past Chairman of the Audit Committee of California Micro Devices, a small cap public semiconductor manufacturer. Previously, he was VP Finance with Rioport Inc., an online music company, and 11 years as tax partner with KPMG, an international CPA firm. While a partner at KPMG, he was the National Director of Life Sciences Tax Services for the firm, and held other leadership positions.
His past roles included: President of Financial Executives International, Silicon Valley Chapter; Founding Board Member of the Northwest Biotech Series; Treasurer of the Washington Software Association; Treasurer and a Board Member of the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance Foundation. He is currently the Treasurer and Board Member of his homeowners association. Dave graduated from Drake University Law School and has a B.S. in Accounting from Creighton University.
Ex-Officio Member
JD Bergeron Executive Director
JD Bergeron is fascinated by birds. After 20 years of non-profit leadership, JD found a way to bring his passion together with his work experience to become the Executive Director of International Bird Rescue, a nonprofit founded during a major oil spill to help affected wildlife. An unconventional problem solver, JD has redirected Bird Rescue’s impressive track record of working over 230 oil spills to take on the many challenges wild waterbirds face today. JD leads by example, modeling qualities of integrity, mindfulness, and wonder for his dedicated team.
JD thrives on finding innovative ways to inspire others to take action. Moved by his time in the Peace Corps, the nonprofit startup Kiva, and his international travels, he founded Chooda, a volunteer-run incubator with the mission to help inspire change through outdoor adventures that engage individuals with world challenges.
A lifelong lover of nature, JD retreats to the outdoors to gain perspective and to soothe the soul. He counts his month among a million albatrosses on Midway Atoll as the experience of a lifetime. After the magic of Midway, JD returned to Bird Rescue with a renewed passion and commitment to protect the natural home of wildlife and ourselves. He lives with his husband and rescue dog Cosmo in Martinez, CA. His interests include spirituality, drawing, writing, cycling, and volunteering as a Burning Man Ranger.
Emeritus Directors
- Jodi Benassi
- Alice Berkner
- Dan Brumlik
- Randall Davis
- Dr. Michael Fry
- Dr. Will Gala
- Martyn J. Green
- Andrew Harmon
- Jay Holcomb
- Ron Holton
- Susan Kaveggia
- Ian Liston
- Pat O’Brien
- Laurie Pyne
- Sam J. Sacco
- Chuck Webster
- Dave Weeshoff
- Ken White
- Michael Ziccardi DVM MPVM PhDJ