Whale Trust Team
Karyn Cochran, Interim Executive Director
Whale Trust founding board member, Karyn Cochran, Ph.D., has agreed to step in as Interim Director to allow Meagan Jones, current Executive Director, time to write and finish her Ph.D. dissertation. Karyn and her husband, Pat Cochran, M.D., have recently relocated to Maui from Maine to help launch a new heart center at Maui Memorial Hospital. Karyn brings a wealth of grant writing and administrative experience to Whale Trust and plans to focus on grant development and strategic planning for the organization during Meagan's temporary leave of absence. For Karyn's complete bio, please click here.
Meagan Jones,
Co-founder and Executive Director
Meagan is committed to bridging marine science with education and conservation programs around whales and their natural environment. Her desire to merge these disciplines helped lead to the founding of Whale Trust, where she now serves as the executive director. For the last 15 years, Meagan has worked in and between these two disciplines, leading and working on cetacean research programs in Hawaii, Australia, Africa, Alaska, Canada, and French Polynesia, while creating and developing marine education and interpretation programs for schoolchildren, naturalists, and the general public. In 1997, Meagan was honored with a national award from the National Marine Educator's Association for her work in marine education. Meagan is currently completing her Ph.D. Her dissertation research focuses on the influence of reproductive status on female behavior patterns in humpback whales on the Hawaiian breeding grounds.
Jim Darling, Ph. D.,
Co-Founder and Scientific Advisor and Director
Jim Darling has led research programs on whales for over 25 years. His primary studies include long term investigations of behavior and ecology of gray whales in British Columbia and humpback whales throughout the North Pacific. Jim has been executive director of West Coast Whale Research Foundation, a Canadian research and education society, and research director of the Clayoquot Biosphere Project, a Vancouver Island community based organization that promoted field research in the temperate rainforest ecosystem. Jim has written numerous scientific and popular articles and several books on his work. Since 1997, Maui has been the base of his study on the function of the humpback whale song. View his current research.
Charles "Flip" Nicklin,
Co-Founder and Director of Photography and Videography
Flip Nicklin is a world-renowned underwater photographer. He has spent his 30-year career specializing in the photography of marine mammals, especially whales and dolphins. Through 17 National Geographic articles from 1982 to the present, he has worked closely with top whale researchers from around the world. From this work Flip brings a unique, global perspective on the study of whales to Whale Trust. Flip has also assisted on studies of humpback whales in Hawaii since the 1980s, and lives in Maui for a portion of each year. View his current research.
Jason Sturgis,
Underwater Cinematographer and Research Assistant
Jason Sturgis is an independent cameraman who joined Whale Trust in 2003 to help document whale behavior above and below the surface. Jason has been an avid diver for over 20 years and it is this love of the ocean that drove him to pursue camera work and documentary filmmaking. Jason's groundbreaking underwater videography with humpback whales was featured in the Science Times of the New York Times in June 2006.
Marcy Lynn,
Administrative Manager
Marcy Lynn is the newest addition to the Whale Trust team. Having grown up in the Northwest, she has always loved the water and anything related. Marcy was deeply moved by the sighting of a mother and calf on her first whale watch on Maui and when the opportunity to work with Whale Trust came up, she jumped at the chance. With a background in administration, arts and education and event planning, Marcy is excited to play a part in Whale Trust as it continues to grow and reach out with educational programs. Marcy moved to Maui in 1998 with her daughter Ani and currently works part-time with Whale Trust.
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