Dennis Takahashi-Kelso

Dennis Takahashi-Kelso, Executive Vice President Ocean Conservancy.

"Dennis leads the science and policy direction for Ocean Conservancy. Kelso's distinguished career has covered every aspect of ocean conservation, including public service in natural resources conservation, university teaching, research on fisheries and environmental policy and environmental grant making. Most recently he served as the Program Officer for Marine Fisheries Conservation at The David and Lucile Packard Foundation Executive where his responsibilities included strategy development and grant making for fisheries conservation policy reforms and for market interventions to encourage sustainable fishing and aquaculture. Prior to that, Kelso was a member of the faculty of Environmental Studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz where his research examined changes in Pacific Coast fisheries, particularly as a result of the shift toward production of farm-raised rather than wild-caught salmon.

"Before coming to California to pursue his doctorate at the University of California, Berkeley, Kelso had an extensive and industrious career in conservation in the state of Alaska, serving as Alaska Commissioner of Environmental Conservation, a member of Alaska Governor Steve Cowper's cabinet, Deputy Commissioner of Fish and Game, and director of Alaska Division of Subsistence Hunting and Fishing. When the tanker Exxon Valdez went aground in 1989, spilling nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound, Kelso directed the state's oversight of the cleanup and enforcement of environmental laws. He also served as Chair of the Alaska Emergency Response Commission and a member of the Alaska Coastal Policy Council, the Alaska Land Use Council, and the Alaska Water Resources Board. In addition to his doctorate from UC Berkeley, Kelso also holds a law degree from Harvard University."