Laura Engleby is a marine mammal conservation expert with nearly 40 years of experience in federal leadership, research, and nonprofit work. Recently retired as Chief of the Marine Mammal Branch at NOAA Fisheries Southeast Region, she focused on protecting and recovering species like Rice’s whales, North Atlantic right whales, and bottlenose dolphins. As a founding member of the Dolphin Ecology Project since 1999, Laura is passionate about science-based conservation and engaging communities. Laura has also been on the board of Ocean Alliance in Gloucester, MA for eight years. Her love for the ocean permeates every aspect of her life. Whether spending time in or near the water-or engaging in public outreach efforts, she remains committed to raising awareness about the importance of marine mammals and our oceans.

Nic Mader grew up in South Florida, always on or in the ocean. After graduating from University of Florida, she began working with dolphins in the Florida Keys. She then worked for 10 years as a Research Assistant with the Wild Dolphin Project. Nic then began monitoring the southern Indian River Lagoon Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in her hometown of Stuart, FL, and continues to do so with Dolphin Ecology Project. Her daughters started the non-profit River Kidz, which advocates for clean water, and she ran the organization for over 10 years. Nic has sat on the Rivers Coalition board in Martin County for many years, fighting Lake Okeechobee discharges. She is on the boards of Ocean Alliance in Gloucester, MA, the Environmental Studies Center in Jensen Beach, FL, and the Wild Dolphin Project in Palm Beach County.

Elisabeth Howells has been involved in marine mammal husbandry and research for over three decades. She volunteered at Mote Marine Aquarium’s Dolphin and Whale Hospital for nine years. She interned with Sarasota County’s Department of Natural Resources tagging female sea turtles as they came ashore to nest and determining hatching success. Elisabeth worked at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute for nearly 18 years and logged over 4500 hours observing wild dolphin behavior in the IRL and nearshore Atlantic waters. She has been an integral part of wild dolphin health assessments in Florida and South Carolina. She has co-authored several papers relating to IRL dolphins and documented the first case of a wild bottlenose dolphin adopting a calf. Elisabeth continues to focus on tracking cow-calf pairs to determine reproductive success, juvenile dispersal, and other aspects of dolphin life history. 

Elizabeth Titcomb is a population biologist who has studied bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida for over 25 years. For 20 of those years, she was a research biologist at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. Her research focuses include comprehensive social network analyses of the IRL dolphin population, applications of social network theory to epidemiology and behavioral studies, and population-wide epidermal diseases and other skin disorders. Elizabeth has helped to establish international digital photography and analysis protocols for dolphin photo-identification studies. Her extensive field work experience includes photo-identification techniques and analysis, health and environmental risk assessments (HERA), and stranding response. Prior to her research on marine mammals, Elizabeth studied vocalizations and social behavior in wild chimpanzees.