Lotus Vermeer
Lotus has been dedicated to environmental management, research and education for the last 30+ years. A marine biologist and primatologist by training, she was the Marine Director of the Global Sustainable Fisheries Program at The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and oversaw the science and research for their Pacific tuna fisheries work. Prior to that, she served as the Director of the Conservancy’s Channel Islands Program for ten years, and lead successful island restoration and endangered species recovery. Before migrating to California, she spent three years at Earthwatch Institute in Boston as the Director of Research and Director of the Earth and Marine Sciences Program, and she spent over ten years in the eastern Caribbean leading conservation efforts and educational outreach campaigns that succeeded in influencing public policy to provide protection for endangered sea turtles and other at-risk marine species.
Lotus now works as the Assistant Dean for Partnerships & Development for the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara where she forges strategic partnerships, builds research programs, and raises funds to support Bren School research, students, faculty, teaching operations and initiatives.
Lotus has a Ph.D. in Marine Ecology from Dalhousie University, a MSc in Marine Resource and Environmental Management from the University of the West Indies, and a MSc and BSc in Behavioral Ecology and Primatology from McGill University.