Take the Next Step
The Los Angeles Chapter of the American Cetacean Society is looking to fill a few key positions.
2024 Annual ACS-LA Board Potluck
Eric Martin, Daniel Genuth, Patty Farrell, Louisa Beck, Corrigan Lewis, Colleen Carroll, Cathy Hachigian & Alisa Schulman-Janiger. Missing: M’Liz Callender, Christina Tombach Wright, Carolyn Veek & Jayne Goocher.
Join us and help set the tone and direction of our Los Angeles chapter
We are looking for individuals who:
- Are willing to make a strong commitment to the LA Chapter of ACS for no less than two years.
- Possess skills and resources needed to augment current leadership.
- Desire to help lead the LA Chapter in the 21st century.
- Must be a member of the LA Chapter – American Cetacean Society. (May join after applying.)
Open Board Positions
If you are interested in any of our open positions, please complete our Board Member Application and send it to acs.lachapter@gmail.com
Open ACS-LA Board Positions
Outreach & Education Chair
We are looking for someone who is personable and would like to educate the public on marine mammals and our oceans at events where we set up our ACS-LA table. You would handle the volunteer list and be responsible for making sure our table has 1-3 volunteers working the table at any given time. You do not need to go to every event, but as many as you can. You would manage educational items we use at the table. We may have 6-8 events in a year and you are welcome to work on expanding this if you can handle it. If you love to inspire people about our marine mammals and our oceans and you have the organizational ability and the time to be a part of ACS-LA, please fill out our application to apply for this position!
Membership Chair
Membership Chair will welcome new members and encourage membership renewal using our email program. Membership Chair will also suggest and implement ideas to increase membership. Please consider applying.for this position!
Requirements to be on the Board:
- Attendance at Board meetings is mandatory for all team members. Board meetings are held every other month. Of course, everyone takes a vacation now and again or has a life situation which makes this impossible, but an effort should be made to attend all meetings unless there’s an extraordinary circumstance;
- Attend the annual in-person Board meeting – it’s usually a BBQ and is a lot of fun and a chance for board members and team members to meet each other in person and hang out;
- Participate in ACS-LA events (attend fund-raising events, whale festivals, our monthly webinars, boat trips, etc.) … of course not all events must be attended, but an effort should be made to participate and attend as many as possible each year;
- Volunteering for one of ACS-LA’s programs (including Whalewatch or Census) is encouraged, but not required.
Our ACS-LA Board Members
Patty Farrell – President
As the former Membership Chair of the ACS-LA Board, Patty is honored to take on the role of President of ACS-LA (Sept. 2023). Patty is a Whalewatch Naturalist through the joint venture Whalewatch Program of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Cetacean Society and the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. While her roots are in LA, she is currently living in Orange County, so is also a Whalewatch Naturalist through the sister program in Orange County sponsored by ACS-OC. She is a citizen scientist with the ACS-LA Gray Whale Census Project at Point Vicente in Palos Verdes, helping document the gray whale migration. As a docent at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (CMA), she gave guided tours of the Aquarium to field trip children on a weekly basis during the school year. She also voluteered to educate LAUSD students about marine life during the Spring Program at CMA. As a US Coast Guard licensed captain, Patty is an avid boater who is passionate about marine life. She has 5 children and travels extensively. Her lifelong professional experience was as a financial advisor and Certified Financial Planner in Beverly Hills.
Louisa Beck – Past President
My love for the ocean and cetaceans was Inspired by former Prescott High School Marine Biology teacher, Steven Gianelli (also my SCUBA instructor).
- President of ACS-LA during the years 2019-2023
- ACS-LA Board member since 2015
- Worked and Volunteer at Marine Mammal Care Center where I was trained to tube feed seal and sea lion pups
- Member of Oiled Wildlife Care Network – responded to the Refugio Oil Spill 2015 for the Marine Mammal Care Center
- Certified Marine Mammal Observer
- Cabrillo Whalewatch Naturalist since 2015
- NAUI SCUBA certified
- Assisted humpback whale entanglement off So Cal coast with NOAA in 2016
- Volunteer/Assisted in numerous necropsies on small and large whale species (Pygmy sperm (Kogia brevicep , Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), Pacific Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus).
M’liz Callender – Treasurer
M’Liz has been sailing all her life, and doubled her enjoyment of the ocean when she joined the ACS-LA Gray Whale Census Project in 2012. She joined the board in 2019 and currently serves as the Treasurer. Her professional experience includes 25 years in the Commercial Real Estate Industry, as a Project and Asset Manager, and she holds an M.B.A and a B.S. in Economics.
Corrigan Lewis – Secretary
After being landlocked for her whole life, Corrigan is always looking for ways to be on, in, and around the water. Corrigan joined the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and the ACS-LA’s Whalewatch program in 2022 and has since joined the Board as Secretary. By trade, Corrigan is a systemic impact litigator, specializing in advocating for the civil rights of people with disabilities across the country. She moved to LA from St. Louis in June 2021 with her husband and two Siberian Huskies, Atticus and Scout. In her free time, Corrigan enjoys open water swimming, hiking, and learning more about the ocean.
Alisa Schulman-Janiger – Director Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project
Alisa Schulman-Janiger is a marine biologist, cetacean researcher, and educator. She is a Research Associate at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Alisa has been the Director and Coordinator of the full-season shore-based ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project (off Point Vicente, CA) since 1984, and has been on the ACS-LA Board of Directors since 1983. She is an instructor for the Cabrillo Whalewatch Program (training naturalists). Alisa is Co-Founder of the California Killer Whale Project, and is their Lead Research Biologist; she has been photo-identifying California killer whales, archiving sightings, and studying their distribution, natural history, and behavior for over 45 years. She is a naturalist on whale watching boats in southern California, has been a researcher and naturalist in Monterey Bay, Alaska, and Massachusetts, and Baja California, and has been a NOAA staff scientist and marine mammal observer on cruises from Alaska to California. She is a responder for the NOAA California Stranding Response Team and the Large Whale Entanglement Response Team. Alisa taught marine biology, advanced marine science, and biology in San Pedro High School Marine Science Magnet for 21 years. She was the head marine biologist/educator on LAUSD’s Sea Education Afloat for 10 years. Alisa has authored and co-authored many papers and presentations on killer whales, gray whales, humpback whales, and pilot whales, as well as killer whale and gray whale photo-ID catalogs.
Photo taken by Gray Whale Census observer, Sarah Ford
Cathy Hachigian – Cabrillo Whalewatch Program Chair
Living by the water, Cathy has always had a love of lakes, rivers, and the ocean. In 1991 she joined the Cabrillo Whalewatch Naturalist program, a joint venture of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Cetacean Society and the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. Holding the positions of Secretary, Treasurer, Sales, and Chairperson within the Advisory Committee. She joined the ACS-LA board in 2011 as the Chair of the Whalewatch Program. Her professional experience includes 22 years in Information Technology. Cathy loves the water and its marine animals, traveling with her husband, spending time with her family, playing with her dog, and working on computers.
Christina Tombach Wright – Director Grants Program
Christina Tombach Wright has been involved with ACS-LA on and off for over two decades. She joined the board in 2011 and currently serves as the ACS-LA Grants Chair. Christina’s career has been dedicated to the ocean. She has worked with cetaceans on both the east and west coasts of North America and her research has taken her as far away as Russia, where she was involved in a Photo-ID study of Western Pacific gray whales. Christina Co-Authored the book “The Western North Pacific Gray Whales of Sakhalin Island” in 2009, and has authored and co-authored many scientific publications and presentations at National and International Conferences. She is currently a consultant in Goleta, CA, working on new technologies for detecting marine mammals. She also volunteered for many years for Gray Whales Count, in Goleta, CA, during the northbound census each year.
Carolyn Veek – ACS-LA Representative to National
Carolyn Veek is a South Bay native who has always loved being around the ocean. Her love for cetaceans grew at Carson high school where Bill Samaras was her Biology and Marine Biology teacher. Carolyn also was a TA for Bill. Carolyn’s father, Andy, was a long time member of the Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project at Point Vincente. She would go with him out to Pt Vicente and to the end of census picnics throughout the years. This eventually led to her becoming a member of ACS-LA. She has been a board member since 2020 and is currently the ACS-LA Chapter representative with National ACS.
Colleen Carroll – Social Events Chair
Colleen grew up in the sunny land of enchantment, Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she was surrounded by majestic mountains and breathtaking desert landscapes. Growing up, her family’s vacations to the Pacific Northwest were pure magic, especially when she saw whales in the wild—an experience that left her in awe of these magnificent creatures. In 2015, Colleen traded the desert for the dazzling city of Los Angeles, California, to chase her dream of becoming an occupational therapist.
She graduated from USC’s Chan Division of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Master’s program in May 2019 and wrapped up her doctorate degree in August 2020. She is passionate about mental health and working with people who live in underserved communities. As the current OT director at Gateways Hospital & Mental Health Center, she supports individuals navigating a mental health crisis, helping them to discover and engage in activities that bring them the most joy and meaning.
Colleen joined the Cabrillo Whalewatch Naturalist program in 2023 and is honored to serve as the social events chair for ACS-LA. In her free time, Colleen enjoys engaging in meaningful activities such as gardening, baking, event planning, and travelling the world with her husband.
Position is currently available – Outreach and Education
If you enjoy inspiring kids and the public at fun community events, then this position may be perfect for you! See the listing atop this page if you are interested.
Position is currently available – Membership Chair
Membership Chair will welcome new members, encourage membership renewal and implement ideas to increase membership. If you are interested in joining our Board, please check the open position descriptions atop this page and fill out our application.
Our Partners and Sponsors
