Jessie Hoffman
President
Jessie is a PhD student of Marine Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks but is based in Hawaii, where she studies the physiological effects of entanglement and ship strikes on humpback whales with the Pacific Whale Foundation. Jessie also has several years of experience using drones to survey humpbacks and spinner dolphins off Maui and Oahu!
Chloe Kotik
Secretary
Chloe is a killer whale researcher and PhD student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Originally from Boston, she completed her B.Sc. and M.Sc at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography before moving to Washington, where she currently researches the effects of pollution on killer whales in collaboration with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Juneau Chambley
Treasurer
Based in her namesake, Juneau is an undergraduate student of Marine Biology at the University of Alaska Southeast. After spending summers deckhanding on whale watch and glacier fjords tour vessels, she is hoping to pursue a career in marine wildlife rehabilitation!
Tony Blade
Undergraduate Representative - Fairbanks
Originally from sunny San Diego, Tony is now an undergraduate student in the Horstmann marine mammal lab at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he studies microplastic contamination in walruses using muscle, blubber, and liver samples from subsistence hunts.
Hailey Gerdts
Undergraduate Representative - Juneau
Hailey is a sophomore studying marine biology at UAS, an avid fisher and hunter, and loves spending all the time outdoors! She's had a love for marine life (specifically whales) for years and years, and is super excited to share that passion with AKSMM and beyond in the role of Juneau Undergrad Representative!