OUR TEAM
We are a dedicated team of professionals united by our passion for marine conservation raising awareness about the vital importance of our oceans. You can get involved by participating in our events, joining one of our ongoing projects, or even creating your own initiative to help protect marine life. If you're passionate about making a change and interested in joining this 40+ member international organization, consider joining us by emailing projectdolphindefenders@gmail.com!
Founder
Sabine Castro
Sabine Castro is a highly ambitious sustainable innovator and social entrepreneur. Between her 200-hour dedication to environmental education at the Central Park Zoo to her research at NASA, Sabine is constantly seeking change for sustainability.
Ambassador Director
Yashika Katyal
Yashika Katyal is an innovative climate creator from Canada. Involved in many other green projects like an app that helps you recycle sustainably to writing for a local climate newspaper, she is incredibly passionate in making this world a better place.
Ambassador: BioAcoustics Project
Lillian Williams
Lillian Williams has modified a Farmbot Genesis, using machine learning and Raspberry Pi technology to help identify plant species. She's also applied logistic regression to analyze marine data and predict overfishing risks.
Director of Youth Forums
Brynn Shaner
Brynn Shaner has produced and published multiple research projects with the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. She is joining us as the Director of Youth Forums, cultivating a space where youth can discuss their ideas and concerns on marine conservation.
Ambassador: Social Life of Sharks
Bailey Barnette
Bailey Barnette is our resident shark expert! She is currently studying the social lives of sharks and the differences between pelagic and reef sharks' behavior. Outside of Dolphin Defenders, she is a high school student AND a college student!
Ambassador: Young Reef Guardians
Reese Patterson
Reese Patterson is the founder of Sustainable Seas, a club dedicated to promoting ocean health. With a deep passion for marine conservation, Reese is excited for this opportunity to further explore and protect the underwater world.
Africa Hub Leader
Mugiraneza Eulade
Mugiraneza is a passionate conservationist dedicated to conserving nature and promoting environmental education. He is a former Green Rising Ambassador and is focused on educating and raising awareness for environmental education.
Environmental Media Researcher
Lydia Navitsky
Lydia believes in youth leadership and the ability for teens like her to make an impact on the world. She is currently managing a partnership between Dolphin Defenders and the ClimaTimes and is working on a research project with them regarding plastic pollution.
BLUEPrint Lead Architect
Mason Kaplan
I’m a student and a passionate advocate for marine and wildlife conservation. I'm also interested in environmental policy, photography, and field research. I spend most of my free time fishing, hiking, birding, and aquascaping, just to name a few.
BLUEPrint Lead Architect
Saanvi Chiliveru
Saanvi Chiliveru is an Indian American student entrepreneur passionate. She is a 2024 Digital4Good Summit Changemaker Award recipient and a 2025 BINfluencer with DoSomething.org. She co-founded Shade Seekers, a student-led initiative working to reimagine green infrastructure.
BLUEPrint Lead Architect
Nicole Johnson
Nicole Johnson is a rising junior from Rogersville, Missouri, with a passion for animals, conservation, and environmental advocacy. I volunteer at a local zoo and am excited to help protect ocean ecosystems through the Marine Bill of Rights.
BLUEPrint Lead Architect
Sasha Khan
Sasha Khan serves as the Senior Brand Manager for the Brooklyn Youth Charitable Investment Group (BYCIG), where I help direct youth-driven philanthropy. As the founder of Planetary Solutions, I also leads initiatives to raise awareness about climate change and promote sustainable action.
Africa Hub Leader
Yahya Krubally
Yahya Krubally is a passionate communications strategist, public relations consultant, freelance journalist, writer, emerging researcher, and youth leader from The Gambia, committed to climate justice, environmental advocacy, human rights advocacy and youth empowerment.
Bet Blue Marketing Director
Anders Zernike
Anders Zernike is a passionate sustainable engineer, designer, and architect. With a fond interest in urban systems, he has worked on vehicle transport including the New York City toll system and promoting the Citi Bike system. He is the photographer and Marketing Director of Bet Blue.