Our board of directors comprises a passionate and supportive group of professionals from many industries who are dedicated to achieving CORAL's mission in its project sites throughout the world and expanding CORAL's work significantly in years to come.

H. William Jesse, Jr. (Board Chair)
Bill was elected to CORAL's board in 2007. He is chairman and CEO of Modern Yachts, Inc., and currently resides in San Francisco, California.

C. Elizabeth Wagner, Esq. (Secretary)
Elizabeth was elected to CORAL’s board in 2007. She is the senior advisor to the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Large and Mid-Size Business Division in Washington D.C. Prior to joining the IRS, Elizabeth served as director of governmental affairs for the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL), where she managed the interaction of NABL with the federal government. Elizabeth has also worked in the national tax offices of KPMG, LLP, and Pricewaterhouse Coopers, LLP, and for the Department of the Treasury and law firm Latham & Watkins. She earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas, a master’s degree in accountancy/taxation from the University of Houston, and a law degree from The University of Texas. A certified scuba diver for more than a decade, Elizabeth volunteers as a diver and underwater presenter at the National Aquarium in Baltimore (NAIB), has participated in NAIB fish exploration and collection trips, and has conducted REEF field surveys. She currently resides in Washington, D.C.

James R. Tolonen (Treasurer)
Jim was elected to CORAL's Board in 2009. Since 1972, he has been involved in the Silicon Valley High tech industry, and has held CFO, COO, President and other executive and Board of Directors positions in both public and private companies. His accomplishments include taking two companies from start-up through becoming public, and growing two other global public companies from several hundred million dollars to several billion dollars in revenue. Jim retired in 2008, but is currently a member of the Blue Coat Systems, Inc. Board of Directors, the chairman of the Conservation Committee of the Santa Cruz Fly Fishermen, and a volunteer with the Coastal Watershed Council. He also spends time traveling with his wife Ginger, scuba diving, motorcycling, and fishing. Jim has been an avid scuba and skin diver since 1962, and was NITROX certified this year; he is also an amateur photographer, both above and under water. He is passionate about habitat preservation in general, and the marine environment and sustainable practices in particular. Jim received both BSME and MBA degrees from the University of Michigan, and then earned his CPA in1974.

Curtis R. Berrien (Vice Chair of Advancement)
Curt was elected to CORAL's board in 2009. He is a Principal and co-founder of BerrienO'Brien Incorporated, a management-consulting firm based in Berkeley, California. He is also a founding partner of Sustainability Partners, consultants in sustainable business practices. Prior to his current positions, Curt was president of The Bay Group, a training and consulting organization specializing in the education of executives on ethics and the installation of systems and management practices that support ethical and socially responsible behavior. He was also Senior Vice President board member at the Forum Corporation, a global leader in workplace learning and organizational change. He has completed extensive consulting and executive development assignments with over 200 global corporations. Curt has had significant international experience. He has taught worldwide and was an instructor of public administration at Nepal's Center for Economic Development. He also served as an officer in the U.S. Naval Supply Corps in Okinawa, was an avid diver, and was president of the Naha Coral Kings. Curt received a Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction from Wesleyan University and a Master of Business degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business with a concentration in organizational development. Curt is married to Janet Berrien and has two grown daughters. He resides in Berkeley, CA.

Rod M. Fujita, Ph.D. (Vice Chair of Science and Policy)
Rod was elected to CORAL's board in 1998. He is a senior scientist and director of ocean innovations for Environmental Defense Fund and has particular expertise in coral reefs, fisheries, and marine protected areas. Rod helped establish the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and its unique water-quality protection program, and played a key role in creating California's growing network of marine protected areas, including the Channel Islands. He earned a doctorate in marine ecology from the Boston University Marine Program at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Rod currently resides in Oakland, California.

Linda Cain
Linda was elected to CORAL’s board in 2007. She is the principle of Cain Travel, the fifth largest travel management company in Colorado and one of the fifty fastest growing businesses in the state, a company she cofounded with her late husband, David. Former owner of Scuba Joes Dive Shop, Linda is an expert in both travel and the dive industry. She has served on the board of Hertz, the United Airlines Travel Agency, and other industry-related organizations, and is currently a member of the Sutherland Foundation's board of directors. Linda began her career in the travel industry in 1967, after attending the University of Colorado. She currently resides in Boulder, Colorado.

Paula Hayes
Paula was elected to CORAL’s board in 2000. She has led Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)’s fund-raising efforts for more than twenty years. When she joined the organization in 1986, the budget was around $3 million; today EDF is raising more than $100 million annually. Prior to joining EDF, she served as a consultant and chief fundraising counsel for UNICEF and Women's World Banking, and helped raise money globally for UNDP. A founding member of Earth Share, a consortium of environmental organizations, Paula has served on the boards of Oxfam and many other organizations. She currently resides in New Rochelle, New York.

Katheryn Patterson Kempner, Esq.
Katheryn was elected to CORAL’s board in 2005. Currently a full-time parent, she was previously a partner with Coudert Brothers, a large international law firm. She graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, and is a member of the New York City Campaign Finance Board, a trustee and chair of the audit and building committees of The Juilliard School, a member of the national board and executive committee chair of the Federal Judiciary Task Force of the Republican Majority for Choice, and a teaching volunteer focusing on earth sciences, paleontology, and biodiversity at the American Museum of Natural History. Katheryn is married to Thomas Kempner; they have three children and currently reside in New York City.

Lyn Ciocca McCaleb
Lyn was elected to CORAL’s board in 2002 and has served as its board chair and its executive committee chair. She is president of Wellness Resources Co., a marketing consulting firm that specializes in strategic, business, and marketing planning and qualitative research, particularly in the health-care area. Lyn earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s of business administration in marketing from New York University. A long-time scuba diver, Lyn currently resides in New York City and Boulder, Colorado.

Elizabeth Ulmer, Esq.
A former board chair and vice chair, Elizabeth was originally elected to CORAL's board in 1996 and currently serves as a member of the executive, development, and governance committees. Elizabeth is a nonprofit development consultant and currently works with Island Press. She has consulted for the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund and Greenpeace USA, and serves on several nonprofit boards. Elizabeth earned a law degree from the University of Texas–School of Law and currently resides in Washington, D.C.