Linda Hunter
FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
Linda has more than thirty years of experience working to protect the environment. She began her environmental career at Greenpeace where she managed the finances of the West Coast office. She has served as Executive Director of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association and The Watershed Project, where she led the efforts to develop the first and only native oyster reef to be built entirely by community volunteers. Linda grew up on the ocean and has always been an oyster aficionado. She thinks of our native oysters as the working class stiffs with a huge role to play to make our Bay cleaner and more resilient to rising tides caused by climate change.
Casey Harper
deputy Director
Casey is a San Francisco native transplanted to Oakland and a life-long lover of all things outdoors. She completed her bachelor’s in Zoology at the University of Otago in New Zealand. After college she worked as a Fisheries Observer in the Gulf of Alaska. More recently, Casey received a degree in Landscape Architecture from Merritt College. She is interested in creating regenerative landscapes that emphasize the intersection of art, science, and ecology, and is fired up to be a part of the Wild Oyster Project.
Laura Valvassori
Development Manager
Laura has spent years on the development teams of human services NGOs. She was raised on the shores of the Great Lakes but has spent the majority of her life in the San Francisco Bay Area. Laura has always been passionate about working to protect our environment. The ocean, waterways and watersheds have always held a special place for her - whether playing in, on it or under its waters. She is interested in supporting greater sustainability and climate resiliency in a place she calls home on the San Francisco Bay. Her desire is to use her organizational expertise to work with team members and the community to advance the unique work of the Wild Oyster Project while engaging others to join her in investing in revitalizing the San Francisco Bay, one oyster at a time.
Jivan Khakee
Marine scientist
Jivan received his BS in Aquatic Biology from UC Santa Barbara. Throughout his undergraduate experience, he worked with the PISCO laboratory investigating California’s rocky intertidal ecosystem. Additionally, Jivan worked as a summer research intern in Florida with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Fund on oyster restoration projects and HAB-related water quality assessment. Since graduating, he has contributed to restoration ecology as part of Dr. Kathy Boyer’s lab at San Francisco State University. Born and raised in New York City, Jivan has lived around urban estuarine ecosystems his entire life and is excited to contribute to local restoration efforts through the Wild Oyster Project.
Alex Maciel
Volunteer & outreach coordinator
Alex recently moved to the Bay Area. Originally from South Florida, she worked at advertising agencies for a number of years. She loves all things outdoors, particularly scuba diving and playing with her dog Bowie. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising from Florida International University and is looking to put her skills to work to protect the Bay Area ecosystem through community engagement. Her experience as a volunteer at the Marine Mammal Center drove her to become an ocean steward, and is one of many reasons why she is joining Wild Oyster Project and its mission to protect our local filter feeders.
Kyley Fishman
content specialist
Kyley is Colorado born and raised but moved to San Francisco to pursue her degree in International Studies at the University of San Francisco. Kyley grew up next to the Colorado River and she is passionate about sustainability, environmental policy and biodiversity conservation. When she isn’t studying these topics in university, she can be found enjoying the outdoors with friends or honing her photojournalism skills. Putting her journalism and communications skills to good use, Kyley is keen to engage communities to protect marine life.
Ruby Tovar
wild oyster ambassador
Ruby is a true ostreophile who discovered her love for our bivalve hero when she happened upon a beautiful oyster shell one pandemic day on a Nor Cal beach 3 years ago. It was love at first sight. Since then, Ruby has been a Wild Oyster Ambassador. Ruby attends events all around the Bay Area, speaking about the benefits of oyster reef restoration and letting people know how they can get involved. You can also find Ruby every Sunday at the REAP Climate Center in Alameda where she educates volunteers and children about our native bivalve. Hailing from Los Angeles, Ruby received her bachelor's degree in the humanities from UC Berkeley and is working on a master's in Humanitarian Disaster Preparedness from Cal Maritime. She and her 7-year-old daughter share a love for exploring the coast and all things ocean.
