Save-A-Turtle 2024 Officers

All of our officers and board members are volunteers.

Heather Skelley, President

 I was born in Hawaii and traveled up through High School as part of a military family. I lived most of my adult life in Maryland and Delaware and have been visiting the Keys for vacation since 1992. I have always loved the beach and have been passionate about keeping beaches clean and safe for humans and wildlife. As part of my passion for the beach and ocean, I became fascinated with sea turtles and the human impact on their environment and habitats. I teach at Sigsbee Charter School in Key West, where I enjoy sharing information about turtles and how we can help them with my students! I am proud to be part of this fantastic organization and group of people and to serve as a beach walker and President in 2024!

Dawn Bowles, Vice President & Treasurer

I was born in California and used to visit the ocean every day. My love for the water and wildlife began then and has followed me to everywhere I’ve lived since. I’ve spent time living in Texas and Arizona but always wanted to get back to living by the ocean. My husband and I moved full time to the Florida Keys in 2020 and I love working with local Keys groups to improve the environment around us, both for us humans and the wildlife. I retired from the corporate technology sector last year but continue to use that knowledge to help nonprofits with their technology needs and help get their message to more of our population via their websites and social media. I’m a huge believer in thinking globally but acting locally! I’m really excited to be working with Save-A-Turtle on their mission to preserve our sea turtles!

In my free time I love spending time with my “zoo” of dogs and cats, or being out on the water paddle boarding, diving or just enjoying the ocean breeze.

Scott Cator, Secretary

I'm originally from snowy Central New York, but found my love for the oceans in 2012 when I began taking action for dolphins who were captured for captivity and killed for food in Japan’s infamous cove. After spending two years helping dolphins in Japan, I moved on to help protect sea turtles from poachers in Costa Rica in 2014. Wanting to help animals more broadly, I became a coordinator for an animal rights organization where I currently work with activists from all over the country to help them speak out for animals in their community.
I moved to the Keys during the pandemic and immediately became a beach walker with Save-A-Turtle. I’m excited to expand my role with Save-A-Turtle as a board member and continue to advance my impact for animals. ​

Save-A-Turtle Board  2024 Members

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Gentrie Billbrough
I was raised in New Mexico and spent most of my summers visiting Florida. That developed my love for the ocean and marine life. I moved to Key West in 2019 to attend the College of the Florida Keys. I have had the opportunity to learn so much about our coral reef track, restoration, aquaculture, and conservation. In 2023, I graduated with my bachelor's in Marine Resources Management. 
In 2021, I started my job at the Key West Aquarium, where my passion for marine life really grew. The aquarium has four non-releasable sea turtles I have the privilege of working with. That has inspired me to continue my education and involvement with sea turtles. My career goal is to work in the rescue and rehabilitation of sea turtles. Recently, I started schooling again to focus more on the veterinary side of animal care and rehabilitation. 
2023 was my first season as a volunteer beach walker  in Key West and it was so rewarding. I can’t wait to see what 2024’s nesting season holds, and I am honored to be a board member of Save-a-Turtle. ​

Jennifer DeMaria
I have been a member of Save-A-Turtle of the Florida Keys for about 19  years, and served as a Board Member for about 15 years. I was introduced to the plight of sea turtles by past beach walkers who would patrol on the beach where I live. Their passion for sea turtles was evident; in fact it changed my life. Upon learning of the dire situation sea turtles face, I decided to volunteer with Save-A-Turtle to do my part to help sea turtles. I started out as a beach walker, then Board Member, have also been a past main Marine Turtle Permit Holder, and currently remain part of the Stranding and Salvage Team Network for sea turtles.
Living here, I see the exploitation of our natural environment and wildlife, including sea turtles, through many causes including reckless development, pollution, entitlements, speciesism, lack of oversight from agencies and so on. It’s hard to witness and I cannot sit idly by when wrongs are committed. Despite all the pressures upon sea turtles, they are still here, so far. I feel a moral obligation in this world to help make things better for animals both in the sea and on land, of course including sea turtles.
I am an activist and advocate for all animals, choosing to educate on the moral baseline that animals are here with us, not for us, including the importance to live a compassionate lifestyle as free of animal exploitation in every way as much as possible. I feel a great responsibility to this organization, the animals and of course to those whom have entrusted me enough to serve in this capacity.

Alyssa Gruebele
​I am originally from Peru, but I was adopted and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have
experienced countless hardships like losing both my adopted parents by the age of 22 which led me to become the sole legal guardian of my preteen sister. Through these challenging transitions, I have sharpened my love for life and made it my life purpose of helping anything or anyone in need. I have always been passionate about animal welfare and rescue from a young age by taking in lost or injured animals.
 In 2015, I volunteered at the songbird nursery through the Roseville Wildlife Center in MN while also working with a local animal rescue in which I connected 14 dogs/cats to their forever homes, not including the 2 dogs I fostered but adopted. In 2019, I moved to the Keys to challenge myself in a new solo environment but continued to apply myself to make an impact. I knew I was on the right path in life when a new furry friend I sponsored at Pawsitive Beginnings happened to get treated at the same Roseville Wildlife Center I began my journey at. Reef the Fox and I both hail from Minnesota but now call the Keys our furrever home. Pawsitive Beginnings is a permanent  home to foxes that have been saved from the fur trade.
In 2020, I joined Save-A-Turtle as a beach walker to survey and clean up the beach area during the nesting season. I experienced baby sea turtles who emerged from their nest and climbed over seaweed on their journey out to the sea.
I am excited to nourish my love for the ocean and sea turtles by becoming a board member with Save-A-Turtle. My goal is continuing to foster the bonds I have made along with new connections, listening and being a bridge of communication to other people and organizations. I want to learn and help as much as I can along with inspiring others to find and enhance their passion

Chelsea Oatman
I was born and raised in Michigan where I spent my time working in the veterinary industry and pursuing my degree in Marine Biology.  I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a passion for helping animals, but my love and passion for the ocean, and all it had to offer, really began to develop after I received my scuba diving certification in 2013.  Using that passion as my driving force I graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology.  
Shortly thereafter, I began an internship at a coral farm, which I adored, and was soon presented with an opportunity to run a coral farm in Marathon Key.  I jumped at the chance and moved to Florida in January of 2020. 
I started volunteering at Save-A-Turtle as a beach walker in 2022.  It was, and continues to be, such an overwhelmingly rewarding experience that I am looking forward to for years to come.  I am honored to be on the board in 2024 and look forward to saving many more sea turtles."​

Dave Wiggins
I grew up in Florida and was always visiting the beaches. Now I am very lucky to live on the beach. I have always worked to protect the environment and carried that through to my career. I work in an industry that has reduced the use of paper for almost 30 years. One customer saved over 2 million pieces of paper per year by using our technology and that provides so much satisfaction that I can help make a difference.
I have been directly involved in conservation organizations for the past 15 years.  Whether fund raising, protesting, cleaning beaches, or supporting legislative initiatives, I have worked to protect our wildlife and our environment..
With all sea turtles being endangered or threatened around the world, I felt it was important to join this team and help them continue their great work.​

Jana Wiggins
I grew up in Virginia and loved animals and the water. I moved to Florida (my husband’s home state) in the late 90’s to be on the water all year. We moved to Clearwater Beach and we both volunteered with various animal protection nonprofits, ocean protection and conservation groups. The founder then asked us to run, develop, and grow the Florida chapter of a large global marine conservation organization. A few of our responsibilities included education, volunteer training, fundraising events, and merchandise selection and inventory.
I also co-founded a nonprofit that focused on educating and assisting Clearwater Beach and surrounding area restaurants and businesses to discontinue the use of Styrofoam, plastic containers, and plastic straws to get ocean allies certification as an ecofriendly business. Eventually we moved to Pompano Beach to scuba dive even longer in the year.
 This year we purchased a house in Big Pine Key for even warmer weather and a quieter lifestyle. We continue to run the Florida chapter for the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, a global direct action ocean conservation foundation and I am now a retired technology CEO looking forward to assisting Save-A-Turtle to protect and increase our turtle population.
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Harry Appel, Technical Advisor

Bio coming soon