Marine Biology Camp Staff
The Sea Turtle Camp team is composed of expert Marine Science educators and an administrative staff who bring with them professional experience, in-depth knowledge, and a broad range of skill sets. Sea Turtle Camp Counselors are passionate about marine biology and the study of coastal ecosystems, and they are excited to share this passion with curious teenagers who have also discovered the importance and wonder of this field.
Employment at Sea Turtle Camp is extremely competitive. We examine hundreds of applications before selecting members of our elite team. All applicants must go through our intense three-part interview process and comprehensive background check. We take only the top candidates and are extremely proud to provide one of the greatest employment opportunities available among summer camps. Upon hiring, all counselors must attend our mandatory four day training and certification program prior to the start of each season. Required qualifications include American Red Cross certification in CPR for the Professional Rescuer and First Aid. Our founder, Jen Civelli, plays a fundamental role in the hiring and training of each team member. Jen is a chemistry instructor at Cape Fear Community College and UNC-Wilmington. She has spent many years working with Jean Beasley at the Sea Turtle Hospital, and she and her family continue to play a huge role in raising awareness and funds for this amazing organization. You can learn more about her on our Founders page…
Our mission statement of environmental conservation and philanthropy is deeply shared by our team. We are conscious of the fact that without the ocean, there is no life on earth. We have dedicated our lives to educating teenagers about environmental conservation, living a lifestyle that is harmonious with this purpose, and exploring new ways of sharing our mission.
Dani DiIullo, Program Coordinator
Marine education is both Dani’s passion and priority. She has been both a formal teacher teaching high school science and an informal educator working with aquariums and environmental education organizations. Dani has traveled across the country and internationally teaching marine science curriculum. Dani loves exploring different ecosystems with students and encouraging scientific inquiry. She has worked for the Catalina Island Marine Institute, Adventures Cross Country, Ocean Discovery Institute, the Smithsonian Institution, UNCW’s MarineQuest, and National Ocean Sciences Bowl. Dani earned a B.S. in both Economics and Biology, and holds a master’s degree in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography where she developed marine science curriculum for public schools. Having worked in Davidson College’s herpetology lab during her undergraduate years, she has a special affinity for reptiles – especially the marine kind.
Alex Brehm, Sea Turtle Camp 6-Day and 11-Day
Alex’s passion for sea turtles was solidified with a trip to Costa Rica in high school, like many of our campers. This led him to Barry University, where he pursued a BS in Marine Biology and a minor in Sports Management Dive Industry. While in school, he received his Dive Masters and became certified in AHA Healthcare Provider (CPR & AED), ARC Lifeguard/Waterfront/First Aid, and an Emergency First Responder. He also assisted with open water and advanced scuba diving classes, in which he taught students scuba and snorkeling skills and also led and supervised dives. Alex has volunteered with organizations that rescue and rehabilitate injured and sick seabirds and marine mammals. Last summer, Alex was a research assistant working with nesting sea turtles in Costa Rica where he educated volunteers on sea turtle conservation and led nightly patrols where we worked with the animals.
Stefanie Jansson, Sea Turtle Camp 6-Day and 11-Day
Stefanie graduated from UNCW in 2010 with a degree in Marine Biology and a minor in Spanish. Sea turtles are one of her favorite marine animals, and she has been fortunate enough to have worked with them as an intern at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital. She also completed a directed individual study at Figure Eight Island as a sea turtle nest monitor. As a marine educator, she has really enjoyed sharing her passion for marine science with others. In addition to work done at the hospital, she has volunteered with Fort Fisher Aquarium's education department, where she educated visitors about the animals in the exhibits. Currently, Stefanie also works as an instructor at Carolina Ocean Studies taking school groups out to Masonboro Island on a boat or facilitating off-shore fishing trips. She is very excited about 2011's Sea Turtle Camp and can't wait to get started!
Chris Powell, Sea Turtle Camp 6-Day and 11-Day
Chris’s passion for the ocean has been nurtured through 24 years of vacationing at Topsail Island, one of North Carolina’s popular sea turtle nesting beaches. Chris has demonstrated a passion for sea turtle conservation by working with Jean for two summers at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital. During his internships, he enjoyed educating about sea turtles and broad environmental issues by speaking to the public who visited the hospital daily (averaging about 350 people a day). Having grown up around the Chesapeake Bay, Chris is also aware the myriad issues affecting water quality. When it came time for Chris to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, he chose a project to educate the public about the environmental impacts from dumping yard waste and trash down storm drains into the bay. These experiences led him to attend UNCW and to graduate with a degree in Environmental Studies.
Leah Salloway, Sea Turtle Camp 6-Day and 11-Day
A recent graduate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Leah achieved a self designed degree in wildlife conservation and ecology through sustainable community development, with a focus on sea turtles. Since 2007 Leah has traveled doing sea turtle research in such areas as Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico, and Australia. During the year, Leah has worked with the New England Aquarium with their sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation program, focusing on cold stuns that strand in Cape Cod. This year Leah presented at the International Sea Turtle Symposium in San Diego, California, on the importance of conservation education in public schools. This is Leah’s second season with Sea Turtle Camp. After working with a disabled youth theater troupe in Amherst, and teaching at horseback riding camps in New England, Leah loves spending time teaching the campers about the environment around them.
Support Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation
Please help us continue to protect and conserve the remaining species of Sea Turtles. Through education and public awareness we can ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy the natural wonder of these magnificent marine species.
Please consider giving a membership to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital Foundation for birthdays and other special occasions.
Thank you for your interest and support.
