Featured sessions & invited speakers

Jessy has worked with sea turtles from a very young age during his upbringing in Ulithi Atoll, Yap, in the Federated States of Micronesia. This early start has granted Jessy a wealth of traditional ecological knowledge and experience working with thousands of sea turtles both on land and in the ocean. Jessy was raised in the chief systems, which have successfully sustained the largest green turtle rookeries in the Central West Pacific. This highlights how conservation is not new in the Pacific Islands and has been sustained for many generations. Jessy is eager to share more about the strong links between sea turtles and Ulithian culture touching on traditional practices and stewardship. Currently, Jessy conducts beach monitoring, turtle tracking, and in-water field efforts throughout the Mariana Islands. Through his work, he bridges Indigenous and western knowledge systems in marine turtle research all while mentoring the next generation of Pacific Islanders in sea turtle conservation.

Nohealani Kaʻawa is a respected conservation leader, cultural practitioner (Kumu Hula) and community advocate from Kaʻū. Nohea has over 20 years of experience in natural resource management to protect Hawaiʻi’s forests, oceans and native ecosystems. She currently serves as the Hawaiʻi Island Forest Program Coordinator for The Nature Conservancy, where she leads large-scale forest restoration efforts and builds partnerships grounded in both science and Hawaiian cultural knowledge. Has been with Hawaii Wildlife Fund for 10 years, assisting with Marine Habitat restoration along the Kaʻū coastline. Prior to this role, she spent eight years with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and previously worked as an Instructional Specialist with the Department of Defense. Beyond her professional work, Nohea is a dedicated community leader and advocate for Aloha ʻĀina. She is the President of Iewe Hanaʻo Ka ʻĀina and Ka ʻOhana O Honuʻapo, serves on the board of the Na ʻAʻaliʻi Ku Makani Foundation, and co-founded Na ʻAʻaliʻi Ku Makani o Kaʻū, a Hawaiian immersion school uplifting Hawaiian language and culture-based education for keiki of Kaʻū.

Phinah hails from Ta‘ū, Manu‘a in American Samoa where she was raised living Fa‘a Samoa (the Samoan Way), which refers to the culture and traditions embedded in her homeland. She had her first experience with sea turtles as a young girl, witnessing both the natural and human impacts imposed on hawksbill hatchlings. This experience instilled a deep interest in ocean life, which led Phinah to earn an Associates of Science in Marine Science at the American Samoa Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Phinah’s passion and stewardship led her to return home where she has served as a sea turtle biologist with American Samoa’s Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources since 2022. Currently, Phinah leads nesting research, stranding response, and necropsies of stranded and longline bycaught turtles across Tutuila, Aunuʻu, Ofu, Olosega, and Taʻū, including the remote oceanic atoll of Motu o Manu (Rose Atoll). As a member of the U.S. government’s Young Pacific Leader program, Phinah is strengthening her growing leadership skills and representing American Samoa in a broader Pacific Islander network. This young, early career scientist is motivated to expand knowledge on and protect American Samoa sea turtles all while being guided by her cultural roots.

Uncle Kelson "Mac" Poepoe is a revered Native Hawaiian fisherman and community leader from Molokaʻi, recognized for his deep commitment to traditional Hawaiian resource management and subsistence practices. As a founding member of Hui Mālama o Moʻomomi, he has dedicated his life to restoring and maintaining the abundance of West Molokaʻi's fisheries, most notably through the creation of the Pono Fishing Calendar—a guide based on decades of traditional observation to promote sustainable harvesting. His views emphasize lawaiʻa pono (righteous fishing) and traditional Hawaiian stewardship, leading him to advocate for the delisting of the green sea turtle (honu) to allow Native Hawaiians to resume cultural, non-commercial harvests, arguing that federal protections unjustly criminalized their ancient, sustainable relationship with the species. Uncle Mac is a powerful inspiration for community-based conservation across Hawaiʻi, emphasizing that through responsible care (pono), the ocean's resources will always remain.

Karalaini Rereavosa is an iTaukei conservation practitioner from Fiji, with a strong focus on community-led marine turtle conservation and sustainable fisheries across the Pacific. She serves as an Assistant Turtle Project Officer with WWF-Pacific’s Sustainable Fisheries & Seafood Programme, where she works closely with coastal and Indigenous communities to strengthen local stewardship of marine resources. Her work emphasizes collaboration with traditional leaders, fishers, and community turtle guardians (dau ni vonu), integrating Indigenous knowledge, cultural values, and science-based approaches to support turtle protection and sustainable livelihoods.

Ann Singeo is a Palauan environmental leader and the Founder and Executive Director of the Ebiil Society, a community-based nonprofit dedicated to environmental education, cultural heritage, and natural resource stewardship across Palau. She established the Ebiil Society in 2005 to reconnect younger generations with their land and oceans through programs that integrate traditional ecological knowledge with science-based conservation. Under her leadership, the organization has expanded its educational reach and restoration efforts, nurturing local guardianship of marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Ann’s work has been recognized regionally, including receiving the National Geographic Ocean Hero award 2024, and 2020 Tommy E. Remengesau Jr. Environmental Award for her significant contributions to conservation and community empowerment in Palau.