Welcome, Shelley!

Meet the newest Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust team member, Shelley Dearhart! Shelley started as our Community Outreach Manager just before the New Year, and will be overseeing our community engagement efforts and marketing and communications strategies in support of our mission.

We’re so excited to have Shelley join us, as she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this position! Shelley was the manager of the South Carolina Aquarium’s community outreach sustainable seafood program bringing consumers, chefs and fishermen together for events around local, sustainable seafood in her hometown of Charleston, SC. She also served as the Director of The Safina Center’s seafood program and continued to deepen her knowledge of fisheries science working most recently with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Her passion and drive is with people, education, and community-engagement, and she’ll be working hard to build support for the fishing community and increase celebration of local seafood throughout the Monterey Bay area. 

When Shelley is not sharing her love for local seafood, you can find her on trails along the central coast exploring redwood forests and tide pools. Her appreciation for how special this area is and the people who live here continues to grow every day.

In the coming months, Shelley will be out and about in the community meeting with industry stakeholders and new partners, and organizing various events spanning from the Monterey area to Santa Cruz, so follow us on social media to learn how to get involved and be sure to say hello if you see her!