Terry Tamminen, President
From his youth in Australia to career experiences in Europe, Africa, China and across the United States, Terry has developed expertise in business, farming, education, non-profit, the environment, the arts, and government. A United States Coast Guard-licensed ship captain, Terry has long been drawn to the undersea world, starting in the 1960s with a family-run tropical fish breeding business in Australia and continuing with studies on conch depletion in the Bahamas, manatee populations in Florida coastal waters, and mariculture in the Gulf States with Texas A&M University. On land, Terry managed the largest sheep ranch east of the Mississippi, assisting the University of Minnesota in developing new methods of livestock disease control. Terry also managed a multi-million dollar real estate company, owned a successful recreational services business, and assisted the West African nation of Nigeria with the creation of their first solid waste recycling program... (Read More)
Leslie Mintz Tamminen, Education and Environmental Programs Director
In October of 2009, Leslie was appointed to the California Ocean Science Trust Board of Trustees. Formerly, Leslie was a special advisor to Lt. Governor John Garamendi, and the California Economic Development Commission. Leslie was the Legislative Director and staff attorney for the environmental nonprofit organization Heal the Bay from 1997 to 2008, where she was responsible for development and implementation of statewide water quality legislation, and the first-ever state Education and the Environment Initiative, a requirement for environmental education principles and curricula development in all core disciplines in public schools for K-12. Leslie is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, and the University of Southern California Law Center. She currently resides in Los Angeles.
Kristina Haddad, Program Director
Kristina Haddad currently serves as Program Director at SGA. Previously she was the Director of the Indigenous Rights portfolio in North America for the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. In her current capacity, she works to support the programs and projects of the organization. Kristina was the Forestry Project Manager for the Environment Now Foundation, Santa Monica, California, where she managed grant making and worked closely with forest activists on the development of strategy and the implementation of initiatives. Before joining Environment Now, she was the Programs Director at Santa Monica BayKeeper, where she ran the successful BeachKeeper Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program, as well as many other projects and programs.
Jenna Cittadino, Director of Operations
Jenna currently services as Director of Operations at SGA. In her current capacity Jenna works closely with the CEO to ensure the organization is running smoothly and efficiently. She helps to develop fund raising initiatives, implement marketing strategies, manage the financials, and conduct research as needed. Previously she was the Operations Manager at the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation where she managed the accounting, analyzed finances and created reports, created organizational budgets, and supported the CEO and Executive Director as needed. Before that she served as Communications and Development Director of SGA. Jenna is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, Magna Cum Laude, in Communication Studies with a minor in English. In her spare time, Jenna enjoys hiking, reading, singing and playing the piano, playing baseball and softball with her kids, and volunteering for her kids' school and sports teams.