Our Team

As the Managing Director of SeaLegacy, Kait provides strategic and operational leadership across the organization’s conservation, storytelling, and partnership work. Working closely with the founders, she helps translate vision into action, guiding complex projects, global collaborations, and funding relationships that advance meaningful protection for the ocean.

Kait is a proud parent of two teenagers and spends much of her time immersed in their ever-evolving world learning, laughing, and keeping pace with curiosity, culture, and conversation through a Generation Z perspective. Born in Whitehorse, Yukon, with a brief early chapter that included a year of primary school in Lakewood, Colorado, she now considers Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, home.

She loves long, agenda-free photo walks and adventures large and small, near and far. One of her greatest joys is discovering a new restaurant, or revisiting a trusted favourite and is drawn equally to thoughtful cuisine, artisan cocktails, and the way artistic expression offers quiet insights into life. When not on the move, she’s happily a bit of a homebody, most content near the ocean, watching films (especially documentaries) and navigating a complicated, but enduring, relationship with a grumpy, occasionally aggressive cat.

Jay collaborates with SeaLegacy team members to develop and produce powerful documentary films for SeaLegacy, its expeditions, and its storytelling partners. His work centers on crafting visually compelling, emotionally resonant stories that elevate conservation voices around the world.

With more than 20 years of experience in nature documentaries and broadcast commercial production, Jay has worked as an Editor, Director of Photography, and Producer/Director. He has filmed on all seven continents and is driven by a deep commitment to exploring the planet and bringing meaningful stories of the natural world to life. Jay is passionate about travel and immersion in wild places. Whether hiking, biking, canoeing, or diving, he draws inspiration from direct connection with the landscapes and oceans he helps document.

Jamie is SeaLegacy’s marine biologist and writer. He translates complex marine science and policy into compelling, accessible storytelling for a wide range of audiences, from social media to longer essays. He also guides science-driven partnerships that are credible, impactful, and aligned with SeaLegacy’s mission. Jamie has a Master of Marine Biology from James Cook University, Australia, where his focus was conservation and management.

Along the way, he immersed himself in the ocean community and built well-rounded experience in field research, report writing, data analysis, policy, and scientific literacy. Before graduate school, he worked on a salmon farm off the coast of British Columbia and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Victoria, Canada. He's also a big outdoor nut. Outside of work, you’ll find him hiking, camping, snowboarding, diving, or planning my next trip to explore a new corner of the world.

Isaac works as a Digital Asset Manager, helping organize, archive, and process SeaLegacy’s in-house visual assets. As an Assistant Editor, he supports post-production by prepping footage and deliverables for upcoming projects, and assisting on commercial and conservation film creations.

Isaac's path into conservation began in Tofino, British Columbia, where he casually supported the Clayoquot Action Conservation Society with in-field Chinook salmon research. That hands-on experience led him to Sea Shepherd Global, working abroad as a drone pilot and photojournalist. He later transitioned into filmmaking, joining Pacific Wild in Victoria, BC as a post-production assistant. Starting to surf in 2020 during the pandemic helped him rediscover a deep love for the natural world, and a renewed sense of connection.

Emma supports SeaLegacy’s operations, partnerships, and creative development, contributing to the organization of events, coordination of joint ventures and management of re-granting efforts. She began her career at KTLA 5 News in Los Angeles, where she worked as a writer/producer before moving into high-budget feature films as a VFX coordinator and assistant editor.

Emma has worked both on set and in post-production, combining technical skills with creative development and storytelling. In between productions, she has worked as a divemaster on boats in the Channel Islands National Park and Vancouver. Emma is passionate about scuba diving, freediving, rock climbing, camping, and spending time outdoors. She also teaches Highland Dancing and is a former world champion.

Nicole focuses on email marketing and website maintenance to ensure SeaLegacy's storytelling translates into measurable action for the ocean. Her role leverages her background in web development and communications to help the team drive global awareness and protect our blue planet.

She holds a degree in Geography and brings over a two-decade career in digital marketing and the scuba diving industry, specializing in coral biology and e-commerce. Outside of work, Nicole is an avid scuba diver and the co-founder of Ocean Gardener, an NGO helping lead coral restoration efforts that have successfully planted over 300,000 corals back to the reef.

Caroline works with SeaLegacy to craft compelling stories by assisting with the creation, selection, and refinement of written and visual content across the website and social media. She began working with SeaLegacy co-founder Cristina Mittermeier, supporting her photography projects with written and visual content. She then joined SeaLegacy, creating and refining content for social media and the website. In 2022 she began supporting co-founder Paul Nicklen with newsletters, social media, and book projects.

For more than five years, Caroline has contributed to SeaLegacy’s storytelling, providing continuity, insight, and original content across the organization. Caroline is a backyard photographer and lifelong nature enthusiast, with a deep fondness for the tiny, overlooked flora and fauna that keep our planet green and healthy. She's also a cat mom, poetry devourer, and avid writer, passionate about sharing authentic, heartfelt stories.

Vanessa is currently developing Ocean School at SeaLegacy—a research and resource-based education initiative designed to help learners (of all ages) fall in love with the ocean, and only grow deeper in that connection over time. Through SeaLegacy’s research, expeditions, and collaborative, immersive storytelling, her work hopes to connect and engage K–12 and post-secondary to the ocean.

Vanessa’s background weaves together art, museums, conservation and public engagement, shaped by her studies at Georgetown University and experience working across cultural institutions in North America and India, including the Smithsonian. She has worked in research, education, and communications roles, contributed to initiatives such as 100 for the Ocean, and currently engages young audiences at the Royal Ontario Museum—bringing a people-first, curiosity-driven approach to conservation storytelling. Outside of work, Vanessa loves getting lost in a good book, cycling, and exploring new hiking trails, and has an unapologetic love for eating carrots—raw, roasted, or anything in between. She also genuinely enjoys staying organized and tackling a solid, robust spreadsheet.