The Center for Whale Research
Staff
Board of Directors:
• Kenneth C. Balcomb, III
President, Treasurer
• Scott Balcomb
Vice President
• Rick Smith
Secretary
• Stephen J. Bartok, M.D.
• Nicola Bloedel
• Stephen H. Clark
• April Rodeghier Smith
Staff:
• Kenneth C. Balcomb, III
Executive Director,
Principal Investigator
• Astrid van Ginneken
Co-Principal Investigator
• David K. Ellifrit
Senior Staff Assistant,
Vessel Captain
• Barbara Todd
Senior Staff Assistant,
Naturalist/Educator
• John Durban, PhD
Research Co-ordinator
• Erin Heydenreich
Staff Assistant
• Kyla Graham
Grad Student

• Courtney Smith
Staff Assistant

• Mackenzie Consoer
Staff Assistant
Consultants:
• Lon Brocklehurst
Technical Support/Advisor

Center for Whale Research staff:



Ken Balcomb, III
Executive Director,
Principal Investigator

Kenneth C. Balcomb, III started Orca Survey in 1976. He has been the Executive Director and Research Biologist for the Center for Whale Research since 1985. He is also a Charter Member of the Society for Marine Mammalogy, a member of the IUCN/SSC Whale Specialist Group, and an invited specialist on the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission. He has extensive field experience at sea and is an accomplished wildlife photographer.





Astrid van Ginneken
Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Astrid Maria van Ginneken
is the co-Principal Investigator of
Orca Survey. She has been on
staff since 1987 and has published
several articles on orca research.
She developed software for capture
of routinely collected research data.



David K. Ellifrit
Senior Staff Assistant,
Vessel Captain

David Ellifrit is a senior staff
assistant for the Orca Survey
project and responsible for
curation of the photographic library
and vessel operations.



John Durban, PhD
Research Coordinator

John Durban leads the
Killer Whale Ecological Studies
Team (KWEST), a collection of
researchers from government,
academic and non-profit groups,
which co-ordinates and conducts
collaborative studies on the role
of killer whales within North Pacific
marine ecosystems.


Barbara Todd
Senior Staff Assistant,
Naturalist/Educator

Erin Heydenreich
Staff Assistant



Kyla Graham
Grad Student


Courtney Smith
Staff Assistant



Lon Brocklehurst
Technical Support/Advisor



Mackenzie Consoer
Staff Asssistant

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Site designed by Kelley Balcomb-Bartok.