Born and raised in Maine, Jillian’s love for the ocean started at an early age and has continued to play an integral role in her adult life. She has spent thousands of hours working and diving with sharks across the globe. She is a mom, marine biologist, shark conservationist, author, and educator. She is the lead scientist for Project Lemon Aid. She has filmed for and been featured on numerous television shows and networks, has appeared on Shark Week, and is a PADI Ambassadiver. She was named Scuba Diving Magazine's July 2016 Sea Hero, awarded the inaugural Shark Con Shark Hero Award in 2017, and was the Go Blue Awards 2020 Blue Ambassador of the Year.  She is a National Geographic-certified educator. She is the author of Norman the Nurse Shark and Shark Super Powers and a member of the prestigious Ocean Artists Society. 

 

Dive into Jillian's sharktastic photography here: www.shark-girl.com

Derek grew up in Michigan spending a lot of his childhood exploring the woods and spending time on the water (though slightly less salty water than he deals with now). His love for the outdoors and the water started early and on a family vacation to Florida when he was 8. Derek completed his PhD work at Florida International University and is currently a the Nova Southeastern University Community Outreach Coordinator, Director of the NSU Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program and a Research Scientist for the NSU Guy Harvey Research Institute and Save our Seas Shark Research Center at Nova Southeastern University.

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https://nova.elsevierpure.com/en/persons/derek-a-burkholder

Duncan studied marine biology at the University of Stirling before heading to South Georgia and Antarctica to work as an observer and junior scientist. A volunteer stint at the Bimini Sharklab ignited his passion for underwater filming. After returning as their media manager, Duncan pursued a full-time career as a videographer. Duncan is an Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning cinematographer who has shot for the BBC, Shark Week, the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, National Geographic, and numerous other channels.

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Dive into Duncan's sharktastic photography here: www.cameramanunderwater.com

​Dennis is Managing Director of Canada at Checkmate Capital. Mr. Zaidi is also seasoned entrepreneur and currently advises a diverse portfolio on matters related to corporate finance and capital structure. He also acts as an advising CFO, assisting with value creation and finance to several startups in Toronto. Prior to joining Checkmate, Mr. Zaidi was the architect of three successful exits including his work as managing partner of Balsam Lake Green Energy, a 6MW solar energy facility in Ontario, Canada that was developed then sold to Panasonic sponsored private equity firm Coronal Group. Mr. Zaidi is a passionate live long learner with executive education at Harvard Business School (Negotiation Mastery), Oxford’s Saïd Business School (Fintech) as well as recently completing an Executive Master’s degree (MSc) from HEC Paris in Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-zaidi/

​Originally from The Bahamas, Dr. Candace Fields completed her Ph.D. in the Predator Ecology and Conservation Lab at Florida International University.  After finishing her bachelor's degree in neuroscience, she spent two years at the Cape Eleuthera Institute, where she was a key member of the pelagic research team. Candace’s research focuses on the population dynamics and geographic population structure of large predators, with a particular focus on the critically endangered oceanic whitetip shark. She is passionate about shark conservation and being a Bahamian advocate for the protection and importance of sharks and rays in The Bahamas.  Candace has been a member of the Sharks4Kids team since 2021 where she works to encourage Bahamian youth to play active roles in the conservation of their marine resources, and understand the importance of sharks in our oceans!

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​www.peclabfiu.com