Susie Richards, MEd, is a Washington State Certified Teacher who has worked in the middle school setting for the past 15 years. She has served as a program director for a wide range of educational programs. She is a fellow in the Washington State Consortium for Contextual Teaching and Learning and currently serves as an academic mentor with Western Governor's University and instructs for Heritage Institute / Antioch University's extension programs. She holds a master's degree in education from Antioch University with a focus in community-based education.

Chris and Susie have worked in supporting and creating ongoing community- and school-based collaborative educational partnerships for more than 16 years, designing and implementing more than 100 marine expeditions. They are both experienced in grant writing and assiting in the development of dynamic community partnerships.

Erin Way serves as our administrative manager and manages SEA's donor and volunteer programs. Erin received her Bachelor of Arts in communication and public relations from the University of Washington in 2001 and committed herself to nonprofit work upon graduation. Having been involved in nonprofit development since 2002, she has worked for both small and internationally recognized nonprofit organizations and has an impressive background in addition to an eagerness to protect the waters of the Puget Sound.

Peter Blaustein, MSW, serves as our director of grants and evaluation, researching and writing grant proposals, coordinating SEA program evaluation, and working with the SEA team to develop and implement effective programming. Peter has two decades of experience working with diverse populations in nonprofit service settings. He has coordinated the evaluation and program operations of grant-funded service-learning projects in school and community settings. He also co-directs Sister Island Project, a nonprofit organization working in rural communities in the Dominican Republic.