Invited Speakers

Alison Debney  

Alison is the UK & Europe Conservation Lead for ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and is a technical specialist in estuarine and wetland conservation.  Alison has 25 years’ experience in delivering conservation projects around the world focussing on the restoration and sustainable management of aquatic habitats ranging from mangroves, to flooded forests and to urban rivers.  Her drive is to create healthy and resilient ecosystems with beneficial outcomes for both wildlife and people.  Alison is the chair of the Essex Native Oyster Restoration Initiative and co-founder of the Native Oyster Network – UK & Ireland.  Alison also sits on the Advisory Board of the Europe Native Oyster Restoration Alliance.

Pete Malinowski 

Pete Malinowski is the Executive Director of the Billion Oyster Project, an organization on a mission to restore oyster reefs to New York Harbor through public education initiatives. A goal of Billion Oyster Project is to use the restoration of a keystone species to build awareness and affinity for the natural world in an urban setting.  Pete comes from a family of oyster farmers in Fishers Island New York and his favorite thing about Billion Oyster Project is watching students at the New York Harbor School — BOP’s flagship school — become experts in their field. In addition to his work with Billion Oyster Project, Pete sits on the Mayor's Waterfront Management Advisory Board and Co-chairs the Governor's Shellfish Restoration Council.

Dr Wayne O'Connor 

Dr O’Connor is a Senior Principal Research Scientist, Research Leader for Aquaculture and Institute Director of the Department of Primary Industries’, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute. His undergraduate studies were undertaken at Newcastle University and he received his PhD from the University of Technology, Sydney, working on aspects of scallop physiology and reproductive biology. He has over 30 years’ experience in aquaculture research and has worked on a variety of programs encompassing a number of mollusc species Currently, Dr O’Connor leads research programs that range from the development of selective breeding techniques and triploid induction in oysters to environmental impact and ecotoxicological evaluations. Dr O’Connor is the section editor Invertebrates for Aquaculture and is a member of the editorial boards for the journals Aquaculture Research, Molluscan Research, Journal of Shellfish Research, Water & PeerJ. He is the author of over 150 peer reviewed publications, including more than 100 specifically relating to oysters. He has over 200 other publications in conference proceedings, reports and magazines.  Dr O’Connor currently holds a conjoint professorial position at the University of Newcastle, an adjunct Associate professorial position at the University of the Sunshine Coast and is a visiting fellow at Macquarie University. 

Stephanie Westby  

Stephanie Reynolds Westby is with the U.S. federal agency NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) near Washington, DC. She directs a multi-agency program to achieve large-scale oyster restoration in Chesapeake Bay. This includes working with state and federal agencies, academics, and non-governmental organizations to set common goals and develop restoration plans, then implement, track, monitor, and adaptively manage the restoration work. She holds a master’s degree in environmental science and policy from Johns Hopkins University, and her background includes working as an environmental lobbyist and fisheries scientist.  She grew up sailing, and prior to her conservation career spent 10 years working on traditional sailing vessels, eventually as captain. She feels most at home on the water. 

Photo by: Port Stephens Tourism