Brad Nahill: Co-Founder & President

Brad has worked in sea turtle conservation, ecotourism, and environmental education for 20+ years with organizations including Ocean Conservancy, Rare, Asociacion ANAI (Costa Rica), and the Academy of Natural Sciences (Philadelphia). He has also consulted for several ecotourism companies and non-profits, including EcoTeach and Costa Rican Adventures. He is a member of the board of directors of SoCal Sea Turtles and formerly served on the board of Crooked Trails.

Brad is the editor and lead writer of Sea Turtle Research and Conservation: Lessons From The Field by Elsevier Press (2020) and a co-author of the Worldwide Travel Guide to Sea Turtles (2014). He is a National Geographic Explorer and was awarded the President’s Award for his work as the chair of the Awards Committee of the International Sea Turtle Society. Brad has a BS in Environmental Economics from Penn State University and has taught ecotourism at Mount Hood Community College. He has been director of SEE Turtles since its founding and became President after the organization became an independent nonprofit organization in 2016.

Dr. Adriana Cortes: Program Director

Adriana is a veterinarian with more than 15 years of experience working with sea turtles. She has worked in different communities in the conservation and protection of sea turtles. She studied her master's and PhD in wildlife management and public health. Her doctoral thesis specialized in pollutants in sea turtles, focusing on the population of the Escobilla Sanctuary. She also did a post-doctorate at Paris-Saclay University in France on the causes of stranding of marine turtles and mammals on the Oaxaca coast.

Dr. Cortes has also worked as a facilitator and giving different training programs and workshops on sustainable fishing, medical care for stranded turtles, etc. Dr. Cortes is part of the advisory council of the Escobilla Sanctuary and the State Committee of the Wetlands in Oaxaca. Adriana is a member of the Marine Turtle Specialist Group and has participated in various international conferences and published several articles in high-impact scientific journals. With SEE Turtles, Adriana will be coordinating with our partners around the world, facilitating grants through our Billion Baby Turtles, Sea Turtles & Plastic, and Too Rare To Wear campaigns, heading up our Sea Turtle Inclusivity Fund, and supporting the organization’s communications and outreach efforts.