Catalina Martinez is the Equity Advisor for NOAA Ocean Exploration (OE), providing strategic guidance to help integrate and advance diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and justice (DEIAJ) priorities within NOAA, and also externally across a broad spectrum of STEM institutions and agencies. This work includes considering new ways to infuse DEIAJ across operations, programs, procedures, data access and service delivery, and expanding partnerships that prioritize co-creation and sustainable relationship building with underrepresented and marginalized groups and communities. Ms. Martinez also works in a variety of ways to mitigate barriers to entry, persistence, advancement and success for underrepresented and marginalized groups in STEM academic programs and the workforce. A certified diversity professional with three graduate degrees from the University of Rhode Island (MS Oceanography, MMA Marine Affairs, MBA), Ms. Martinez began her ocean science career with NOAA more than 20 years ago helping to formalize and manage important regional NOAA partnerships in the Northeast, and spent many years working on telepresence-enabled expeditions to explore little known and unknown ocean areas.

Ms. Martinez has been honored with several awards over the years for her work, including being recognized by the YWCA as one of their 2015 Women of Achievement in Rhode Island (RI) for promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity. In 2016, Ms. Martinez received the NOAA OAR EEO Diversity Award for exemplary service and dedication to improving the representation of women and marginalized groups in STEM, and in 2019 Ms. Martinez was awarded the Women of Color in STEM Diversity Leadership in Government Award for demonstrating sustained leadership in creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive Federal workforce. Ms. Martinez also received the 2022 URI Graduate School of Oceanography Distinguished Achievement Award for excellence in professional achievement, leadership contributions, community service, and philanthropy. Most recently, she was selected as one of four finalists for the 2023 Remarkable Women of RI, a National competition that honors the influence that women have had on public policy, social progress, and quality of life in the state. 

​Rosamaria Kosaka, Research Economist, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center​

​Rosamaria “Rosemary” Kosaka has worked for NOAA Fisheries (NMFS)​​ since 2004. She started her NOAA career as a Knauss Sea Grant Fellow in NMFS’ Office of Science & Technology in Silver Spring, MD, then moved to the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center​ in Santa Cruz, CA in 2009. She first learned about NOAA in 2002 through a summer internship at the NMFS Northeast Regional Office (now GARFO) in Gloucester, MA. Her current work as a Research Economist includes estimating nonmarket economic values for human activities such as seafood consumption and ocean recreation. She is deeply involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and is currently leading the expansion of the Inclusive NOAA Fisheries Internship Program (IN FISH) to the Pacific Rim. She has a B.S. in Ecology & Systematic Biology with Minors in Music and Philosophy from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and a M.A. in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island. Rosemary was born and raised in the Monterey Bay area, comes from a working class, multicultural and multilingual immigrant background, and is a first generation college student. Her lived experiences inform her interests in culturally-sensitive mentorship, reducing barriers in marine and environmental science for underserved communities, and advocating for foster youth.

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Dr. Justine Kimball, Senior Climate Change Program Manager, California Ocean Protection Council

Justine has worked for the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) since 2019. At OPC, she leads the Climate Change Program which includes sea level rise planning and adaptation, coastal resiliency, ocean acidification, coastal habitats, water quality, and offshore wind. Prior to joining OPC, Justine spent five years in Washington, D.C. at NOAA’s Coral Program and as a Knauss Fellow at the Office of the Oceanographer of the Navy. Justine earned her Ph.D. from Stanford University studying deep-sea corals in the Pacific Ocean and her B.A. in Biology with a minor in Geology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.​

Christy Kehoe, California Regional Coordinator, NOAA Marine Debris Program

Christy Kehoe, the California Regional Coordinator for NOAA's Marine Debris Program, manages projects across the state and works with Mexico to address marine debris issues ranging from microfibers to derelict fishing gear. She supports the program's holistic work to address marine debris through prevention, research, removal, monitoring, response, and coordination. With a background in international development and natural resource management, she has been with NOAA since 2016, contributing to grants management, strategic planning, and international conferences.  

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Dr. Ileana Callejas, Postdoctoral Program Fellow, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory​

Dr. Ileana Callejas earned her PhD in Environmental Engineering from UCLA, where she also obtained her MS in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering and her BS in Environmental Science with a minor in Environmental Engineering. She is currently a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in the Water and Ecosystems group. Before joining JPL, she taught biology courses at Biola University and Mount Saint Mary’s University. She uses satellite remote sensing for coastal water quality monitoring, particularly in coral reef areas and sewage-impacted waters. In this capacity, she has collaborated with institutions such as the Belize Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute and the Belize Wildlife Conservation Society. She is a first-generation Latina, born and raised in Los Angeles, California.​ Link to GEE Workshop​,

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