BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Petersburg Marine Mammal Center is a fully volunteer led 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. At the helm is an experienced team of biologists, educators and charter boat captains, all of whom live in Petersburg, Alaska. Several of our directors have been with PMMC since its inception in the 1990s.
SUNNY RICE
President
Sunny is the Alaska Sea Grant Marine Advisory Program agent in Petersburg. She first came to Petersburg in 1993 to work in the cannery and joined the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center Board of Directors 2011. In addition to her work with PMMC, as the community Sea Grant agent, she promotes marine education and works to meet the education needs of the commercial fishing fleet in the Petersburg area and around the state.
Sunny is the central figure working behind the scenes to plan and execute both our Summer Science Camp and the monthly Petersburg Science Series, a series of presentations adapted for the general public on science-related topics.
JEFF MEUCCI
Treasurer
Jeff loves to scuba dive and is excited to get in the water most days. He is a retired research diver and dive master for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. During his 20-year career he conducted over 7,000 cold water dives in Southeast Alaska doing surveys and training and is currently assigned to the R/V Kestrel out of Petersburg.
Jeff was previously a commercial fisherman. The Petersburg Marine Mammal Center is a vital component of the Petersburg commercial fishing fleet, and Jeff joined the Board of Directors in 2015 to help strengthen community relationships.
TOBY BAKOS
Stranding Coordinator & Board Member
Toby has been captivated by wildlife since he was very young growing up in Michigan. After studying wildlife biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the University of Montana, he began working for the US Forest Service where he gained valuable experience in managing complex ecosystems and wildland fire. His experience with governmental agencies and the incident command system is helpful for marine mammal entanglement and marine environment disaster response. He has a particular affinity for animal welfare and for a time managed a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation facility in Cambodia. Toby is a wildlife biologist for the Forest Service in Petersburg.
Toby has been a board member since 2019. As PMMC’s Stranding Response Coordinator, he leads our marine mammal stranding program and works to keep our volunteers actively engaged and informed.
DENNIS ROGERS
Board Member
As a longtime former commercial fisherman and previous owner/operator of Alaska Sea Adventures, Dennis draws on a wide range of experience and demonstrates a deep breadth of local and regional knowledge.
With an education in marine biology and an unending enthusiasm for our abundantly rich ecosystem, he generously shares his 45 years of experience on local waters with the scientific community and with his enthusiastic guests aboard the M/V Northern Song.
A dedicated steward of our marine ecosystem, Dennis enjoys promoting further education and understanding of our diverse local marine mammal population.
He is proud to have served on Petersburg Marine Mammal Center’s Board of Directors since 2004.
LEE RIBICH
Founding Member & Member Emeritus
Eli (Lee) Ribich was an original member of the ad hoc committee seeking to establish a science community focusing on the marine mammals, chiefly humpback whales, with whom we share our local waters. This committee evolved into the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which eventually became the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center.
Once established, the Board of Directors chose Lee to serve as President, a position he served in for many years. He helped to develop programs, facilitated those programs’ growth, encouraged the involvement of young people, and emphasized the educational component of the PMMC mission.
Lee remains a member of the Board of Directors in the capacity of Member Emeritus and participates as provider of humor when allowed and history when forgotten.
KELLY BAKOS
Executive Director
Following a career in non-profit communications and outreach, Kelly joined the Petersburg Marine Mammal Center as a volunteer in late 2016. She initiated the development of PMMC’s strategic plan and helps implement our programs, develop our outreach, and coordinate our daily operations.
Kelly is a natural history documentary filmmaker, and in summertime she operates a whale watching and glacier tour business in Petersburg, Alaska.
CONTACT US
COPYRIGHT 2025 PETERSBURG MARINE MAMMAL CENTER
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO IMAGES OR CONTENT MAY BE USED WITHOUT PERMISSION.
Privacy policy | Terms of use | Cookies