Executive Director
Reneé Reilly, PhD
As a research scientist, Reneé believes that rigorous science should be the basis for decision-making to balance the interests of fisheries and offshore development. Before joining ROSA, Reneé served at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection on the team that developed their Offshore Wind Research & Monitoring Initiative. Reneé earned a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Resource Management from Pennsylvania State University, and both her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Oceanography, with a focus on quantitative fisheries ecology, from Old Dominion University. Following her education, Reneé worked as a post-doctoral research associate in the Quantitative Fisheries Center at Michigan State University.
Research Director
Mike Pol, PhD
Mike is a marine scientist with an extensive record of close collaboration with commercial fishermen on gear-based solutions to bycatch and other fisheries issues. His work on offshore wind has concentrated on regional impacts of multiple projects on fisheries and fishing operations. Prior to joining ROSA, Mike served as marine fisheries biologist in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries for more than 22 years. Mike has a far-reaching network of regional, national, and international partnerships, and a history of leadership and teamwork on various research topics. Mike holds a Doctorate in Marine Science and Technology from the School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; a MS in Wildlife Biology (Fisheries) from The University of Montana; and a BS in Natural Resources from Cornell University.
Executive Administrator
Helen Henderson
Helen has worked for environmental nonprofit organizations in the areas of policy, project and program management, and public outreach for more than 20 years. She brings a deep understanding of the environmental and science aspects of offshore wind and fishing industries to ROSA to support business administration. Helen is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of ROSA and assisting the executive director with all administrative functions. She has extensive relationships across nonprofit organizations and federal, state, and local governments throughout the East Coast region. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, Helen has resided in New Jersey for the last 30 years. She has a strong personal connection to the coast and ocean and will never be far from where the map turns blue.
Research Project Manager
Tricia Perez
Tricia develops, leads, and issues regional fisheries and offshore wind Requests for Proposals on behalf of ROSA. She also supports the ROSA team with strategic planning and our broader agenda around objective science.
Before joining ROSA, Tricia worked with the U.S. Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office where she supported the offshore wind environmental and community engagement portfolios. She began with DOE as a NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in 2022. She holds a Masters in Fisheries Oceanography from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) and served as a Northeast Fisheries Observer for 3 years throughout New England.