Originally from Taiwan, Kelly is passionate about bridging science and community collaboration to protect ocean ecosystems. Before joining CMSF, she worked with the Taiwan Cetacean Society on whale and dolphin conservation and sustainable fisheries, led national coral reef citizen-science monitoring programs with Reef Check Taiwan, contributed to sea turtle monitoring with TurtleSpot Taiwan, and supported national biodiversity initiatives in Belize. 

 

She holds a Master of Advanced Studies in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Scripps and her graduate research focused on coral reef ecology using large-area imagery to analyze benthic community dynamics. With a background in economics, Kelly’s career took a new direction after she learned scuba diving and was captivated by the beauty of the ocean. Inspired to protect marine ecosystems, she chose to dedicate her career to marine conservation. 

 

In her free time, Kelly enjoys surfing, diving, hiking, camping, and capturing it all through photography!