Meet Our Board

webberschultz@misselasmo.org

Amani Webber-Schultz Chief Financial Officer 

​Amani studies shark functional morphology and swimming kinematics. She is currently a PhD student at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Marine Science in 2020. She has participated in research in areas ranging from paleoceanography to 3D modeling of animals. In 2023, she received both the Department of Defense Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation Scholarship and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship to support her research. Additionally, Amani spends time at Field School helping to teach their Introduction to Shark Research Skills courses. She holds science communication close to her heart and enjoys talking with the public about sharks and their importance in the ocean. She loves meeting new people and is very excited to share her experiences and help others succeed in any way she can.

jaidaelcock@misselasmo.org

Jaida Elcock Director of Public Relations

Jaida Elcock is a PhD student in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program. Her research is on shark movement ecology of basking sharks.  In 2022, Jaida was awarded a Nancy Foster Fellowship to support her PhD research. Jaida received her B.S. in Biology with University Honors from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. She has previously lived in landlocked states but has still been able to gain experience with marine animals through an internship at OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has also been recognized as an American Elasmobranch Society Young Professional Recruitment Fund Scholar. Jaida is incredibly excited to help other underrepresented students light a fire within themselves to fuel a passion for marine sciences.

Paula Carlson Director of Partnerships and Sponsorships

​Paula Carlson is Director of Husbandry at The Dallas World Aquarium, in Dallas, Texas.  After graduating from Texas A&M University with a BS in Marine Biology, Paula began her career as a professional aquarist with Sea World of Florida. Her passion led her to pursue a MA degree in Zoo and Aquarium Leadership from George Mason University. Paula is an active member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) serving as Chair of the Marine Fishes Taxon Advisory Group (MFTAG) and as a member of the Animal Population Management Committee (APMC). In addition to her duties at The Dallas World Aquarium, Paula is a member of the IUCN’s Shark Specialist Group where she is Co-Chair of the Aquarium Working Group. Paula sees her career as more of a calling and feels incredibly fortunate to be able to help create awareness for marine science and conservation by fostering collaborations between professional aquarists and other related industries.

Erica Webber Chair, Strategic Planning Committee

Erica Webber is the Director of Research Alliances at IBM (NYC) where she accelerates the translation of scientific discovery in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, and cloud computing into forward-thinking technology applications and services for enterprises. She and her team execute joint development, research consortia, and intellectual property (IP) partnerships between leading companies and IBM Research. Erica has served as Board Chair and other leadership positions on several nonprofit boards. She is currently on the boards of World Trust Educational Services and ReHealth Collaborative, as well as on the advisory board of Workplace Pride. She earned a BA degree in International Relations from Stanford University and an MBA from Georgetown University. She also currently serves as Co-Chair of IBM’s LGBTQ+ Executive Council. Erica is an avid science fiction and fantasy reader, and has performed publicly as a classical music singer.

Youth Board Member

We also have a high school student board member who is chosen from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties STAR Leadership Training program. The purpose of this program is to not only give the STAR participants experience on a nonprofit board, but to also provide the voice of the youths to MISS as well. This board member serves for 10 weeks at a time throughout the year. To learn more about this program visit: https://theclubsdc.org/opportunities/become-a-leader/star-leadership-training-program.