Who We Are
CCN is an offshoot of the Caribbean Marine Research and Conservation program initiated in 2008 by Founder Fernando Bretos. Fernando has worked in the Caribbean for decades. Until this year, he ran coral, mangrove and dune restorations projects from both The Ocean Foundation and Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science where in 2007 he created Museum Volunteers for the Environment (MUVE) which has engaged over 15,000 Miami residents in coastal habitat restoration. The son of Caribbean migrants to the US, Fernando’s long-term vision for Cresta is as a platform for the children of migrants to give back to their home countries through participation in environmental projects that address ecological threats and employ local people. This includes mangrove restoration, removal of plastics debris and ecotourism ventures.
Co-founder Anne Louise Burdett has a long background in terrestrial conservation, agroecology, sustainable agriculture and endangered and threatened species protection. She has been a lifelong scuba diver, and has a masters degree in Marine Conservation and Climate Resilience. Through her community organizing work over the past two decades, she has kept as her compass the vision and voices of those leading the charge in their communities, as well as the threatened habitats, animals and plants that require intervention and support. Her approach is through a lens of mutual aid, community based climate resilience, and outright wonder.
Together they have created Cresta Coastal Network to continue to align values with action, and scientific research with cherished relationships.
Fernando Bretos
Anne Louise Burdett
Our Board
Katie is currently Executive Director for Save Our Shores, an environmental non-profit focused on protecting Monterey Bay in California. Katie has worked in the marine conservation sector for a decade and has an expertise in community-based conservation strategies and nonprofit management. In previous roles at The Ocean Foundation and Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, she focused on program management, business engagement, fisheries, international marine conservation strategies, and research. She has many years of experience working in the Caribbean on coastal habitat conservation and restoration projects, particularly in Cuba, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. Katie as a Master in Marine Affairs from the University of Washington and a bachelor's degree in biology from Oberlin College.
Katie Thompson
Jim has led and advised nature conservation projects in more than 50 countries. Jim continues to work with a wide range of bilateral and multilateral donors, governments, NGOs, and indigenous networks to support sustainably financed land and seascape- scale biodiversity and climate strategies sustainable throughout the Caribbean, Latin American, and Africa regions. His recent work as an Inter-American Development Bank Advisor to the governments of Barbados and The Bahamas helped to facilitate large-scale debt conversions to support marine conservation and biodiversity and climate strategies. He also recently led the development of new conservation trust for Egypt’s Red Sea; guided the development of a community of practice for Caribbean conservation trust funds; developed the framework for an all-Africa Protected Areas Conservation Trust (APACT); led the establishment and roll out of the trinational Cubango-Okavango River Basin (CORB) trust fund in Southern Africa; and assisted Coast Funds and the First Nations in British Columbia in strategic planning for the first indigenous-led network of marine protected areas. He is on the Advisory Board of the Center for Sustainable Business at New York University, and an Adjunct Professor of Conservation Practice in NYU's Gallatin School and Environmental Studies program.
Jim Tolisano
Mauricio is an entrepreneur, having successfully opened and run multiple businesses with a focus on innovation and community resourcing. As an artist, he creates work across various media, weaving human narratives that mirror the beauty and complexity of the natural world. With a wealth of experience in business development, project management, and organizational structure, Mauricio brings a unique blend of creativity and strategic thinking to the board. He has also dedicated time to working with children and teens through diverse youth programs and high schools, nurturing the next generation with inspiration and guidance. As he joins Cresta’s board he looks forward to blending artistic vision with entrepreneurial expertise to help cultivate thriving communities and ecosystems.
