President

Paul has been studying white sharks since 2008, when he volunteered to assist with field operations working with Tagging of Pelagic Predators (TOPP). In 2009, he began his graduate studies focusing on modeling and estimating white shark population parameters at Montana State University in Bozeman. After earning a Master’s degree in Fish and Wildlife Management in 2015, he continued his work on white shark population dynamics earning a Doctorate degree in Fish and Wildlife Biology in 2020. Paul splits his time between the mountains and rivers of Montana where skiing, mountain biking, and rafting are his preferred outdoor pursuits, and the ocean and mountains of California, where he can be found surfing, hiking, and mountain biking when he’s not looking for sharks.

Vice President

In 1987, after graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies, Scot volunteered at the Farallon Islands, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge. His passion for sharks led him into a life long study of the white sharks that aggregate there in dense numbers. He spotted and documented predation events from the island and developed the use of decoys (seal shape) with a video camera mounted underneath to film the sharks. He recognized that white shark individuals could be identified by their markings including the dorsal fins notches. In 1993, Scot’s video was used in the production of a BBC documentary “Great White Shark” for which he received an Emmy award for “Individual achievement in a craft: Cinematographers”. He later teamed up with Stanford University to deploy the first PSAT satellite tags, which led to the discovery of shark migration to the White Shark “Café”. This research continues to today and dozens of papers have been written.

Outreach Coordinator

Maxine joined the team in October of 2022 after graduating from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a degree in Agricultural Business. Maxine is the third generation of her family to live and work in Point Reyes Station. As an avid fisherwoman and ocean enthusiast, Maxine always had an affinity for white sharks and their respective habitat. Having been raised on the water, she was eager to work with the CWSP team to bolster their media presence among other activities.

Treasurer/Fisheries Biologist/Artist

A long-time friend of the project, David met Paul while attending graduate school at Montana State University, where he earned a Master’s degree in Fish and Wildlife Management. A lifelong shark enthusiast and fish nerd, David has had a deep appreciation of white sharks since childhood, and they are frequently a source of inspiration for his artwork. He is passionate about the advancement of fisheries science and conservation of aquatic resources and a proud contributor to the California White Shark Project. David currently works as a fish biologist researching imperiled fishes in Montana.