Our Team

The Centre is operated by the New Marine Centre Society and its volunteer Board of Directors. As a not-for-profit organization (registered Canadian charity), the Centre relies on community support through admission fees, membership, partnership and donations. The Centre is operated by an Executive Director and a team of highly dedicated staff and over 150 volunteers. View the Centre’s leadership below.

Management Team

Executive Director

PAULINE FINN (She/Her)

Pauline joined our team in August 2018. For more than 20 years, she has been working and volunteering with public schools, nature centres, museums and aquaria. Born and raised in Sydney, Nova Scotia “Canada’s Ocean Playground” she engaged in community service activities at an early age through Girl Guides and Key Club and developed her love for the outdoors and passion for the environment.

Her career pathway to experiential learning and community engagement was inspired by experiences at the Marine Ecology Station, the Vancouver Aquarium and the SeaChange Conservation Society.  She recently completed 14 years of service with Science World British Columbia as Vice President Community Engagement and Visitor Experience where she enthusiastically managed a diversity of teams and initiatives in the areas of education, outreach, exhibits and community partnership.

Pauline studied science and education from coast to coast through Cape Breton University, UBC, SFU and Langara College and is a Fellow of the Noyce Leadership Institute (NLI) along with over 100 senior-level leaders from science centres, children’s museums and other science-intensive institutions from around the world. The NLI program was designed to expand the impact of science-based organizations in their communities by increasing capacity of their leaders to manage change, focus outward, engage peers and form key partnerships.

Pauline is passionate about collaborating on creative projects that connect people and energize communities.  She is thrilled to be back on the Island and focusing her attention on the Salish Sea Bioregion.

Director, Business Operations

Deanna mathewson (She/Her)

Deanna began with the Centre as Interim Deputy Director, Operations in August 2017 (to cover a one year maternity leave) and became a permanent member of the staff in July 2018. She brings 14 years of senior management experience and more than a decade as a director in the not-for-profit sector. A passionate scientist, educator, and conservationist, Deanna has set up and managed educational volunteer programs in endangered species conservation and humanitarian assistance for university and high school students around the world.

After earning a B.Sc. in Applied Zoology from McGill University, Deanna came to the West coast to pursue opportunities in wildlife conservation fieldwork and eventually graduate school. She earned a M.Sc. at the University of Victoria studying the contribution of salmon-derived nitrogen to riparian forests on Vancouver Island and the mid-coast of BC. Deanna is strongly committed to experiential education and spent more than 12 years as International Education Director and later Acting Program Director with International Student Volunteers, and previously as the Program Manager for the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team. She has worked mostly in not-for-profit organizations in management, grant writing and planning, leadership training, educational programming, and volunteer management.

Director of Exhibits & Engagement

Leah Thorpe (She/Her)

Leah joined the Centre in October 2015, but was already very familiar with the organization as a guest presenter and collaborator. Leah was previously the Director of Education and Communications for Cetus Research and Conservation Society running day-to-day operations, fundraising, and staff management. She has spent may years with different organizations dedicated to cetacean research and conservation of the Salish Sea.

Leah is also a founding director and current Chair of the Marine Education and Research Society (MERS), and has volunteered in the past with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Goldstream Hatchery, and Civil Air Search and Rescue.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Geography from the University of Victoria and a Masters in Environmental Education and Communications from Royal Roads University. She also has certifications in Small Vessel Operator Proficiency, Marine Emergency Duties, and Marine First Aid.

Leah brings a passion for marine education and the Salish Sea and is a well-respected leader, educator and colleague in the wildlife and environmental fields. Leah currently oversees the development of exhibits at the Centre.

Director of Learning & Communications

TINA KELLY (She/Her)

Tina was born and raised in Victoria where two of her favourite pastimes were visiting the Royal British Columbia Museum and spending hours on the beach in front of her grandparents' Cordova Bay home. She considers herself fortunate to have a job that blends these two components — marine science in an educational setting.

A graduate of the University of Victoria, Tina has worked as a marine research assistant and educator in four countries — Canada, U.S., Australia and New Zealand. These projects offered valuable experience studying several species of marine life including manatees, sea otters, humpback whales, Dall’s porpoise, harbour porpoise, little penguins and marine invertebrates.

She started with the Centre shortly after it opened in 2009 and with fierce commitment to the organization and a strong work ethic worked her way up to her role as the Director of Learning & Communications.

A favourite aspect of her job is the relationship she builds with visitors to the Centre, many of whom she knows by name (and vice versa). She is passionate about volunteering in her community and donates her time and skills to a variety of non-profits. Curiosity, literacy, sustainability and conservation guide her in life and work.

Manager, Animal Care

Amanda Lesergent (SHE/HER)

Amanda’s tenure at the Centre reached a decade in 2024. In 2014, Amanda joined the Centre as a volunteer and completed a 250-hr Aquarist Internship in 2017. She joined our staff team in spring 2018. Since then, she has held various roles including Junior Aquarist, Lead Aquarist and Manager of Volunteers. She is also trained in Visitor Experience, making her a “Jill of all trades”, able to cover across many of the Centre’s departments.

Amanda grew up in a small town on Vancouver Island with the ocean never far away. One of her favourite seaside locales is Maple Bay. Access to the ocean and nature inspired her to study marine biology and environmental studies at the University of Victoria.

When Amanda is not near, on or in the ocean — paddle boarding, kayaking or free diving — she can be found doing or watching something sporty or spending time with her foster floofball, Midge.

Engineering Systems Technician

HUGUES TOUPIN (HE/HIM)

Hugues, or "Hugh" as most Anglophones call him, joined the Centre’s team in November 2018 after retiring as a Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class, Marine Engineering Technician from the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Hugues’ 27 Years of service in the Navy allowed him to acquire the unique and complex skill sets necessary to promptly understand and carry-out significant improvements to our Aquarium’s Life Support Systems.

During his time in the RCN, Hugues spent nearly 1,200 days at sea and was deployed on many occasions.  Some of the most memorable moments in his career include 4 operational tours on OP Caribbe (Canada’s maritime contribution to the war on drugs in the Pacific) and a six month tour in the Gulf of Oman as part of the US-led Coalition Forces on the war on terrorism (Operation Apollo 2002). In his long career, Hugues received Commander of RCN commendations’ on two separate occasions for outstanding performance.

When he is not busy renovating his, or someone else’s house, Hugues and his wife Lisa enjoy traveling the world and partaking in wild adventures in as many countries as possible. When they are not traveling, they enjoy a nice swim or kayak on the lake with their young son Owen.    

Manager, Retail & Visitor Experience

CJ Kinsella (SHE/HER)

CJ joined the team in November 2021, after packing a bag and jumping on a plane to Sidney just the day before her first shift! Born in Vancouver, but raised in Calgary Alberta, she has always felt she belonged by the ocean and is happy to be back (and sooner than planned).

She brings with her 5+ years of retail management experience (primarily focusing on inventory, merchandising and employee training), and even more years in overall customer service. The retail environment is something she has always truly enjoyed and is excited for a new adventure. In addition to retail she has ample experience in administration, ecommerce, digital media, and content marketing.

Her love for supporting & fostering community started young and is still going. CJ has volunteered for a number of organizations in Calgary, and most recently was the president of a community run non-profit. It is there she learned the true value of community support and the importance memberships have.

CJ has a passion working with people, learning about products, and helping others find the perfect item that they may or may not be looking for.  She is excited to be part of the team and support the growing number of artisans featured in the Salish Sea Store.  

Coordinator of Volunteers and Events

Daniel Shirasaka (he/him)

After moving to Victoria, Daniel completed his Master of Arts in Environment and Management at Royal Roads University before joining the team in August 2024 as the Coordinator of Volunteers and Events.

With a bachelor's degree in Accounting, Daniel has taken on diverse roles in his career, such as auditor, business consultant, entrepreneur, and corporate events and sustainability coordinator. His experience spans managing volunteer programs for a multinational professional services organization to leading a hospital clown organization (where he proudly wore a red nose every week). Daniel works closely with the Centre's team to ensure volunteers feel valued and empowered to contribute meaningfully to its mission while creating engaging experiences for participants at internal events.

Daniel has a deep interest in the relationships between people and nature, which makes working at the Centre especially meaningful for him.

Originally from the bustling city of Lima, Peru, Daniel now enjoys the natural beauty of Vancouver Island. He spends his free time walking by the sea, visiting parks and lakes, and sharing a coffee with his wife, Karen, in the company of their beloved dog, Ramon. Daniel is grateful to live, work, learn, and play on the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples.

The Centre opened to the public on June 20, 2009. Click here to learn more about us.