Dr. Kes Morton PhD, PMP, Founder & Chief Executive Officer
As an ocean scientist who excels in business, Dr. Kes Morton guides ocean sector visionaries who are creating impact for the future of oceans. As the Founder and CEO of Pisces Research Project Management Inc., Dr. Morton harnesses her unique background in management, science and business, leading a collective effort to solve the problems currently facing the world’s oceans.
With a focus on thoughtful solutions and execution, she is celebrated for her efficient and inclusive approach, concurrently pushing the boundaries for ocean data and pushing for social change in the ocean industry. She has played a leading role in reducing barriers to inclusive participation in ocean techology by making collaboration easier. In 2020, she convened the ocean Allies Forum, bringing together partner and allies in the ocean sector to create greater equity, diversity and inclusion in the ocean economy.
For over two decades she has dedicated her efforts at the intersection of industry, academia, and government, researching business practices that support improving ocean research. She is passionate and deeply connected to Canada’s leading role in ocean research and management, as a founding partner of Ocean Allies, Vitality and the UN Decade project Advancing Indigenous Partnerships In Ocean Science for Sustainability. Throughout her career, Dr. Morton has coordinated project teams in 20 different countries, working with more than 450 scientists and managing more than $190 million in project funding.
Dr. Morton holds a Ph.D. in Marine Ecology from the Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a certified Project Management Professional and has a Certificate in Financial Management. She is a member of the Board of Directors of FORCE, and Associate Professional at Memorial Univeristy, is a guest lecturer at the Marine Affairs Program at Dalhousie University, and at any given time is usually serving as a mentor.
Brad Covey, Chief Technology Officer
Brad spent his childhood in, on, and around the ocean which has given him a deep appreciation for the importance of Canada’s waters. This appreciation paired with his background in Computer Science has allowed him to help the ocean science community to realize its goals for 7 years now. Brad helped to shape the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System (CIOOS) and built operational data systems for real-time monitoring programs. He brings expertise in the scientific data management space including a thorough understanding of the data management principles and standards needed for international data exchange and sharing. Brad also brings a passion for technology with experience as a full-stack web developer; including experience with databases, back-end scripting, data processing, visualization, web development, and server installation and maintenance. In addition he brings experience managing technical teams, building projects, writing proposals, and coordinating collaborative initiatives to the Pisces RPM team.
Melissa Webber, Vice President of Finance
Melissa Weber brings expertise in research from her experiences in academia. She is a social scientist and has worked with three Inuit communities in Nunavut on various projects related to the marine environment. She holds a Honours Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Arts from the University of Waterloo and a PhD from the University of Ottawa. Melissa is passionate about protecting our marine environments and enjoys spending time near the water.
Natalie Gilson, Vice President of Science Communications, Sr. Pacific Oceans Advisor
Jessica Hurtubise, Vice President of Business Development, Sr. Arctic Oceans Advisor
Jessica Hurtubise brings expertise from the western Arctic in project coordination in industry, public service, and non-profit sectors. She is a marine biologist and environmental scientist currently living in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Her experience spans multiple provinces and territories, having focused on species at risk conservation, national fisheries reconciliation policy, acoustic telemetry coding, open-access ocean data, and Métis rights in environmental conservation in the Arctic. She holds an Honours B.Sc Honours Co-op in Marine Biology and Oceanography from Dalhousie University. She is fluent in both French and English and is a certified scuba diver.
Kyryn Swanson, Sr. Business Development, Sr. Atlantic Region Advisor
Kyryn Swanson brings a combination of skills and experience to work in communications, social media management, multilingualism, and in facilitating data entry, updates, and problem solving, with two summer work terms of experience in communications. She is currently in a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and German at Dalhousie University. Kyryn lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with a passion for hiking and being in nature.
Anaik Chacon, Sr. Ocean Programmer, Jr. Data & Information Advisor
Anaik obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science at Dalhousie University. She took part of the Women in Technology Society as their Marketing and PR representative; where she helped organize events, manage social media posts, and contribute to anything that involves empowering women in STEM fields. Anaik is interested in developing her skills as a front-end developer, focusing on designing and building elaborate web applications. She also wants to help expand the ways that we are able to support ocean projects by gaining experience and knowledge in ocean data. She is originally from El Salvador, but she currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In her free time, Anaik likes to play many video games and watch entire seasons of TV series in one sitting.
Tamea Queensborough, Jr. Ocean Programmer, Jr. Data & Information Advisor
Tamea brings technical experience from working as a Quality Assurance Specialist and as a Junior Web Developer on her past co-op work terms. She has worked with multiple programming languages and have collaborated on various projects that involved both frontend and backend development. Tamea is currently in her fourth year of pursuing a Bachelor of Computer Science Degree at Acadia University. She is originally from Jamaica but is now slowly adjusting to the frequently changing Canadian weather. She is always willing to lend a helping hand to others, and loves learning new things.
Tamea Queensborough on LinkedIn
Morgan Mackay, Ocean Project Assistant
Morgan Mackay is a third year international business student at Dalhousie University. She is currently working as an Ocean Assistant for her co-op term this fall. Morgan will be continuing to develop her skills through assisting the team and learning about ocean development. She is originally from Toronto, but now lives in Halifax. Morgan is excited to be a part of the team for the next 4 months.
Paige Townsend, Ocean Project Assistant
Hao Tang, Jr. Ocean Programmer
Hao Phuoc Tang discovered his passion for the ocean during his very first whale-watching
excursion. Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science at Dalhousie, Hao has experience in web development, database
management, and data analytics. Combined with experience from his previous positions, he hopes to harness the power of technology to support the ocean conservation journey. Outside of work, he often explores nature through hiking or enjoys playing
tennis and badminton.