Protecting your right to clean water
Tampa Bay Waterkeeper is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We are a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a global network of over 350 grassroots leaders in six continents protecting everyone’s right to clean water.
A clean and resilient watershed is essential to strong communities and a healthy economy. Serving our population of more than 2.7 million people across Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, Tampa Bay Waterkeeper works to improve, protect, and preserve Tampa Bay’s watershed through citizen engagement and community action rooted in sound science and research.
Our scope of work is diverse, with core issues including clean water, ecosystem protection, and coastal resiliency. Tampa Bay Waterkeeper researches issues diligently and works collaboratively with citizens, local organizations and governments so that together we can find the best solutions to supporting our work.
Our Mission
Tampa Bay Waterkeeper is dedicated to ensuring fishable, swimmable, and drinkable water for all.
Our mission is to protect everyone’s right to clean water by working collaboratively with citizens, local organizations and governments to safeguard our coastal and inland waters using the law, science and community action.
Executive Team
Justin Tramble
Executive Director
Justin has served in local government management for over 6 years, working in various functions including parks and recreation, budgeting, grant writing and strategic planning. He most recently was the Assistant Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Treasure Island. He has a proven track record of leadership and has a passion for establishing effective partnerships between stakeholders. Justin holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor of Political Science from Kennesaw State University. Tramble recently served as the secretary of the Angler Action Foundation (previously the Snook and Gamefish Foundation) for 5 years. He is a USCG licensed captain, avid angler and advocate of fisheries and habitat conservation. A Florida native, Justin currently resides in St. Petersburg with his wife Beka and daughter Isla.
As Executive Director, Justin works to improve, protect, and preserve Tampa Bay’s watershed through citizen engagement and collaborative community action rooted in science-based solutions.
Board of Directors
Megan Eakins
Board Chair
Megan has spent most of her career in global luxury hospitality marketing, branding and customer experience. She grew up in Bradenton, Florida and has lived all over the state. Additionally, she spent 10 years in Chicago. While in Chicago she served on the board of directors of Friends of the Parks (FOTP) on the marketing committee. She recently moved back to Tampa Bay Area and now lives in South Tampa with her husband and three young kids. In her free time she enjoys fishing on their boat, paddle boarding, and running on Bayshore.
Michelle Sabin
Interim Secretary
Michelle Sabin is a Partner at Zinober Diana & Monteverde, P.A., and manages the Tampa office. Her areas of practice include general liability, first-party property & casualty defense, insurance coverage counsel, and commercial litigation. Michelle is a graduate of Florida State University where she received her Bachelor of Science cum laude in Criminology and Psychology. In May 2008, she was awarded her Juris Doctor cum laude from Stetson University College of Law. While at Stetson, Michelle was a Biodiversity Fellow at the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy, where she participated in the implementation program of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment initiative. She was also President of the Environmental Law Society and a student editor for the Journal of International Wildlife Law and Policy. During law school, Michelle interned with the Ocean Conservancy in St. Petersburg, FL, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Sacramento, CA and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Atlanta, GA. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, swimming, paddle boarding, live music, and traveling.
Shannon Roark
Treasurer
Shannon has a Masters in Business Administration from the Fuqua School of Business and a Masters in Environmental Management from the Nicholas School of the Environment, both at Duke University. She has experience in financial management as well as small business and environmental strategy. Shannon has worked for Fidelity Investments, US Trust and most recently served as a vice-president and financial advisor at Evercore Wealth Management in Tampa. Shannon has also worked with numerous sustainability nonprofits and small businesses in North Carolina, New Jersey, and Florida. She is passionate about the environment and enjoys volunteering locally. Shannon lives in South Tampa with her husband, Robin, and two sons, Logan and Cameron.
Rachael Curran
Board Member
Rachael is an environmental lawyer, activist, and native Floridian. Her professional practice is focused on addressing and preventing the harms of the phosphate fertilizer industry, from destructive strip mines and clay slime areas to dangerous, failing, leaking, unstable and sinkhole-prone phosphogypsum stacks. She has previously worked in the Florida program of the Center for Biological Diversity, fighting to secure a future for Florida's endangered and threatened wildlife through litigation and advocacy. She looks forward to a Tampa Bay that is reliably and consistently swimmable and fishable, and to that end strives not only to inform the public about underreported and ignored environmental threats, but also to hold decision-makers, regulators, and polluters accountable for their actions. Rachael lives in St. Petersburg with her partner and sizeable brood of rescued dogs and cats.
Adam J. Fernandez
Board Member
Adam is a civil trial attorney practicing plaintiff’s personal injury law in Tampa, FL. Adam is a native Floridian and an avid saltwater fly fisherman. He previously served as a board member of Sarasota Bay Watch. Adam has been fishing the Tampa Bay waters for over three decades. He was raised in Bradenton, FL on beautiful Palma Sola Bay - which has fallen victim to several sewage spills over the years. Tampa Bay water quality and the health of the fishery are a priority for him. He currently lives in South Tampa with his wife and two sons who love to fish.
Capt. Dustin Pack
Board Member
Capt. Dustin Pack is a Florida native and fly fishing guide (Fly Tide Charters) based out of Tampa Bay. Fishing Tampa's waterways for 30 years gives Dustin a first-hand perspective of what plagues our estuary. Being a born and raised Floridian, Dustin's countless hours on local waterways has fostered a true passion that drives his conservation efforts. If he is not guiding, he can be found participating in small and large scale cleanups along many of Tampa's main waterways. Dustin currently lives in Riverside Heights with his wife, Paula and golden retriever, Banjo.
Hutch Craig
Board Member
Hutch grew up in St. Petersburg exploring the waters of Tampa Bay. In high school and into college he worked on research vessels and in labs at the USF Bayboro campus as well as the Florida DEP. He graduated from the University of Miami with a B.S. in Biology. After college Hutch moved to chilly Chicago only to find himself quickly coming back to the Tampa Bay area to co-found a software company, YourMembership.com, where he was the CTO from 1998-2015. He is a tech nerd at heart but enjoys fishing, paddle boarding, is an avid cyclist and a terrible golfer. He lives in St. Petersburg with his wife and two daughters.
Justin Bloom
Board Member
Justin is an environmental lawyer with significant experience developing and directing programs and projects for environmental groups in addition to decades of legal practice focusing on environmental issues. He is the founder and a board member of the neighboring Suncoast Waterkeeper. He also serves on the board of the Florida West Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council and is the Chair of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program’s Citizens Advisory Committee. Justin graduated from New College of Florida in 1991 with a BA in Environmental Studies. He completed his law degree at Tulane University in 1996. His legal practice has focused on public interest environmental law, as well as toxic tort and class action pharmaceutical plaintiffs litigation. Early in his career, he worked on staff with Hudson Riverkeeper as an investigator, staff attorney and project manager and years later at Waterkeeper Alliance as a Director. Justin and his wife live in Sarasota with their two boys.
Rusty Chinnis
Board Member
Rusty Chinnis is a life-long fisherman who has lived in the Longbeach Village on Florida’s west coast since 1982. He is a Fly Fishers International Certified fly-casting instructor and an award-winning writer and photographer. Rusty was a co-founder (1985) and the first president of the Manatee Chapter of the Florida Conservation Association, a founder of the Sister Keys Conservancy which was presented the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Award in 1992. He has served as President and Chairman of the Board of The Florida Outdoor Writers Association and is a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. Rusty is the Outdoors Editor of the Anna Maria Island Sun (Reel Time) and a founder of Sarasota Bay Watch. He currently serves on the Board of Suncoast Waterkeeper and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper and is committed to advocating for water quality and sustainability.