The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation is thrilled to welcome Dr. Amber Waialea Datta as our new Marine Program Officer.
Amber brings an impressive background in marine and coastal conservation, rooted in a deep commitment to indigenous stewardship, adaptive governance, and community-based resource management—particularly across the Pacific.
A lifelong learner and collaborator, Amber recently completed a joint Ph.D. in Conservation Science, supported by the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. She currently serves as a Smith Conservation Postdoctoral Fellow, where she works with Kua’āina Ulu ‘Auamo, grassroots coastal community efforts, and the Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources to explore how decision-making in our coastal and nearshore marine systems can be more adaptive under state law. Amber has also worked with The Nature Conservancy, contributed to the Holomua Marine Initiative, and served in volunteer leadership roles with the West Hawai‘i Fishery Council. Her work has particular relevance and follow-through with us given the Holomua Initiative’s efforts to broaden community co-management in both scope and scale statewide.
Her fieldwork has taken her from the Great Barrier Reef to the Solomon Islands. Yet she remains deeply grounded in Hawai‘i—born and raised on Hawaiʻi Island, and passionate about advancing equitable, place-based marine solutions in her island home. Amber brings a wealth of knowledge, humility, and heart to our work. We look forward to the insight and energy that she’ll contribute to our collective efforts.