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Management & Secretariat

Aimee Gonzales
Executive Director

Aimee Gonzales has more than 25 years of experience in managing multicultural teams in the design and implementation of marine/fisheries strategies and public policy reform to mainstream environment in regulatory, planning and investment frameworks. Prior to joining PEMSEA, Ms. Gonzales worked at WWF International, where she held various posts in the interface of trade, investment, fisheries and sustainable development. Before migrating to Switzerland, Aimee served as Head Executive Assistant to two Cabinet Secretaries of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Aimee holds a Masters in Environmental Assessment and Education from the London School of Economics and a Masters in Public Policy from National University of Singapore.

Shinji Kim

Shinji Kim joined PEMSEA as the new Deputy Head in charge of Planning and Partnership Development Office of PEMSEA Resource Facility  in 2023. She is a seconded officer from the Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries (MOF), Republic of Korea. Prior to her secondment, she was the Director of MOF’s Strategy and Data Planning, after working in various divisions focused on marine development, marine ecology and port logistic and planning Before joining MOF, she worked with the Ministry of Land Transport and Maritime Affairs specializing in Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) and Road Environment and spatial information.

Nancy Bermas

Nancy  Bermas is PEMSEA’s Chief Technical Adviser and Project Manager of the UNDP/GEF/ASEAN/PEMSEA Reducing Pollution and Preserving Environmental Flows in the EAS region through the implementation of integrated river management in ASEAN countries. She  has extensive policy, program  and project management experience in the region developing, implementing and scaling up ICM and supporting policies and programs at the national and local government levels. She is involved in the development and implementation of ICM capacity building programs at the regional, national and site levels, and provides advice and technical support to stakeholders in the application of ICM processes and tools. Nancy has researched and written extensively on ICM and has numerous published works on the sustainability issues of the seas and coasts. She has been part of the PEMSEA team for almost two decades.

Nancy holds a Masters Degree in Biology from the University of the Philippines. 

Won-Tae Shin
Programme Manager

Dr. Shin has developed over 15 years of experience in ocean and coastal management. His specific work includes marine litter response and management, marine protected area management, and the sustainable blue economy. Prior to assuming his position as the Regional Project Manager, Dr. Shin has worked for various international organizations such as UNEP, UNDP, and UNOPS, as well as research institutes on coastal and ocean issues, as a consultant. He has also served as an environmental officer at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of the Government of the Republic of Korea. Dr. Shin received his PhD degree in environmental engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA.

Handoko Adi Susanto
Project Manager for ATSEA2

Handoko has more than 15 years experience working with USAID projects and environmental NGOs such as The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, and RARE-Indonesia. He also spent a year at Conservation International as a marine management advisor and trainer for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on the Coral Triangle Support Partnership (USAID-CTSP) program. Handoko's area of expertise include integrated coastal management, planning and management of marine protected areas, policy development and stakeholder consultation, and community engagement.

Mary Ann Dela Peña
Finance Specialist

Mary Anne de la Pena is PEMSEA’s finance manager with a successful record on process analysis, financial controls, budget planning and auditing. She joined PEMSEA in 1996 and has been responsible for effectively leading the finance team to support the organization in meeting its goals and partners’ expectations. Mary Ann has experience in implementing the financial rules and practices implemented by UN agencies and PEMSEA country and non-country partners. Prior to joining PEMSEA, Mary Ann worked on projects with USAID and AusAID under the Philippine Center for Population and Development. Mary Ann is a CPA with a degree in Business Administration and Accountancy from the University of Manila. 

 

Abigail Fiona Cruzada
PRF Secretariat Coordinator

Abigail Cruzada is experienced in public administration, project management and policy development in the past eight years. Having worked as a Development Management Officer and Executive Assistant to a Climate Change Commissioner in the Climate Change Commission (CCC), she has gained valuable skills in developing policies on climate adaptation initiatives in coastal and marine ecosystems, climate finance and circular economy.  She has also served as a secretariat coordinator for both the CCC and the Cabinet Cluster for Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction. She also worked as a project associate on a USAID-funded project where she facilitated local coastal governments in developing their local climate change adaptation plans.

Abi holds a Bachelors Degree in Biology from the University of the Philippines Diliman and is currently completing her thesis on Integrated River Basin Management for her MA in Development Studies majoring in Agrarian, Food and Environmental Studies at the International Institute for Social Studies of the Erasmus University of Rotterdam.