Board of Directors

Brandon Taffee

Brandon Taaffe, President

Brandon grew up on Siesta Key and developed a love for the water and bay at young age. He was avid rower and spent countless hours training on the bay, his rowing took him to Trinity College in Connecticut, after which he was determined to make it back to Sarasota to spend time on the water. To escape the cold Brandon attended the University of Florida for law school and moved back to Siesta Key after law school. Brandon is now an business litigation associate at Shumaker Loop and Kendrick LLP. When he is not practicing law Brandon can be found on the water, surfing, boating, fly-flying or paddle-boarding.

Al Jeffrey

Al Jeffrey, Past President

Al Jeffrey is a lifelong Sarasota native (diving/fishing area waters since 1957) and graduated from Sarasota High School in 1975. Al graduated from the University of Florida in 1980 and has been a National Association Underwater Instructors (NAUI) certified SCUBA instructor since 1986. Al is the owner of Scuba Quest and has been involved with the Sarasota County Artificial Reef Program since 1986. Al is happily married with two wonderful daughters in Sarasota County public schools who also enjoy diving. He has been a Board member of Sarasota Bay Watch since 2012.

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Brian Jung, Vice President

Brian Jung is the Regional Sales Manager for Aqua Lung America which provides personal dive equipment for recreational and professional use. Brian moved to Florida from Western New York to pursue a career in the diving industry and was instrumental in building one of the world’s largest dive retail operations. He been passionate about the water his whole life and was certified to dive when he was just 12 years old. Brian is committed to healthy waterways and the life they support, a commitment that led him to support and eventually join the Board of Sarasota Bay Watch. When he is not out on the water or selling snorkels, he spends time working in his garden and skiing with his family in Utah. Brian resides in Sarasota FL with his wife Beth and has a son Benjamin who attends Florida State University. Jung Holds Certification as a USCG Captain as well as an Instructor for National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI).

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John Ryan, Treasurer

John has been an environmental scientist and manager for Sarasota County Government for 30 years. A perfect day is out on the water with family and friends. John was a founding member of Sarasota Bay Watch and still loves pitching in on restoration projects and cleanups.

Ernesto Lasso De La Vega Ed.D

Ernesto Lasso de la Vega Ed.D., Clam Restoration Lead

Ernesto has been working at the Lee County Hyacinth Control District in Fort Myers, Florida since 1991 as a biologist controlling aquatic weeds and monitoring water quality in Lee County. He earned a Master degree from Auburn University (1988) and a Doctorate degree from University of Central Florida (2004). He also has been teaching environmental science, biology and microbiology at local universities in Southwest Florida for the last 25 years to the present. He presently serves as a member of the Florida Sea Grant Advisory Board, the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program Technical and Citizen Committee, and the Florida Lake Management Society. He loves working with the Sarasota Bay Watch members so much that he does not mind the traveling.

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Tracey Barta, Secretary

Tracey has worked in the environmental field for 17 years – 13 years with Sarasota County in the Natural Resources Department and 5 years with a private environmental firm.

She is very interested in helping the environment, be it land air, or water. Originally from Connecticut, Tracey has lived in Sarasota for over 30 years. She recently retired and is taking advantage of her newfound free time by volunteering on committees that are important to her.

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Reagan Dehn

Reagan Dehn is studying for her bachelor’s in marine biology at the New College of Florida. Born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, she moved to Florida to pursue her dreams of studying mollusks. Although she only recently got certified, she enjoys scuba diving and getting involved in underwater cleanups. She also loves to be involved in restoration projects and on-land clean-up events. One of her goals as a board member is to get more of her peers involved in cleaning up the bay. 

Devin Sanderson

Devin Sanderson

Devin serves as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at Churchill Stateside Group, a leading firm in the debt and equity finance industry, specializing in tax incentive investments. He brings a wealth of experience in a fast paced investment banking environment providing financing solutions in the renewable energy capital markets, including project identification, evaluation, and structuring of tax advantaged transactions as well as managing the performance of staff and funds to maximize investor benefits and company profitability. Devin graduated from the University of South Florida, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. Whether he is fishing for snook and redfish along the mangroves or running 150 miles offshore in search of giant swordfish, his love for fishing and the outdoors started as far back as he can remember. Devin strives to keep that resource he loves so much sustainable for future generations with founding Coastal Impact Fund, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides thought provoking conservation programs which offer practical, real world solutions to preserve and restore the marine environment.

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John Hoover

John Hoover grew up near Orlando before citrus and cattle lost out to theme parks. That experience made him who he became. While in high school he wrote his first letter to the editor regarding an ill-advised flood control project. And while in college at UCF in the early 1970s, was the ecology writer for an underground newspaper. When Hoover moved to Sarasota in 2005, he fell in love with Sarasota Bay as well as the local rivers, creeks, and bayous. He has been volunteering with Sarasota Bay Watch for years but recently retired and is giving the bay more energy now. He has always been a hand on let’s fix this problem kind environmentalist. When not working with SBW he is often planting trees, kayaking or exploring local backwaters. “I’ve witnessed the paving of paradise throughout my lifetime; watched the real
Florida get bulldozed under the rubric of highest and best use. “I’ve engaged in battle with the despoilers of Florida my entire life. Florida’s environment has been a passion of mine since childhood.”

Ed Chiles Sandbar

Ed Chiles

Ed Chiles is the founder and owner of the Chiles Group, operating three waterfront restaurants: The Sandbar, The Beach House and Mar Vista Dockside on Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key. He holds the long-term lease on Gamble Creek Farm that supplies each restaurant with 100% Organic produce in conjunction with a multitude of local/sustainable products featured throughout.

Ed is an internationally recognized leader in sustainability and has been a driving force for best practices in his local community, the Gulf region, the state of Florida and around the world. He works closely with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) on Sustainability Initiatives as his restaurant group has been designated as the first Global Observatory for Sustainable Tourism. Ed lends his expertise and resources through his involvement in several community and regional organizations. He is a founding member of Solutions to Avoid Red Tide (START) and led the creation of the Brood Stock Restoration Project, using transplanted mature hard-shell clams to continuously filter the waters of Tampa Bay while absorbing chemicals, pathogens and bacteria including those responsible for Red Tide. He is on the Gulf Seafood Foundation Board promoting Gulf Seafood, Tourism and the Historic Culture of the Coast.

Ed emphatically supports the necessity of immediate and decisive action now to ensure future generations can enjoy our environment and natural resources and will continue to do whatever necessary to ensure this occurs.

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Ronda Ryan, Executive Director

Ronda has been with Sarasota Bay Watch since 2007. During that time she has functioned in multiple roles within the organization and often refers to herself as the “Queen Bottlewasher”. She grew up in Colorado and enjoys outdoor activities and nature. She received her BS in Biology and Chemistry from Fort Lewis College. She is married to John Ryan, a founder of SBW, and has raised two boys. Ronda works as a critical care nurse and is the Executive Director of Sarasota Bay Watch. “The strength of Sarasota Bay Watch is its partnerships and its action; wet boots and dirty hands!”