Nik’s passion and mission is to provide coastal communities with the tools they need to be effective in valuing, protecting and managing their own natural resources. During his tenure as Executive Director at Save The Waves Coalition, he has taken the organization from a two-person operation with a $300,000 budget to a team of ten with over $1M, with projects protecting surf ecosystems in 11 countries. He was responsible for creating strategic partnerships with groups like Conservation International, and was recently recognized by the Mulago Foundation as a Henry Arnhold Conservation Fellow for 2019. Before joining Save The Waves, Nik created a professional training program in conservation leadership with the Middlebury Institute, worked as a consultant in ecotourism development in coastal communities and built innovative programs focused on water resource issues with partners like Driscoll’s Berries and Sustainable Conservation. In addition to his role as Executive Director of Save The Waves, he is an adjunct professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, teaching environmental non-profit management. Growing up as the son of a fisherman and a teacher in Washington State, the coast has always played an important role in his life and path.