Kids Ocean Day runs on the dedication of a passionate team
Michael Klubock
Founder & Executive Director
Michael was brought up in Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Massachusetts. He was surrounded by beaches, ocean and boating. After a stint in NYC in the 70’s he headed off to Club Med for a couple of years and taught sailing in French. Michael arrived in LA, worked on game shows and headed for the beaches of Malibu on a Hobie 16. As the Commodore of the Malibu Yacht Club, he sailed with the dolphins. The trash he saw on the beach motivated him to share the litter message with kids for the past 27 years. Michael’s duties include heading up the foundation, management of staff and volunteers, raising funds, presenting assemblies and organizing the annual Kids Ocean Day event in Los Angeles.
James S. Kridel
Chief Financial Officer
James has extensive experience as a financial industry executive. He was Chairman of the GlenFed Mortgage Company, a $21 billion loan servicing business. He was also responsible for the mortgage, appraisal and underwriting function of GlenFed Savings and Loan, the third largest thrift institution in California. Previously, he served as Chairman of the California Bankers Clearing Association and Executive Vice President of Crocker Bank. He is now retired.
Jeff Bernstein
Secretary
Jeff was a Peace Corps teacher in Malaysia, then came back to go to law school. As a lawyer he represented a variety of public interest consumer and environmental organizations. He also taught high school physics and math, and worked for several years as an aide to a legislator in the California State Assembly and Senate.
Karen Voskanian
Education Coordinator
Karen Voskanian, a LA native and former LAUSD teacher, is the Educational Director at Kids Ocean Day. She advises and presents the educational assembly to various schools around L.A County and helps facilitate each Kids Ocean Day beach event. Karen’s educational background, which incorporates a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a M.A. in Education, is precisely fitting for her role as director of Kids Ocean Day. With a strong passion for both environmental conservation and teaching, Karen brings 20 years of experience working in the environmental and educational field locally and globally.
Carrie Pardy
Logistic Coordinator
Ms. Carrie Pardy is a transplant to Los Angeles from Colorado and Michigan. She finished her college education in Mathematics and Economics in 1989. Carrie has an extensive background in corporate and business management. She has been with the Law Offices of Daniel F. Brookman since 2000 and handles a myriad of duties, with an emphasis in client relations, legal research, court filings and media liaison coordinator for many high profile clients. She has been with Kids Ocean Day for 15 years, leading volunteers, tones of equipment, trucks and bus drivers to their assigned spots with skill and grace.
Lisa L. Dobbins
Advisory Board member
Lisa has a BA in Political Science, from UCLA. She was Program Director of Heal the Bay in Santa Monica from 1991 to 1998 where she partnered with Kids Ocean Day and directed public education programs including California Coastal Cleanup Day. She has worked at the California Coastal Commission, served as Executive Director of Action Pajaro Valley focused on land use planning, and worked with the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology in Salinas establishing an Ag Tech Incubator. She is currently the Executive Director of the Grower-Shipper Association Foundation which provides education and information on the agriculture industry along the Central Coast. Lisa has been a proud supporter of Kids Ocean Day since its inception.
Lena Kelly
Event Producer
A graduate from the University of Southern California’s Master’s in Strategic Public Relations program, Lena possesses more than a decade of communications, nonprofit fundraising and event production experience. Lena has been with the Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education since 2014 and is the Event Producer for our annual beach clean-up.
Mario Signore
Videographer
Mario has been hanging out of helicopters with Kids Ocean Day for the past 20 years. He feels our future’s only hope is in teaching the next generations the importance of Ocean conservation. Mario loves surfing, biking and doing anything that involves nature. When Mario is not answering calls from Michael Klubock, he is wondering when his favorite day of the year, Kids Ocean Day, will happen next.
Megan Goedewaagen
Photographer
Megan Goedewaagen is a Film and TV producer who has been hanging out of the helicopter and on the beach for Kid’s Ocean Day since she first moved to LA. Her work and passion for the environment led her to produce Al Gore’s 24 Hours of Reality, a show about the climate crisis, viewed annually in over half a billion homes worldwide. When she’s not working you can find her surfing and biking circles around KOD’s videographer.
Jenne Eden
Booking Coordinator
Born and raised in L.A., Jenne has a diverse background in everything from art to education. As an avid nature photographer, she has found great joy and usefulness in incorporating nature photography in her work with students. Jenne has seen how important it is to connect kids to the environment. Jenne is passionate about helping inspire kids to become instruments of change in order to create the future they envision! Jenne is excited to join the Kids Ocean Day team whose mission is to do just that.
John Quigley
Aerial Artist
John Quigley and Spectral Q created the Aerial Art Program with Kids Ocean Day in 1994. Serving as the Statewide Aerial Art Director for the California Coastal Commission, he has overseen the massive displays of human art in eight California cities. John’s art calls for ocean protection, health, human rights, social justice, ecological balance, democracy and freedom. His work strives to liberate the spirit and inspire unity through creative participation. John’s worldwide body of work consists of over 250 images with 250,000+ participants including 100 images and more than 170,000 students for Kids Ocean Day (including Hong Kong and Mexico). The Aerial Art has generated significant media coverage and has been seen by tens of millions of people.
Join our family of volunteers
Are you as passionate about kids and the environment as we are? Do you want to help make a real difference in the lives of thousands of kids around the Los Angeles area? We’re always looking for an extra helping hand, whether it be at the beach event, or behind the scenes helping with fundraising campaigns.