It has been a honor to grow up with The Center and be witness to the many transformations of the organization, from a grassroots operation to a well oiled machine!

Shelbi Stoudt joined The Marine Mammal Center as a volunteer in 1993, based out of the Monterey Bay office. She was hired as Monterey Bay Operations Manager in 1998 before transferring to Sausalito, where she became the Stranding Manager in 2005, a role she held for 10 years. Due to the longevity of her tenure with The Center, Shelbi has become the unofficial organizational historian.

In her current position as Permit & Data Compliance Manager, Shelbi is responsible for animal response and operational permits, authorizations and all associated reporting requirements, serving as primary contact for permitting government authorities. Shelbi also manages the Center’s historic animal records and is working to digitize the full archive.

Shelbi holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from University of California at Santa Cruz. She has been a member of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network since its inception in 1996, including maintaining Hazardous Waste and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) certification. She is also a member of the NOAA Fisheries Data Working Group and frequently represents the Center at National Marine Mammal Health & Stranding Response Program conferences.

Shelbi grew up on a cattle ranch, where she learned how to wrangle animals of all sizes which evolved into her love of adult male California sea lions. She now lives in Petaluma, California, with her husband of 25+ years and two cats. Now empty nesters, Shelbi remains passionate about Girl Scouts, leading a troop of 20+ girls and teaches upcycling crafts to other leaders! Her family, spearheaded by her adult daughter, run a beloved annual Girl Scout event open to leaders across the San Francisco Bay area and northern California. She is a homebody and loves to watch movies, play games, do puzzles and sleep in.

Areas of Expertise

• Animal Data
• Marine Mammal Laws
• Human and Animal Behavior
• Oiled Wildlife Response
• Historical Knowledge of The Marine Mammal Center