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Be a Hero for Whales

Why does your support matter? You see, the health of animals like whales, our ocean and humans are interconnected. Yet the greatest threats to whales are caused by humans.

We’ve made positive impacts before—like freeing whales from ocean trash and conducting vital research that led to shipping lane changes—all because of this caring community.

Today, you can get your gift matched and help provide double the tools and resources experts need to continue this critical work. Together, we can protect these gentle giants and their ocean home.

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Veronica Johnson

Veronica Johnson

Animal Care Crew Senior Manager

Veronica first joined The Marine Mammal Center as a Youth Crew volunteer in 2007. She went on to serve in a leadership position as a Topside animal care crew supervisor for over six years, building up her volunteer team from scratch as she transformed the crew, expanded the team and strengthened the group’s reputation. She joined the Center’s staff in 2022. 

As an Animal Care Crew Manager, Veronica’s role is to support crew supervisors and volunteers, aiding in day-to-day help, increasing efficiency, maintaining continuity from day shift to night shift, and helping with large-scale improvement projects. 

Prior to joining the Center, Veronica spent time as a whale watching naturalist for San Francisco Whale Tours and spent nine years as a biologist at The Exploratorium. 

As a student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Veronica volunteered in the lab of Dr. Dan Costa, distinguished professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, where she helped graduate students collect myriad samples from elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park. She also helped deploy and retrieve tags from elephant seals with this group.


Areas of Expertise

  • Marine Mammal Husbandry
  • Volunteer Training and Management
  • Science Communication
  • Public Speaking



Talk to Our Experts

Our experts are available to comment on a variety of marine mammal and ocean health issues. Please contact our PR team at media@tmmc.org to schedule an interview. 

Visit our press page