James Richard is the Principal of Forest Heights Academy in Marsh Harbour, where he has served for over 20 years. He has also taught at the Bimini All Age School and S. C. Bootle High School as well as in Jamaica and Haiti.  Born and raised in Michigan, he has been living and teaching in the Caribbean since 1995.  
Mr. Richard’s passions are the environment, education and social justice. He served as a unit leader and island coordinator with the Governor General’s Youth Award for over 20 years and has been a Board member and volunteer with Friends of the Environment since 2004. He helped to write the Bahamian Marine Science curriculum, chairs the Abaco District Education Awards committee, and worked with both One Eleuthera Foundation and the National Food Distribution Task Force serving Abaconians affected by Hurricane Dorian.  
He has two children: Donte, an environmental engineer in Michigan, and Khalea, a pre-school teacher in Charleston, South Carolina.

David is originally from Nassau and has lived in Abaco for the past 7 years. David was the first Abaco Park Warden for The Bahamas National Trust in Abaco, and now works as Chief Park Warden for the country. He previously worked as the Agricultural Officer in charge of Abaco for the Department of Agriculture and has extensive knowledge of the terrestrial environment in The Bahamas. He and his wife and three children live in Marsh Harbour.

Lory is a Hope Town resident, and past President of Friends of the Environment. She was instrumental in helping FRIENDS become a formalized organization and has been involved in many important marine outreach and conservation projects. During Lory's previous tenure we received a capacity building grant from the Nature Conservancy which facilitated hiring the first staff member and opening our office in Marsh Harbour. Lory brings a wealth of knowledge in business and non-profit operations. 

Diane was born and raised in Nassau. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science in 1988 from the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida and completed an Overseas Research degree to fulfill requirements for a Master’s degree in Zoology at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland in 2006. Diane received her PhD in biology focusing on Spatial processes in the population ecology of beaked whales at St. Andrews University in Scotland. In 1991, Diane began the Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation where she currently serves as Project Director and principle investigator.

Reg is a long time Abaco resident and is the proprietor of Lucayan Surveying in Marsh Harbour. As a land surveyor, his profession has provided him with extensive knowledge about The Abaco’s.  He currently lives in Marsh Harbour, but also enjoys traveling in North America. He is an avid birder and leads many of FRIENDS’ bird walks; he now offers tours through his company Lucayan Nature & Birding Tours. Reg possesses extensive terrestrial knowledge, as his father, Jack Patterson, was the author of the book Native Trees of The Bahamas, which many consider to be the premier book on native plants in The Bahamas. Reg has also been a dedicated Rotarian for many years and is excited about sharing his knowledge and time with FRIENDS.

Joy Chaplin is a retired school teacher, who taught students both in Nassau and Abaco. Joy came to FRIENDS as a volunteer and helped to get the Discovery Club, an environmental education after school program up and running. She ran the Discovery Club for three years, sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm with countless students before moving onto a position on the Board. She lives in Leisure Lee.

Justin Higgs currently works as the Principal and Grade 5 & 6 teacher at Hope Town Primary School. He and his wife Amanda live in Hope Town, with their daughter Journey. His class has submitted winning projects at FRIENDS’ Science Fair multiple times. One of the projects was an experiment about how mangroves help fight against global warming. Justin was also the recipient of the 2008 FRIENDS scholarship to the Island School. Justin has a master’s in Education from Florida Atlantic University.

Denise is a resident of Bahama Palm Shores and a former educator and a certified dive instructor. Denise is a Marine Mammal Educator and Outreach Coordinator for the Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organization and is very knowledgeable and passionate about the marine environment and involving young Bahamians in science and conservation. 

An educator by training, Miss Lauren Riviere, left the classroom but not teaching, to join the family business of Riviere & Associates Limited – Registered Land Surveyors. Currently, she serves as the company’s Managing Director. With a decade of teaching experience in mathematics, Miss Riviere delights in tutoring students after school in the subjects of mathematics or science. She is also a proud member of The Abaco Horticultural Society, The Abaco Cancer Society, The Abaco Botanical Society, The Bahamas Red Cross, Abaco Branch, High Banks Volunteer Fire Service, The Abaco Tennis Association and The Abaco Pickleball Association. She can be found helping each organization with their fundraising efforts.

Kai grew up on Green Turtle Cay, where fishing and life on the water have always been a part of his life. After years of commercial spearfishing and offshore fishing, Kai returned to Abaco following Hurricane Dorian and eventually found his passion in flats fishing. He has worked as a full-time bonefishing guide for the past three years, giving him a unique perspective on the health of Abaco’s marine environment. Kai is passionate about protecting the natural resources that have shaped his life and hopes to help ensure that future generations can enjoy and appreciate Abaco’s waters as he has. Kai lives in Green Turtle Cay with his wife and young daughter.

Josefina is the Officer in Charge of the Department of Agriculture on Abaco, where she has dedicated nearly three decades to agricultural extension, farmer support, sustainable agriculture, and rural development. Her work has included plant diagnostics, quarantine, agricultural policy, and initiatives to strengthen food security and community resilience. She leads the Abaco Breadfruit Initiative in partnership with the Trees That Feed Foundation and serves as Treasurer of the Abaco Stewardship Council, helping coordinate community environmental initiatives including the Great Abaco Cleanup. Josefina is passionate about building resilient communities through sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, and strong partnerships.

Alcindor “AJ” McIntosh was born in Nassau and raised in Abaco, where his lifelong interest in nature and marine life led him to join FRIENDS’ chapter of the Young Marine Explorers Club as a teenager. Through YME, he became scuba certified and gained hands-on experience in marine science, conservation, and research, including participating in whale camps with the Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation. With support from FRIENDS, AJ went on to attend The Island School, where he graduated with the Cacique Award, the school’s highest honour. Today, AJ works as an IT Technician at Baker’s Bay and remains passionate about conservation and giving back to the organization that helped shape his path.

Erin Lowe is a passionate advocate for The Bahamas’ out-island communities and brings a lifelong connection to Abaco and the natural environment. After returning home from university, she spent several years sailing throughout The Bahamas and Caribbean as a marine ecology instructor and ship’s captain. Erin previously served as President of FRIENDS in the late 1990s and early 2000s before founding Abaco Outback, a nature tourism business that connected visitors with Abaco’s natural and cultural heritage. She traveled extensively in her early years and spent the last 20 years raising her children in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, returning each year with them to nurture her family’s connection to the islands. Erin now lives on Guana Cay, and brings to the Board extensive experience as a business owner, educator, naturalist, and advocate for the islands.