Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Awards
Languages
Presentations and Publications
Timeline
Generic

Angela L. Cruz

Seattle,WA

Overview

9
9
years of professional experience

Work History

Associate Consultant

Ross Strategic
05.2021 - Current
  • Provide project management and analytical skills to advance learning and strategic planning for organizations, such as the IKEA Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, the Volgenau Climate Initiative, Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, and the Climate Investment Funds, among others.
  • Co-lead MEL and strategic partnership with multiple organizations including the Volgenau Climate Initiative (VCI); MEL and strategic partnership has included portfolio assessment to manage risk and inform opportunities for investment in projects, development of annual impact memos articulating cumulative results and projected impact to climate through its trust-based grantmaking, and participation in strategy sessions with VCI leadership to pivot in the face of externalities (e.g., federal administration changes)
  • Regularly conduct primary data collection in environmental policy contexts, including conducting over 150 interviews and deploying multiple surveys garnering over 500 responses across various projects to tell the story of progress, challenges, and opportunities for organizational impact
  • Lead preparation and facilitation of diversely focused meetings, including internal strategic planning meetings (up to 10 participants), working groups (up to 20 participants), and community listening sessions (up to 100 participants)
  • Manage up to eight projects concurrently, including budget tracking, progress reporting, and team tasking

Gender Consultant

Tetra Tech, Inc.
01.2021 - 02.2021
  • Independently led the final gender reporting on the USAID Sustainable Ecosystems Advanced (SEA) Project
  • Developed a survey for all SEA Project staff to contribute qualitative and quantitative information related to gender integration and conducted follow-up interviews
  • Summarized and compiled five years of data on women's participation in SEA Project programming (related to implementation of marine protected areas, informal and formal law enforcement, and behavior change) into a report highlighting the gender integration activities undertaken, and lessons learned to support gender integration in future fisheries projects in Eastern Indonesia

Marine Policy Fellow and PCRG Program Coordinator

Washington Sea Grant Hershman Fellowship
09.2019 - 09.2020
  • Served as a coordinator to 70 state, federal, NGO, academic, and Tribal government members of the Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group (PCRG)
  • Created partnership opportunities for ongoing research and implementation of studies, expanding the collaborative membership to three states
  • Developing training tools for ongoing research studies, including a 10-minute long informational video describing methods and best practices for larval crab collection
  • Prepared materials for and facilitation two full group in-person and virtual meetings, resulting in a prioritized set of research and management priorities to be pursued by the PCRG
  • Assisted in adult Dungeness crab seasonal survey from small boats and assisted Swinomish Indian Tribal Community with juvenile crab surveys
  • Independently developed a report covering the physiological impacts of ocean acidification, population dynamics, and ecology and food web dynamics of Dungeness crab

Climate Change Case Study Researcher

University of Washington, Southeast Asia Center
04.2020 - 06.2020
  • Completed a short-term contract for the UW Southeast Asia Center to research and write a case study on the social impacts of climate change in Indonesia that was provided as an addendum to The Choice Program Climate Change and Questions of Justice curriculum during workshops with teachers
  • Researched international commitments and mitigation policies in Indonesia and the impacts of climate change on fisheries operations and fishers incomes
  • Provided a final presentation on the case study to a workshop of Seattle area teachers upon completion of my contract

Research Assistant

University of Washington
06.2019 - 08.2019
  • Checked a local larval Dungeness crab trap in the Seattle-area every other day and applied methodology meticulously
  • Supporting PCRG branding through development of a logo and other communication materials
  • Managed an undergraduate research assistant and trained them on data collection methods

Marine Invertebrates Teaching Assistant

University of Washington
03.2019 - 06.2019
  • Led and planned lessons for marine invertebrates lab sections of over 20 students through the University of Washington biology departed
  • Assisted students with experiments, including dissection, and facilitated field trips to coastal areas in Seattle
  • Maintained grading and scored quizzes, assignments, and lab books

Gender and Fisheries Intern

USAID Sustainable Ecosystems Advanced (SEA) Project
08.2018 - 09.2018
  • Led assessment of gender integration for all SEA Project activities in marine protected area (MPA) development, marine spatial planning, law enforcement enhancement, and sustainable tourism
  • Became deeply familiar with environment-focused international development programming through review of all USAID SEA Project reports, USAID gender integration guidance and policies, and research on best practices and strategic integration of gender considerations
  • Conducted interviews with over 15 SEA Project staff and implementing partners on their experiences and challenges with gender integration to form recommendations for future actions
  • Provided a final report and presentation to the SEA Project and the USAID Indonesia Mission leadership
  • Effectively communicated sensitive results and information to the SEA Project team and provided recommendations which resulted in an over 10x increase in women's participations in trainings, a change in a national law to reduce barriers to women's participation in informal law enforcement groups, and stronger community views of women as champions of ocean sustainability

Fisheries and Restoration Technician

AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Program
10.2016 - 08.2017
  • Conducted salmon spawning and habitat surveys in the fall, winter, and summer months with California Department of Fish and Wildlife for coho, Chinook, and steelhead
  • Taught watershed courses to over 130 students, ages eight to eighteen and volunteered at multiple education fairs to run booths on salmonid biology
  • Led and coordinated a volunteer river restoration event in Northern California that drew over 40 participants

Education

M.M.A. - Master of Marine Affairs

University of Washington
Seattle, WA
06.2019

Bachelor of Science - Integrative Biology

University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL
05.2016

Skills

  • Strategic Planning
  • Measurement, Evaluation, & Learning
  • Facilitation and Collaborative Meeting Design
  • Environmental Policy Analysis
  • Portfolio Analysis
  • Project Management

Awards

  • Fulbright U.S. Student Research Finalist (03/2020)
  • UW Husky Green Award Nominee (04/2019)
  • Best Paper Award at the 7th Global Conference on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries (10/2018)
  • Foreign Language Area Studies Award- Bahasa Indonesia (06/2018)

Languages

Spanish
Limited Working
Indonesian
Limited Working

Presentations and Publications

  • Cruz, A.L. and G. Gomez. 2023. The role of satellite buoy companies in the management of dFADs for Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna stocks. Oral Presentation. Seafood and Fisheries Emerging Technology Conference. Bali, Indonesia.
  • Cruz, A.L., Nelson, N., Cook, C., Grossman, S., Harrington, N., Tobin, E., Bosley, K., Barber, J. 2020. Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group: Closing Critical Data Gaps in Washington Waters. Oral Presentation. PCSGA and NSA-PCS 74th Annual Shellfish Conference and Tradeshow. Virtual.
  • Farquhar, S., Rivas, P., Lau, S., Cruz, A., Ouaga, J. 2019. Changes in flag, name, and owner of IUU listed vessels in the Southern Ocean. Marine Technical Notes.
  • Cruz, A.L., Barber, J., Bosley, K., Tobin, E., Harrington, N. 2019. Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group Light Trap Study. Oral Presentation. Puget Sound Shellfish Co-Manager Meeting. Suquamish, WA, USA.
  • Cruz, A.L., Gunuwan, T., Christie, P.J. 2018. Addressing Gender Gaps from a Programmatic Perspective. Oral Presentation. 7 th Global Conference on Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries. Bangkok, Thailand.
  • Cruz, A.L., Grispo, M.T., Cheng, C.H. 2016. Cold-adaptive substitutions in γ-crystallins of teleost fishes. Poster Presentation. University of Illinois Undergraduate Research Symposium. Urbana, IL, USA.

Timeline

Associate Consultant

Ross Strategic
05.2021 - Current

Gender Consultant

Tetra Tech, Inc.
01.2021 - 02.2021

Climate Change Case Study Researcher

University of Washington, Southeast Asia Center
04.2020 - 06.2020

Marine Policy Fellow and PCRG Program Coordinator

Washington Sea Grant Hershman Fellowship
09.2019 - 09.2020

Research Assistant

University of Washington
06.2019 - 08.2019

Marine Invertebrates Teaching Assistant

University of Washington
03.2019 - 06.2019

Gender and Fisheries Intern

USAID Sustainable Ecosystems Advanced (SEA) Project
08.2018 - 09.2018

Fisheries and Restoration Technician

AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Program
10.2016 - 08.2017

M.M.A. - Master of Marine Affairs

University of Washington

Bachelor of Science - Integrative Biology

University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign

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