SERSTN is delighted to announce the Keynote Speakers for the 2025 Southeast Regional Sea Turtle Meeting. 

Dr. Blair Witherington, is a research scientist with Inwater Research Group (IRG), a marine conservation nonprofit. He has baccalaureate and master’s degrees in biology from the University of Central Florida and a doctorate in zoology from the University of Florida. Before arriving at IRG, Blair had a 25-year career with the Florida FWC, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, and headed Disney’s sea turtle conservation program. In 40 years of research, he has contributed more than seventy scientific articles and book chapters on sea turtle biology. Blair and his wife, Dawn, have merged their writing,  photography, and art within many projects, including exhibits, outreach materials, and the books, Our Sea Turtles, Florida’s Living Beaches, Living Beaches of Georgia and the Carolinas, Living Beaches of the Gulf Coast, Florida’s Seashells, and others.

“Our Sea Turtle Conservation Journey: Questions to Ponder Along the Way”
Understanding and conserving sea turtles requires a journey, and on this trip, progress is fueled by questions. Some of the most important ones seem naïve, but may provide essential guidance. Why conserve sea turtles? What does conservation mean? How might we, “make more turtles?” Why doesn’t our science compel people to act as they should? On our journey toward answers, a suggested packing list includes persistence, curiosity, skepticism, receptiveness, assertiveness, humility,
diversity of thought, and teamwork. But first, master your heart.