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Who We Are




Vince Radice: Co-Executive Director

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Meet our Co-Executive Directors
Vince Radice and Aaron Quintanar joined forces to found the World’s Aquarium in 2008 and are united in their passion for the Sea of Cortez and the life that it sustains. Together they have a combined 40 years of experience in conservation advocacy and administration, they bring to the
important work of saving the lives of marine mammals.

Vince moved to San Carlos, one of the true jewels of the Sea of Cortes, in 1990. As a child growing up in the suburbs of Chicago his curiosity for all things aquatic were fuelled by the late great underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau. After graduating from the University of Arizona with a B.S. In microbiology and a minor in chemistry and the realization that working in the lab could never compare to exploring the Sea of Cortes; Vince made the move from Tucson to San Carlos to run his own water sports company. After years of fishing, sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, kiteboarding and scuba diving and thus personally bearing witness to the rape and pillage of marine resources in the Gulf of California, World’s Aquarium was born.  In 2008, with support from many in Cabo San Lucas and San Carlos, he filmed the well known (in the Sea of Cortes) documentary El Oro de Cortes, which documented Mexico’s illegal dorado fishery and how those thousands of tons of fish were illegally exported to the United States.

Aaron Quintanar: Co-Executive Director

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Aaron Quintanar first traveled the entire Baja California peninsula overland with his parents during the winter of 1969-1970. His exploration of the peninsula continued in search of remote fishing and surfing areas. Aaron, a 25-year lifeguard veteran in San Diego, helped establish lifeguard agencies in Tijuana, Ensenada, Punta Abreojos and Todos Santos. From, 2000 to 2005 he led the conservation efforts at the conservation organization Wildcoast. During this period, he led a conservation team in working to protect Bahia Concepcion, Laguna San Ignacio, and Bahia de los Angeles from large-scale development and industrialization efforts. In 2002, Aaron and attorney Rodrigo Jara filed a successful legal challenge against the Escalera Nautica – a project of the Mexican Federal Government calling for the construction of 27 resort marinas on both sides of the Baja California peninsula. From 2006 to 2008, he structured an innovative new conservation model designed to protect Midriff Island region of the Sea of Cortez. Aaron structured the strategy to address border energy issues involving the Sierra Juarez and Sierra San Pedro Martir. He also led the American Bird Conservancy’s effort to protect a newly established colony of Laysan Albatross on Isla Guadalupe from commercial longline fishing impacts. He is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego.

John Layman: Board of Directors

John has been a partner in the Layman law firm located in Spokane Washington since 1983. His practice involves serious personal injury complex litigation, with an emphasis on traumatic brain injuries and spinal/aquatic injuries.

Because of his extensive and diverse experience with brain injuries and his extremely successful representation of its victims, John garners the highest level of respect within the medical community, and has been honored by his peers as one of the State of Washington’s “Super Lawyers”. John also was named as one of Washington’s top 100 trial lawyers by the American Trial Lawyers Association. Feel free to review the testimonials of several of John’s peers in the medical community.

John is an active sportsman who loves mountain biking, skiing, fishing and free diving. John has a second home in San Carlos Sonora and has been coming to the Sea of Cortes to fish for over 20 years. He is greatly concerned with the conservation of marine resources. 

Chip White: Board of Directors

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Chip White Profile

Chip White began his Sea of Cortes odyssey in the mid 80’s windsurfing. The wind and waves of the beach at La Manga in San Carlos, Sonora helped to nuture a lifelong love of the Sea.  Chip graduated from the University of Colorado with a Business degree.  After school, he became a banker, then a member of the board of directors of the First National Bank of Durango.  Chip also was one of the co-founders and President of the international ski headwear company Bula.  Chip has been guiding back country snowmobile & mountain biking tours for over 15 years out of Durango.  An accomplished free diver and sailor, Chip currently spends his time between Durango, Colorado and San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico.

Liz Toth: Board of Directors

    Originally from Vermont, Liz resides in Phoenix, Arizona where she is Gift Planning Manager at the Phoenix Zoo. Recognized as a skilled non-profit development professional, for over 25 years, Liz has enabled donors to experience first-hand how their gifts are changing the lives of the most vulnerable. She is an effective communicator with the ability to persuasively demonstrate the positive outcomes that transformative financial investments can make. She is genuinely curious to learn. Persistent. Results oriented.

The stark beauty and rich biodiversity in and around the Gulf of California has drawn Liz to its shores for over 40 years. She has a passion for the environment and the welfare of the animals who rely on the Gulf of California.