Staff Profiles

Paul van Nimwegen serves as Country Director Fiji at WCS.

Akanisi Caginitoba (Cagi) joined WCS in 2002 working as an administration officer and then as a finance assistant. She previously worked for the Asia Pacific Ltd. With more than 17 years of experience, Cagi is a specialist in community-based management, community leadership and assists communities identify, design and raise funds for community projects. She has helped over nine districts and two island develop ridge-to-reef management plans, and is currently developing pathways for integrating disaster risk reduction and gender equity and social inclusive (GESI) into community planning processes. She also led a livelihood project that built the capacity of women in Vanua Levu to run small businesses to produce kuta woven products, honey and virgin coconut oil. Cagi was part of the entomology team for Fiji arthropod survey initiated by the Schlinger Foundation.

Waisea Naisilisili joined WCS in 2003 initially as a field collector. He currently plays a dual role in WCS as a Fish Specialist and Operations Support Officer. Previously, he worked as a Research Assistant at the Fiji Department of Mineral Resources and was responsible for collecting for mineral samples. With over 16 years of experience in his field, Waisea specializes in underwater visual census of coral reef fish, market survey and catch monitoring, and has extensive experience in implementing socioeconomic surveys to measure conservation and/or fisheries impact. He is also a specialist in community engagement, and oversees WCS's boating and SCUBA operations.

Sirilo Dulunaqio (Didi) has been working with WCS as a Community Liaison Officer since 2005 and is also employed part-time with the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL). Prior to coming to WCS, Didi trained and worked as a dive instructor. He received the opportunity through CORAL to visit Belize and observe their system of user tag fees, which he has helped to implement for the Namena Marine Reserve in Kubulau. As a Kubulau native, Didi provides a critical link between WCS activities and management implementation with the communities of Kubulau and adjacent districts.

Eferemo joined WCS in 2019 as a Community Engagement Officer. He obtained his Bachelors Degree in Marine Affairs and Geography from the University of the South Pacific. He has worked at the University of the South Pacific, SPC, PIFS, and the government of Fiji. . He has worked in his field for over 12 years and has supported the design and implementation of ten (10) Ecosystem-based management plans in the provinces of Bua and Lomaiviti. Eferemo has also been supporting communities in the design and implementation of Water Safety and Sanitation plans through the Watershed Interventions for Systems Health in Fiji (WISH Fiji) project. His interests lie in the area of species conservation and the preservation and documentation of traditional knowledge, particularly in coastal fisheries. As a Community Engagement Officer, Eferemo will continue to support communities with natural resource management.

Mereia Ravoka (Mia) joined WCS in 2019 as Community Engagement Assistant. She has a Bachelor in Environmental Science from the University of the South Pacific. During her final term of studies, she began volunteering at the Institute of Applied Science where she was exposed to community fieldwork. Later, she joined Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area(FLMMA) Network as an intern and then a Graduate Assistant for 2 years. Mereia has been mainly working with communities in establishing Yaubula (Resource) Management Support Team and formulating Natural Resource Management Plan from the village, district and provincial levels. She has been engaged in empowering fisherwomen in communities.

Rosi joined WCS as a Fisheries Assistant in 2020. She has spent seven years in Fiji's conservation sector. Rosi is passionate about marine and terrestrial conservation. Her interest particularly lays in the use of traditional ecological knowledge as a tool to build resilience in coastal communities. Her expertise includes turtle surveys, biological monitoring, socioeconomic surveys, community engagement, environmental awareness and workshop facilitation.

Derrick joined WCS as a Procurement and Administrative Assistant in 2020. He holds a Professional Diploma in Business Administration and a Post Graduate Certificate in Business Administration from the University of the South Pacific. Prior to joining WCS, Derrick worked for the United Nations Human Rights Office for 10 years as a logistics officer. He also has experience in tuna export and commercial log line fishing with practical knowledge in root crop and livestock poultry farming.

Artika Singh joined WCS in August 2019 as Finance Director for the Solomon Islands and Fiji programs. She holds a Bachelor in Accounting from the Fiji National University and is currently pursuing her Master in Professional Accounting. She specializes in public and private sector finance with over 14 years of experience. Prior to joining WCS, she worked as the Pacific Regional Finance Manager for Live and Learn Environmental Education. She brings in her wealth of expertise in managing grants, financial reporting and working with international institutions and donors. Artika is based in Suva, Fiji.

Stacy Jupiter is the Melanesia Regional Director and Country Director for the Solomon Islands Program. She oversees the Wildlife Conservation Society's programs and projects in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. She specializes in community-based management, integrated land-sea management and coral reef ecology. Her Ph.D. is from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Stacy is based in Suva, Fiji and in 2019 was named a MacArthur Fellow.

Asena Motubula serves as Finance Assistant at WCS Fiji and Solomon Islands.

Don Boring joined WCS in 2022 as a Regional Grants and Operations Coordinator. He is supporting the programs and finance teams in Fiji, The Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea in ensuring compliance with donor requirements in programming, finances, and operational management. Don has held senior-level operations positions in Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, The Philippines, South Korea, and Kosovo with organisations including The Asia Foundation, UNESCO, The World Bank, and international NGOs. He is based in Suva, Fiji.

Imraan Khan serves as Finance/Grants Coordinator at WCS.