O'Neil Sea Odyssey

Dan Haifley has been Executive Director of O'Neill Sea Odyssey since 1999. He has raised funds for its core and special programs, tens of thousands of youth have been served and he is a leading advocate for hands-on environmental education, presenting papers at numerous conferences.

Dan served as Chief Aide and District Chief of Staff for the late California Senate Majority Leader Henry J. Mello from 1993 until 1996; Executive Director of Save Our Shores from 1986 to 1993; and Community Affairs Officer for PG&E in the Monterey Bay from 1997 to 1999.

Dan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is past chair of the Santa Cruz County Commission on the Environment, past Co-Chair of the Dominican Hospital Community Advisors Committee and currently serves on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council where he also previously served from 2001 to 2007 and the Board of Directors of the Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitor's Council from 1993 to 1995 and from 2000 to 2006, and has lead numerous ballot measure campaigns, most recently a successful storm water measure in the City of Santa Cruz.

In collaboration with UCSC Institute of Marine Sciences Director Gary Griggs he publishes a weekly column in the Sunday Santa Cruz Sentinel and in 2014 he published a collection of those columns in the book “50 Years of Safe Harbor.” Dan has received recognition from the California State Senate, State Assembly, the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments and the City of Santa Cruz for his efforts to establish the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, promote 26 California local ordinances regarding offshore oil and to protect California's coastline.  He received the Ocean Hero award from Save Our Shores in 2011.