Turn the Tide: Protect Caribbean Coral Reefs

Board of Directors

Turn The Tide Foundation Inc. operates under the direction of a Board of Directors responsible for governance oversight, strategic guidance, and financial accountability.

The Board includes founding members and independent directors who contribute complementary expertise in conservation, operations, community engagement, finance, and risk management. Together, they ensure that TTT remains mission-driven, transparent, and responsibly managed as it grows.

Nadège Boutin (Nadi)

Founder, President & Executive Director

Nadi is the Founder, President, and Executive Director of Turn The Tide Foundation Inc. She provides strategic governance leadership while overseeing the organization’s daily operations and conservation programs.

A long-time Caribbean diver with over 20 years of underwater experience, she leads TTT’s conservation strategy, field methodology, and impact measurement efforts. Her approach combines scientific awareness, disciplined execution, and deep respect for marine ecosystems, aligned with long-term environmental objectives.

Prior to founding TTT, she operated a tourism accommodation business in Montreal and managed multiple rental properties. This entrepreneurial background developed strong expertise in financial management, regulatory compliance, operational logistics, and long-term asset stewardship.

Known for her resilience, adaptability, and sustained work ethic, Nadège reorganized her life around marine conservation, transitioning to full-time liveaboard operations. She combines hands-on field engagement with strategic planning and remains committed to supporting both ecosystems and the communities connected to them.

Primary domain: Conservation strategy, mission leadership, institutional development.

Patrick St-Pierre

Co-Founder & Director

Patrick is Co-Founder and Director of Turn The Tide Foundation Inc. He leads frontline field operations and is currently TTT’s primary lionfish removal diver.

An experienced diver with a strong focus on safety and technical precision, he ensures that in-water conservation activities are conducted with discipline, risk awareness, and operational control. Having completed thousands of lionfish removals, he applies a methodical and efficient approach that prioritizes reef protection, responsible handling, and minimal environmental disturbance.

His field expertise directly supports invasive species mitigation and contributes to measurable environmental impact. Beyond direct removal efforts, Patrick plays a central role in refining operational techniques, maintaining equipment readiness, and establishing practical standards that will support the training and expansion of future conservation teams.

Patrick is also responsible for the maintenance and operational readiness of Panterita, TTT’s catamaran-based platform. Highly resourceful and self-taught across multiple technical domains, he develops the skills required to solve complex logistical and mechanical challenges in remote environments.

On the Board, he supports operational structure, field training development, and the safe expansion of conservation activities as additional teams are formed.

Primary domain: Field leadership, operational safety, technical execution.

Alexandre Denis

Treasurer & Director

Alexandre serves as Treasurer and Director of Turn The Tide Foundation Inc. He brings financial discipline, cybersecurity expertise, and risk oversight to the Board.

Founder of an IT consulting company for over 10 years and a cybersecurity advisor, he has extensive experience in systems security, data protection, and operational risk management. His methodical and detail-oriented approach strengthens TTT’s financial governance and internal control framework.

As Treasurer, he oversees budget review, financial monitoring, and accountability processes. He also contributes to ensuring secure digital infrastructure and responsible handling of donor and organizational data—an increasingly important component of nonprofit governance.

A long-time diver, Alexandre brings firsthand understanding of marine environments and the practical realities of field-based conservation work. His experience underwater allows him to appreciate the operational, safety, and logistical dimensions of TTT’s activities beyond financial oversight.

When in the field, he supports conservation operations, including lionfish removal efforts, contributing both technical awareness and disciplined execution. This dual perspective—combining financial governance with direct exposure to field conditions—strengthens the Board’s ability to make informed, balanced decisions aligned with both operational realities and institutional responsibility.

Primary domain: Financial governance, cybersecurity, risk management.

Amélie St-Pierre

Secretary & Director

Amélie serves as Secretary and Director of Turn The Tide Foundation Inc. She brings experience in community engagement, team development, and relationship-building.

She has held management responsibility within a privately operated business and supported operational oversight in another entrepreneurial venture, contributing to budgeting, logistics, staff coordination, and administrative organization. Her 14 years of experience in sales and retail management strengthened her capabilities in communication, revenue development, and team leadership.

She is particularly skilled at motivating teams, fostering collaboration, and creating positive environments that support performance and accountability.

Deeply committed to environmental protection, Amélie expanded her engagement through diving and has since made reef conservation a personal and professional priority. Exposure to field operations strengthened her understanding of marine ecosystem challenges and reinforced her commitment to supporting practical, solution-oriented conservation efforts.

As Secretary, she supports governance coordination and documentation integrity while contributing to community relations and volunteer engagement initiatives. She plays an active role in strengthening connections between TTT and the broader community, helping ensure that conservation efforts remain accessible, inclusive, and supported by engaged stakeholders.

Primary domain: Community engagement, team leadership, volunteer development.

Additional independent directors will be announced as appointments are finalized.

Board members serve without compensation in their governance role and operate under established financial oversight and conflict-of-interest policies. The Board maintains clear separation between governance responsibilities and operational management to ensure transparency and accountability.

Witnesses from the Field

We are Nadi and Patrick —divers and sailors— who spend much of our time underwater in the Caribbean. Over years of diving, we repeatedly observed the same pattern: invasive lionfish becoming more common while native reef fish grew increasingly scarce.

Seen across sites and over time, this was not an isolated issue but a clear ecological imbalance. Turn The Tide (TTT) grew from this firsthand experience and from the decision to act, combining direct lionfish removal with documentation, collaboration, and transparency.

We are not distant observers. We encounter this reality dive after dive, and TTT exists as a direct response.

Years of underwater observation leave no room for indifference

Understand The Threat

From the Water, Not an Office

Turn The Tide (TTT) reflects who we are and the choices that shape our lives today.

We are long-time divers and liveaboard sailors who chose to organize our lives around the sea.

I have been diving in the Caribbean for over 20 years. Over time, I developed strong underwater navigation skills, allowing us to survey sites methodically and work reef areas in a structured, repeatable way.

Patrick began scuba diving eight years ago and has since become a highly skilled lionfish hunter. After nearly 4,000 removals, his approach is precise and responsible. Each fish is dispatched immediately to minimize suffering—this work is intervention, not sport.

We are recreationally certified divers, deeply committed to good technique: neutral buoyancy, no reef contact, and calm movements. Underwater, our roles are complementary—Patrick hunts, while I spot, navigate, and document—allowing us to work efficiently while respecting the ecosystem.

Life at sea was Patrick’s long-standing dream. I had never sailed before, but the idea of diving regularly made it a challenge worth taking on.

In November 2023, we sold everything in Canada and moved aboard Panterita, our solar- and wind-powered catamaran. After being purchased and refitted in Puerto Rico, she has carried us down the Caribbean island chain. Our crew also includes Pookie, a former street kitten from Guadeloupe who quickly adapted to life at sea—and developed a clear fondness for lionfish.

Today, TTT is driven by Patrick and me, with the support of Patrick’s daughter, Amélie, based in Montreal. From the start, our goal has been to grow beyond ourselves by connecting everyone who cares about these ecosystems—locals, scientists, decision-makers, and supporters alike.

Consistency, care, and accountability guide our approach.

TTT focuses on consistent, repeatable field work, not one-off actions. We prioritize doing fewer things well, documenting our work, and adapting as conditions change.

Lionfish removals are carried out with care and purpose. Where permitted, culled fish are shared locally for consumption, helping reduce waste and encourage continued control efforts.

See how this approach leads to real results

By staying lean, field-based, and collaborative, TTT works to remain credible and useful to local communities, researchers, and conservation partners.