POET STAFF
Jason Busch
Executive Director
Jason Busch is Executive Director of the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust (POET), an organization that supports the responsible development of marine energy and decarbonization of the maritime sectors. Mr. Busch also is active on a number of organizations, including the Marine Energy Council, Offshore Wind California, and the Renewable Hydrogen Alliance.
Prior to joining Oregon Wave Energy Trust, Mr. Busch was an attorney specializing in land use, energy, and project development.
Samantha Quinn
Program Director
Samantha is an economist experienced in marine energy policy and strategy. Samantha has significant experience with the project management of large consortium, government funded marine energy projects in both Europe and the United States and currently acts as the Program Director for the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust (POET). Previously, Samantha was the Program Manager for the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center (NNMREC), now PMEC, overseeing the day-to-day project management of the PacWave project. Prior to joining NNMREC, she was the project manager for the €4.8 million European Union-funded DTOcean project at the University of Edinburgh. Samantha earned her B.S. in Business Administration-Marketing from Regis University and her M.Sc. in Ecological Economics with an emphasis in marine energy from the University of Edinburgh.
Antoni Bellavia
UMERC Program Coordinator
Antoni is a Program Coordinator primarily focused on POET’s UMERC program. With an extensive background in social services, spanning both direct service and administrative roles within nonprofit organizations, Antoni brings with him a passion for supporting both communities and organizational operations. He holds a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Oregon as well as a Master of Public Administration from the University of Arizona Global Campus.
Aaron Franco
Communications Specialist
Aaron is POET's Marketing and Communications Specialist. He brings design and writing expertise, a background in strategic communication, and experience in the non-profit sector from his time with the National Geographic Society. Aaron supports POET’s communication goals through digital storytelling, website and identity development, and marketing/social media strategy. Aaron holds a B.F.A. in Studio Art and a B.J. in Advertising from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Missouri.
Devan Kochersperger
TEAMER Program Coordinator
Devan is the Program Coordinator for the Testing Expertise & Access for Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) Program. He brings extensive administrative experience from the public education sector. Prior to joining POET, he was the Graduate Coordinator for Portland State University’s Applied Psychology PhD program. He holds a B.A. in History from the Pennsylvania State University and an M.F.A. in Recording Arts & Technologies from Middle Tennessee State University.
Cynthia Martinez Leal
TEAMER Administrator
Cynthia provides administrative support to POET's Testing Expertise & Access for Marine Energy Research (TEAMER) Program, managing a large portfolio of supported projects and testing facilities located across the United States. A Geophysical Engineer by training, she holds a M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of Cantabria, Spain. Prior to joining POET, she worked at the Environmental Hydraulics Institute (IH Cantabria) in Spain as manager of the Coastal Modeling System, and participated in Coastal Engineering related to coastline management.