The news headline caught Los Altos Hills resident and philanthropist Michelle Oates Detkin’s eye – a mother whale had been hit by a ship.
The whale’s name was Fran, and she was somewhat of a celebrity in the San Francisco Bay. Detkin said talking about the incident makes her cry because she felt for Fran, who had lost a calf, just birthed a new one and then died soon after being struck by the ship.
“I read that the Marine Mammal Center was helping with the necropsy, and I thought that’s amazing work they do,” Detkin said. “So I sent a little donation, and then I said something like ‘In memory of Fran.’ They wrote me back a personalized letter and gave me updates on Fran. I just thought, ‘Wow, that’s incredible.’”
That led Detkin to want to become more involved with the Sausalito-based center, which bills itself as the largest marine mammal hospital in the world. In July, she was elected to the Marine Mammal Center Board of Directors.
Board President Joshua Copp said the role of board members is to work closely with the executive team, contributing to the center’s mission, handling finances and connecting with people.
“Many of our board members are also volunteers, so they’re pretty closely involved with the work of the center in the day-to-day,” Copp said. “So they have a nice connection between that strategic view as well as what it really takes in to do much of our core work.”
Detkin said her priority as a new board member will be to learn.
“There’s probably a lot that nobody, unless you were involved at that level, understands between federal and state regulations, and different interest groups,” Detkin said. “There’s a lot to learn and I will try to be helpful.”
Regarding the board’s overarching goals, Copp said Detkin’s experience will contribute well to them.
“Michelle is a wonderful blend of professional experience that is highly applicable to an organization going through the growth period that we are, as well as volunteerism and active involvement in particularly animal care,” Copp said.
Detkin’s experience with animal care includes her work at the Silicon Valley Humane Society, where she developed the Wellness Wagon that supports underprivileged pet owners.
“Wellness Wagon goes into communities like East San Jose, where I grew up, and they do free clinics,” Detkin said. “They do free minor things to help people keep their pets healthy. I do feel like it also helps the people. You shouldn’t have to decide between: Do you want to eat dinner or do you want to save your pet?”
The human-connection aspect is what Detkin said draws her in – especially at the Marine Mammal Center.
“People always think of conservation efforts as government regulations, bureaucracy or interfering with business,” Detkin said. “But there’s human beings so committed to this; it’s very inspiring. At the mammal center, they walk down the beach and they help the wildlife.”
In addition to Detkin’s commitment and experience with animal care, Copp said she can help the center grow beyond the North Bay.
“We want to continue to expand awareness, and so having someone from the geographic location where Michelle is helps us do that because she can then be actively engaged in that community and help them collectively get to know the center better,” he said.
Beyond increasing awareness regionally, Detkin said she hopes the center and conservation efforts become more prominent in the minds of younger generations.
“(Younger generations) are so motivated to make a difference and to not just accept ‘Well, whales are going to die’ or whatever,” Detkin said. “They know so much more, and they’ve got access to so much information. There is a huge resource of highly motivated smart young people out there who have the energy to get involved, and maybe their careers could even take them in a different direction they hadn’t anticipated.”
Copp said Detkin brings that same passion and drive to the center.
“Michelle is a wonderful blend of really down to earth and easy to get along with, but also high intensity, and she can toggle between that really nicely,” he said.
And Detkin said her passion lies in the connection between people and animals.
“It’s not like (it’s) pets or people,” Detkin said. “When you help animals, you help people, and when you help people keep their animals, you also help animals. When you keep the ocean healthy, you are helping people. I feel like a lot of people sort of look down on helping animals over people, but it’s all connected.”
For more information on the Marine Mammal Center, see marinemammalcenter.org.
