Amber grew up in Bluffton SC. She graduated with a Biology degree from University of Georgia in 1997. She became a professional boat captain in 1999. She started working with the HHI Sea Turtle Protection Project from 1998 – 2001 and went on to graduate school for a master’s degree in Marine Biology from Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. She returned to the Lowcountry in 2006 and has been with the HHI Sea Turtle Protection project for 11 consecutive seasons and currently manages the project. Amber is an active volunteer for the SC Marine Mammal Stranding Network in Beaufort County, and performs dolphin necropsies in the field for NOS (National Oceanic Services, a division of NOAA). She owns Spartina Marine Education Charters, operating a USCG certified vessel carrying 20 passengers. She educates tourist and locals on the unique ecosystem in the Lowcountry marshland, her own back yard. She is a fourth generation Bluffton resident.