When the Southern Resident Killer Whales swam south past Admiralty Head Lighthouse in the 1990s, Susan Berta would call a few volunteers to let them know it was time to go look. Little did she know that she was laying the foundation for Orca Network, an organization celebrating 25 years of connecting people with whales of the Pacific Northwest.

Susan met and began working with Howard Garrett, a former researcher with the Center for Whale Research and a frequent speaker on orca natural history who was working to free Lolita/Tokitae. The two joined forces, and in 2001, Orca Network was born.

“We used to do it all ourselves,” says Garrett, “but in a sign of heightened interest in orcas overall, we’re working at a greater scale now and things are done more collaboratively because more people are connecting with whales in the Pacific Northwest.”

Part of working more collaboratively is an organizational transition to a new joint leadership model. As of July 1, 2026, the staff and board of Orca Network welcomes new Co-Executive Directors Joy Brungardt (Operations) and Stephanie Raymond (Programs).