Bahamian conservation leader Rashema Ingraham has been appointed as Caribbean Program Director for Bonefish & Tarpon Trust.
Ingraham has served for the past eight years as Executive Director of Waterkeepers Bahamas (WKB), where she distinguished herself as an effective leader, accomplished conservation advocate, incisive communicator, educator, and community organizer. During her tenure, she co-founded the coalition “Our Islands, Our Future,” to oppose oil exploration in The Bahamas, developed new youth education programs, and played a pivotal role in establishing the Bahamas Mangrove Alliance (BMA), a multi-organizational effort to restore mangroves in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.
“Bonefish & Tarpon Trust is pleased to welcome Rashema Ingraham to this important leadership role,” said BTT President and CEO Jim McDuffie. “Throughout her career, Rashema has focused on driving positive change at the nexus of environmental health, community-based solutions, and sustainable economic growth. Her experience and perspective will be invaluable to BTT’s mission in The Bahamas and regionally.”
Based in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Ingraham will lead BTT’s Bahamas Program, focusing on government affairs, public policy, community engagement, and other high impact work in pursuit of the organization’s conservation mission. Beyond The Bahamas, she will be an integral part of BTT’s regional team working in Belize, Mexico and other Caribbean nations.
“Joining Bonefish & Tarpon Trust is an incredible opportunity to broaden conservation efforts in The Bahamas and across the Caribbean,” said Ingraham. “I am ready to step into this role and engage governments, communities, and both cultural and economic stakeholders to preserve our marine habitats and fisheries for a thriving future. At my core, I am inspired to do this work so that my own children and their peers can grow up and thrive in a healthy world around them.
A graduate of the University of The Bahamas, Ingraham was previously selected by the international Waterkeepers Alliance as one of the “Top 20 Global Waterkeeper Warriors” and named to the list of “40 Under 40 Most Successful and Influential Professionals in The Bahamas.” A frequent and passionate keynote speaker and expert panelist at international conferences, she was a presenter at COP28 in Expo City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and a panelist at the United Nations 2023 Water Conference in New York, NY. Most recently, she was a moderator representing the Bahamian perspective at a program sponsored by the Clinton Global Initiative and highlighting the role of women in climate leadership across the Caribbean.
BTT was founded in 1997 with the mission to conserve bonefish, tarpon and permit—the species, their habitats and the fisheries they comprise. This mission is pursued across the southeastern US, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea through science-based conservation, education and advocacy.
