Who We Are
Meet the team at Moray Firth Coastal Partnership
Terrie Sawyer
Partnership Manager
Terrie grew up in Cornwall and has spent much of her life by the sea, with years living along the coastlines of Tasmania and Scotland. Now settled on the Black Isle, she loves volunteering with Moray Ocean Community.
With a degree in Environmental Science, Terrie has built a career as a marine environmental scientist, specialising in geochemistry. Her passion lies in protecting and enhancing natural ecosystems—especially our oceans and coastal environments. She is a strong advocate for building deeper connections between communities and their coastal surroundings, believing this can spark a ripple effect of lasting, positive change.
Alice Walters
MFCP Trustee
Alice started her working life as a primary school teacher but found herself using holidays to volunteer on marine and coastal research projects around the world. She formalised the decision to shift careers with a studentship at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) and a Masters of Research at Heriot Watt University. Originally from the United States, Alice moved to the Moray Firth in 2007 for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership with the University of Aberdeen and Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) to look at making research more accessible to the public. This role combined her love of teaching with her passion for all things marine and the citizen science Shorewatch Programme was born, supporting volunteers to do surveys for whales and dolphins from land-based sites around Scotland. In her current role with WDC, Alice manages the database for the Shorewatch Programme. She feels strongly about making data accessible and likes nothing more than a well-organised spreadsheet!
John Simpson
MFCP Trustee
John grew up on the Angus coastline but now lives in Forres, enjoying regular trips to the Moray Firth Coast beaches with his wife and dog. In 2014, John received a First-Class Honours degree in Geography from the University of Dundee, followed by a Masters degree in Water Hazards, Risk and Resilience. John specialised in coastal flooding and erosion. In his career he has always had a passion for helping people whilst maintaining an interest in protecting the environment. John has worked for the environmental charity Changeworks since 2021, providing support as a Senior Advisor in his day role on supervision, quality assurance, reporting and process improvements. He is excited to have joined the MFCP team to contribute to protecting the wonderful Moray Firth Coast for the benefit of all.
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Kara Scott
MFCP Trustee
Originally from Elgin, Kara grew up with the Moray Firth Coast on her doorstep. Her childhood was spent by the beach, and later she travelled the globe, often found Scuba Diving the Great Barrier Reef, and even diving for Abalone off the Tasmanian shores. Whilst having adventured across the globe, Lossiemouth and Findhorn are still two of her favourite beaches in the world. In 2019 Kara received a First-Class Honours degree in Marine and Coastal Tourism. It was during this degree that she discovered a passion for coastal communities and sustainable development. Now living in Inverness, in 2022 Kara completed her Master’s degree in Sustainable Rural Development and now works for Soirbheas as Assistant Community Development Officer. She is excited to work with the MFCP team to help protect and sustain the beautiful Moray Firth Coast for many generations to come.