Our Team

Bill Lackey

Co-founder, President
Bill retired in March 2023 after working in the fire service for 37 years. During that time, he worked as a Paramedic, USAR Rescue Specialist, Safety Officer, Hazardous Materials Technician, Fire Investigator, and Drone Pilot. Bill has volunteered since 2017 with a local marine mammal rescue facility where he gained valuable experience working with NOAA’s West Coast Whale Disentanglement Team. With this experience, Bill partnered with Co-Founders Wendy Leeds, Lindsey Van Schoick, and Justin Van Schoick to establish Entangled Whale Response of Orange County (EWROC) to enhance Orange County’s whale entanglement response efforts. Bill is a Level 2 whale entanglement responder with experience on multiple entanglement events. He is also an FAA Part 107 licensed Drone Pilot.
Wendy Leeds

Co-founder, Treasurer

With 28 years of experience in marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, Wendy has dedicated her career to protecting and conserving marine life. Starting as a volunteer at Pacific Marine Mammal Center caring for sick, injured, and stranded marine mammals in Orange County, CA, Wendy transitioned to a paid staff position in 2013. Over the years, she advanced through roles as a Rescue/Volunteer Coordinator and ultimately became the Animal Care Coordinator. Wendy was responsible for coordinating rescues of stranded, sick, or injured marine mammals and training rescue teams. She reported vital data on stranded marine mammals to the NMFS National Database, supporting national research and conservation initiatives. Beginning in 2012, Wendy joined NOAA’s West Coast Whale Disentanglement Team. In 2014, Wendy led the facility’s whale entanglement response efforts in collaboration with NOAA. She has participated in numerous entanglement responses and on-water training events and is a certified Level 2 whale entanglement responder.
Lindsey Van Schoick

Co-founder, Secretary

Lindsey has been a member of NOAA’s West Coast Whale Disentanglement Team in Orange County California since 2017. Prior to that, Lindsey spent 23 years as both a volunteer and supervisor at a prominent Southern California marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation facility. During that tenure, she assumed various responsibilities, including developing and training volunteer team members, leading animal rescues and releases, and overseeing the husbandry needs of all animals. She also played a key role in assisting the veterinary medical teams with implementing their treatment plans and maintaining detailed records of each "patient" encounter. As a member of the whale disentanglement network, Lindsey has participated in multiple rescue responses and training events.
Justin Van Schoick

Co-founder, Team Advisor
Justin brings a different skill set to team EWROC. He is a successful franchise owner of a nationally recognized convenience food chain with more than 17 years of experience in the business and corporate arena. He has previous marketing, development, and management experience in several internationally recognized American apparel companies managing multimillion-dollar budgets. Justin brings business expertise and team-management skills to EWROC. He is currently a Level 1 whale entanglement responder and is working towards Level 2 response capabilities.