Meet the Team
Executive Committee
Surfrider Foundation chapters are led by volunteers based in the chapter's service area, and are elected to their positions on the chapter's Executive Committee from amongst the chapter's membership to 2 year terms in specific roles.
The South Texas Chapter will be holding an August 2026 election on Friday, August 28 at 7pm. All dues paying members are eligible to vote.
Please see below to meet the Executive Committee team and to RSVP your attendance to the Members' Social and Executive Committee Election!
Annie Zeiler
Chair Candidate
Although I’m originally from Wisconsin, I’ve always felt at home in the water. I’m a surfer, scuba diver, and ocean enthusiast and earned my M.S. in Ocean, Coastal, and Earth Sciences from UTRGV. During graduate school, I founded the UTRGV Surfrider Foundation student club to bring students together around ocean conservation and create opportunities to make a difference through beach cleanups, advocacy, and community engagement. This experience taught me about organizing cleanups, building community, recruiting volunteers, and inspiring others to take action for our coast.
After graduating and deciding to stay in South Texas, I joined the South Texas Chapter and stepped into the role of Acting Chair. While we've got a lot of work to do, I’m excited to continue growing our Surfrider community and working alongside other passionate volunteers to protect the beaches, waterways, and ocean that make South Texas such a special place.
Kristen Kline
Vice Chair Candidate
I am a self-proclaimed water baby and have spent most of my life in, on, under or near water. Swimming was my first contact with water, but along my journey I have sailed, beach-combed, windsurfed, boogie-boarded, floated, tubed, SCUBA-dived, surfed and floated my way to a deep love and understanding of our watery world. My roots in Texas are firmly entrenched, but I have visited or lived in places as far away as Bali and France, learning to see myself as a tiny part of a gigantic world. My formal education has spanned several decades, taking place at three Texas universities where I earned degrees in French, Library Science, and History. However, travel, activism, and independent research have taught me some of Life’s most salient lessons.
My interest in running for Vice Chair of the South Texas Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation stems from a long-standing desire to ensure that Texas beaches and nearshore areas of the Gulf of Mexico remain accessible and enjoyable to all people and livable for their non-human inhabitants. I believe in the principles that the Surfrider Foundation fights for globally and would like to use its reach and my local connections to bring that fight to an area that is under imminent threat from unbridled “economic development.” I work and volunteer with local non-profits to help make our part of this giant world a better place, and I am confident that I can play a role in helping establish this chapter in south Texas.
Julie Miller
Treasurer Candidate
I am a lifelong ocean lover, surfer, and advocate for clean and healthy waterways. I am excited to support the South Texas Chapter by combining my passion for protecting beaches and coastal environments with nearly 30 years of financial experience in the medical laboratory field. I also bring two years of experience as a co-manager and bookkeeper for Tarpon RV Park. As Treasurer, I look forward to helping strengthen the chapter’s financial foundation and supporting its mission to protect the coast for generations to come.
Nicole Ekstrom
Secretary /Communications Coordinator Candidate
I am a lifelong member of the South Texas coastal community and has been part of the local surfing community since 1998. I have more than a decade of nonprofit leadership experience to the South Texas Chapter, including serving as President, Executive Director, and Treasurer of the Friends of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, as well as founding and serving as the first President of the Galveston Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.
With a B.S. in Marine Science and a M.S. in Marine Resource Management, I have a strong background in coastal ecology, conservation, and Texas coastal issues. As Secretary, I hope to strengthen the chapter’s organization, documentation, and communication while helping build partnerships and advocate for the protection of South Texas beaches and coastal resources.
Sarah McKinlay
Volunteer Coordinator
As a dedicated member of the South Texas Chapter since 2008 and a former Executive Committee member, I bring deep roots in local ocean conservation and proven experience managing community-driven initiatives to the Volunteer Coordinator role. From orchestrating smooth event operations and shift scheduling for International Surfing Day to launching youth surf clinics, beach cleanups, and educational outreach programs, I thrive on connecting passionate individuals with actionable ways to protect our coastlines. My work with local businesses, organizing film screenings and guest speaker nights, alongside running my own small business and community initiatives on South Padre Island, has equipped me with the organizational and leadership skills to recruit, retain, and inspire a strong volunteer network. I am eager to leverage my hands-on background and enthusiasm for coastal stewardship to grow our chapter’s impact and support the Surfrider Foundation’s mission.