Amber grew up in Bluffton SC. and is a fourth generation Bluffton resident. She graduated college with a Biology degree from University of Georgia in 1997. She became a professional boat captain in 1999.
Amber started working with the Sea Turtle Patrol on HHI (1998 - 2001) and went on to graduate school to complete a master’s degree in Marine Biology from Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
She made her living as a scuba instructor and dive boat captain while studying leatherback, green, and loggerhead sea turtles nesting on Broward county Beaches.
In 2004 she moved to Maui for a career in the diving industry and to study green and hawksbill sea turtles. She returned to the Lowcountry in 2006 and has been with Sea Turtle Patrol HHI for 17 consecutive seasons and currently manages the program. 2023 was her 26th season working on sea turtle nesting beaches.
Amber is an active volunteer for the SC Marine Mammal Stranding Network in Beaufort County, and performs dolphin necropsies in the field for NOS (National Oceanic Services, a division of NOAA). She also received an award form SCDNR in 2014 for her dedication to sea turtle stranding response.
She owns Spartina Marine Education Charters, operating a USCG certified vessel carrying 20 passengers. She educates tourist and locals on the unique ecosystem in the Lowcountry marshland, her own back yard.