Chloe Chelz - ACTING EXECUTIVE director

Chloe Chelz assumed the position of Acting Executive Director at Pelican Harbor Seabird Station in December 2023, following serving as Assistant Director for just over two years, and after volunteering there for approximately a year and a half. Her decision to dedicate time to the organization stemmed from an increasing interest and intention to refocus her energy on nature, and specifically, on wildlife and the environment, after a long career in the art and design world. 

Originally from the Midwest, she gravitated to both the arts and sciences as a child in Kansas, even serving as a “Junior Zookeeper” for multiple summers at Sunset Zoo. At the University of Kansas, she studied Art History as an undergraduate and afterward moved to New York City in 1996, where she was a researcher at an art gallery for nearly a decade. Pursuing a growing interest in historical objects, she earned a graduate degree in the history of design at Parsons School of Design and worked at the Museum of Modern Art before securing a Fulbright grant for a ten-month research project and cultural exchange program in Italy. 

In 2009, an invitation to work for the Design Miami fair brought her to Miami, where she managed relationships with corporate sponsors for events in Miami, Milan, and Basel. A subsequent role as marketing coordinator for the design store Luminaire included the management of advertising, communications, and event production of various scales. Later, serving for nine years as the Office Director at Rene Gonzalez Architects, she gained a wealth of experience managing both forward-facing and back-of-house operations, working closely with the principal and managing all aspects of the firm. 

During her first months in Miami, a local brought her for a visit to PHSS, which left a lasting impression. As PHSS undergoes the following years of intense growth and expansion, she looks forward to contributing to its evolution and utilizing her interest in exploring and leveraging intersections between culture and environmental advocacy to support the organization’s mission and vision.