Leslie Hickerson was born in the United States where she studied Sustainable Tourism at the University of Missouri. Her internship which focused on the sustainability of dive travel led her to work as a Divemaster on St. Maarten for the first time in 2010. After completing her degree Hickerson returned to the island and began working as a Dive Instructor for several years.
Throughout this time she saw first hand as coral disease and other pressures caused the health of the coral reef to decline. Soon she began to collaborate with the Nature Foundation on educational dives and shark week activities. Through this work Leslie started as the Education and Outreach Officer for the foundation in 2019 and became the Manager in 2022.
“The Nature Foundation is in an excellent position to grow thanks to the hard work of my preceding managers. I am looking forward to working with DCNA to help benefit all the islands in the Dutch Caribbean and ensure that the parks have the resources they need for vital biodiversity preservation.”
