Executive Director & Matanzas Riverkeeper

Jen Lomberk is your Matanzas Riverkeeper. As a native Floridian, Lomberk has a lifelong personal connection with Florida’s natural areas and has dedicated her career to protecting them. Lomberk holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Florida as well as a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law with a certificate in Environmental & Land Use Law and Policy. As a Student Associate in the Conservation Clinic at UF Law, Lomberk worked on projects spanning a broad spectrum of environmental issues ranging from municipal beach regulation in the state of Florida to national park management in The Bahamas.  After becoming a licensed attorney, Lomberk served as the Staff Attorney for Alachua Conservation Trust and the Director of Special Projects for the University of Florida Levin College of Law Conservation Clinic, focusing on the use of conservation easements to protect sea turtle nesting habitat. Lomberk took the helm as the Matanzas Riverkeeper in December of 2017 and currently serves as the Chair of the Waterkeepers Florida regional entity.

Program Director 

J. Silas Tanner has been deeply connected to the local watershed since 2001. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology with a minor in Environmental Science (University of North Florida, 2016), where his research focused on the impact of local shellfish harvesting on estuarine substrate availability. In 2019, Silas became a certified US Coast Guard Captain (OUPV Near Coastal), expanding his maritime expertise. He then pursued a Master's degree in Biology at UNF, graduating in 2022 after investigating novel in-situ chlorophyll fluorescence sensor technologies to better characterize estuarine trophic health. Prior to his time at Matanzas Riverkeeper, Silas worked as a water quality technician at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. Silas joined Matanzas Riverkeeper in May of 2023.