Summer Ritner
Chief Operating Officer at The Belle ISle Conservancy, Director of THE BELLE ISLE AQUARIUM

Summer Ritner is the COO at the Belle Isle Conservancy and the Director of the Belle Isle Aquarium. Summer Ritner has been the Chief Operating Officer at the Belle Isle Conservancy since 2015. She has experience as a Director of Operations from working at The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW) which provides emergency assistance to Michigan residents in need. Summer Ritner attended the Willamette University College of Law in 2012.

dr. Paul Shuert
Curator at the Belle Isle Aquarium

Before being hired in 2017 for the position of Curator of the Belle Isle Aquarium, Paul Shuert was a long-time volunteer with the Aquarium.  Dr. Shuert has a Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of South Florida with much experience in doing ecosystem modeling.  With broad global experience on over 30 shipborne expeditions, he has studied environments as varied as the Bering Sea near Alaska, the Atlantic Ocean off the U,S southern coast (the "South Alantic Bight"), and the Gulf of Mexico.  Although the focus of his scientific interests has been on plankton and ecological interactions, he is broadly interested in all components of aquatic systems and their use in education.  Prior to becoming Curator at the Belle Isle Aquarium, Shuert also managed business, engineering and research in various positions with Shuert Industries, Shuert Automotive, and Shuert Technologies.