Dr Handoko Adi Susanto is the Interim Executive Director of the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action (ATSEA) Regional Secretariat. He has more than 15 years of experience in marine ecology and integrated coastal management across Indonesia and the wider Asia Pacific region. Before joining ATSEA, he worked with organisations such as The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, RARE Indonesia, and USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership in Timor Leste. He holds a PhD in Marine Biology and Conservation from Kyushu University, Japan, and an MSc in Integrated Tropical Coastal Zone Management from the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand.
In his current role, Dr Handoko oversees the implementation of the ATSEA Program’s regional priorities, fostering collaboration among Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste to address shared marine challenges in the Arafura and Timor Seas. Under his leadership, the Regional Secretariat coordinates efforts to strengthen regional governance, promote ecosystem based management, and support sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities across the ATS region
Casandra Tania is the Program Specialist at the ATSEA Regional Secretariat. An experiencedmarine biologist, diver and conservationist, she has worked onwhale shark protection in Teluk Cenderawasih National Park and contributed to the GEF-funded Dugong and SeagrassConservation Project with WWF-Indonesia. She brings strong technical expertise and a deepcommitment to marine conservation in the Arafura andTimor Seas region.Cassie holds anErasmus Mundus MSc in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Ghent University, Belgium,and an MPhil in Conservation Leadership from the University of Cambridge, UK
Cristine Ingrid S. Narcise is the Policy and Result-Based Management Specialist atthe ATSEARegional Secretariat. She has extensive experience in marine policy and regional programmecoordination, previously working with Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seasof East Asia (PEMSEA) on GEF/UNDP-supported projects that advanced the SustainableDevelopment Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA). She also coordinated SDS-SEAimplementation in Indonesia, Thailand and Timor-Leste, focusing on capacity building andintegrated coastal management. Ingrid holds a Master’s Degree in Chemistry from theUniversity of the Philippines.
Yulia Dewi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Governmental and International Relations from GriffithUniversity. During her time at university, she served as a Diplomacy Delegates Officer for theASEAN-Australia Strategic Youth Partnerships (AASYP) initiative, where she developed andmanaged the AASYP Digital Dialogue platform.At the ATSEA Regional Secretariat, she carriesout communicationssupport, helping to deliver clear and engaging materials that reflect theProgram’s work and drive awareness of regional marine conservation efforts.
Chyntia is the Project Assistant at the ATSEA Regional Secretariat. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Gadjah Mada University and spent 1.5 years studying abroad at Ubbo Emmius and Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where she also developed fluency in Dutch. Before joining ATSEA, Cynthia worked as a Junior Technical Officer for the RPOA-IUU Secretariat, supporting coordination, meetings, and daily operations to promote responsible fishing practices and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the region.
