AltaSea: The Beacon – February 3, 2023

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Wendy Neu is a grassroots community organizer and activist that brings decades of knowledge and experience on environmental boards. She is the Chairman and CEO of Hugo Neu, a company that invests, builds, and manages businesses in industries such as recycling and real estate. Additionally, Neu is a Trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the world’s largest nonprofit environmental organizations that works to protect the world’s natural resources. She also serves on the boards of the New York/New Jersey Baykeeper; the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law; and the Basel Action Network.

Milken Institute’s Matt Horton offers a wealth of experience in public policy and business growth to the board and has an extensive history in addressing economic growth and resiliency across Southern California. He is currently a director at Milken Institute’s Center for Regional Economics and California Center, where he analyzes the dynamics that drive job creation and promote industry expansion. He has built a vast network, interacting with government officials, business leaders, and other key stakeholders in directing statewide programming and policy initiatives that promote workforce development and economic growth throughout the state. Previously, Horton worked for the Southern California Association for Governments, the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization.

“We are thrilled to have Wendy and Matt join our Board of Trustees as AltaSea and our campus continues to grow,” said AltaSea President & CEO Terry Tamminen. “Wendy has decades of leadership experience with major organizations that span the globe, and Matt has extensive knowledge of workforce development and expansions of economic sectors. Both Wendy and Matt will play critical roles as we build out our campus and expand the blue economy.”

The addition of Horton and Neu comes after adding Dr. Melanie Lundquist, LHD, one of California’s most generous and activist philanthropists, to AltaSea’s Board of Trustees.

During the past 18 months, AltaSea has secured $24 million in local, state, and federal funding commitments. In March 2022, AltaSea opened USC’s Nuzhdin Aquaculture Lab and Holdfast Aquaculture Lab. AltaSea has also been a hub for the national discussion about effective and sustainable use of ocean resources, hosting U.S. Congresswoman Nanette Barragán, State Senator Steve Bradford, U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, former Assemblyman Richard Bloom, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and many others interested in this unique and innovative public-private ocean institute.

“It is an exciting time for AltaSea, and we have seen incredible momentum as we build out the nation’s preeminent center of the burgeoning blue economy,” said AltaSea Board Chair Dr. Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D., former executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. “We are looking forward to getting to work with Wendy and Matt, drawing on their experience and expertise.”