WHO WE ARE

William W. Anderson

Mr. Anderson is the President of Westrec Marinas, one of the nation’s largest owner and operator of waterfront marinas that encompasses a $300M real estate portfolio with over 12,000 boat slips.

Mr. Anderson previously worked for the U.S. Department of the Interior developing urban waterfront areas throughout the United States, most notably The Golden Gate and The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Areas.  He supervised the recreational development of the San Francisco Waterfront and managed the initial reconstruction of the historic ships at Fisherman’s Wharf Hyde Street Pier.  He has an extensive background in governmental relations, having testified before the United States Congress as well as numerous state and governmental agencies.  Mr. Anderson spent five years in the hospitality and tourism industry as Vice President of the Malibu Conference Center.  Mr. Anderson served for five years as the President of the Association of Marine Industries and is a past board member of The Grand Canyon National Park Foundation.

Mr. Anderson served for six years on California’s Marine Life Protection Act Blue Ribbon Task Force.  During this period the task force met with over 4,000 members of the public and received over 20,000 written comments regarding the preservation and use of California’s marine eco systems.  He worked closely with California’s Marine Science Advisory Team and numerous conservation and stakeholder groups in developing 124 marine protected areas, (878 square miles), encompassing  over 16% of California’s coastal waters.   For his work in helping to create a network of marine protected areas, he received the annual Poseidon Award from the California Reef Check Foundation.  Mr. Anderson is a nationally recognized speaker on recreation management and development issues and is a graduate of Penn State University.

Wayne Blank

Wayne Blank co-founded CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles, a marketplace where local artisans sell one-of-a-kind creations. The classically restored 1940’s-era Warehouse No 10 is home to more than 100 individual artists, crafters and food makers, each presenting their unique handcrafted goods in a vibrant patchwork of shop spaces. The marketplace hosts daily demonstrations and make-and-takes/DIYs, as well as live music, special events and food from food trucks. CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles recently welcomed craft brewer BROUWERIJ WEST to the marketplace in newly renovated Warehouse No 9; reinventing the western half of the old warehouse as a 15,000-barrel regional brewery complete with tours and tastings.

Blank also co-founded Bergamont Station with Shoshana Blank in September 1994. They had the vision to convert dilapidated industrial structures into a vibrant arts center—a concept that ultimately revived the art scene in Los Angeles following the 1994 LA Riots and earthquake—two historical events that deeply affected LA’s social culture.  The success of the arts center was always driven by its inclusivity and its core mission of being a cultural stop free and open to all. It has been home to renowned art galleries, architects, and creative businesses.

Andy Cohen

Andy Cohen, FAIA is one of two Gensler Co-CEOs, whose collaborative leadership model sets itself apart in the marketplace as the #1 ranked global design firm, with $1.2 billion in revenue in 2016. For his innovative leadership, he and Co-CEO Diane Hoskins rank on Business Insider’s elite “Creators” list, a who’s who of the world’s 100 top creative visionaries. A hands-on leader, Andy oversees Gensler’s global platform and its day-to-day operations, some 5,500+ people networked across 47 offices, serving clients in 120+ countries.

A champion of design, resiliency and sustainability, Andy is Chair of Gensler’s Board of Directors, spearheading design excellence strategies across Gensler’s 31 diverse practice areas. Andy has been a speaker at many premier industry conferences, including the Urban Land Institute (ULI), Milken Institute Global Conference, Pension Real Estate Association (PREA) and TEDx. Andy is an active Board Member of the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics and the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. In his role as Co-CEO, Andy is one of the key contributors to what is acknowledged, by its peers, to be the most admired and largest architecture firm in the world, pioneering project types and design innovation strategies for the next century.

Vipe Desai

Vipe is the founder and CEO of HDX Mix, an environmentally friendly sports drink mix. In addition to being a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist, he has applied his more than 3 decades of experience in launching disruptive brands, brand building and cause-marketing strategies for both for-profit and non-profits. Currently Vipe is serving as a Board Member for Ocean Champions, Lonely Whale Foundation and RichUncles.com, an SEC reporting company managing more than $300 million in assets.

In the early 90’s, Vipe created the H2O Winter Classic, a two-day surf and snowboard competition with a concert which went on to inspire the Vans Warped Tour and the X Games. In the late 90’s, he helped launch Red Bull in the U.S. Vipe has been called upon by numerous brands, CEO’s and even political campaigns to advise on branding, marketing and turn-around strategies which also included creating a campaign for Partnership for a Healthier America chaired by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Today, Vipe’s focus is on ensuring that future generations are met with a healthy and thriving ocean. He’s involved with several ventures focused around innovations and solutions that will reduce plastic waste and minimize impact on the planet.

As a way to help entrepreneurs, he launched the Army of Gamechangers podcast where he interviews executives who share their best career and leadership advice.

Keep up with his projects and ventures at vipedesai.com

Susan Gates

As CEO and founding partner of Redbird, Susan plays a key role guiding the company’s vision and values while overseeing the Strategic and Creative output of the agency. She works together with her business partner, Amy Rappeport, to the proper care and feeding of all Redbirds and their clients. She gets to know each client well, and works to ensure, ongoing, that our creative work fuels each brand’s business growth in the best possible ways.

Susan has deep cross-discipline expertise on the editorial, marketing and financial sides of the media business. After working in New York at New York magazine, Newsweek and Smithsonian, she moved to Los Angeles, where she was founding publisher of Buzz, the award-winning monthly magazine. She has played primary roles in launching and repositioning numerous media brands including Traveler, Spy and Yoga Journal, and has provided strategic expertise to Harvard Business School Publishing, National Geographic, The New York Times and American Media Inc. Susan is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Colorado and holds an MS in journalism from Columbia University in New York.

Peter R. Girguis

Peter Girguis is a Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. His lab research focuses on microbes that flourish in so-called “extreme environments”. His research is highly interdisciplinary, as he also builds novel instruments and samplers for use on HOVs, ROVs, and AUVs –such as underwater mass spectrometers and microbial samplers- for use in the deep sea.

Prof. Girguis received his B.Sc. from U.C.L.A. and his Ph.D. from the University of California Santa Barbara, where he worked with Dr. James Childress on the physiology of deep-sea hydrothermal vent tubeworms. He did postdoctoral research at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute before going to Harvard University.

Prof. Girguis’ honors include 5 consecutive commendations for distinguished teaching, the 2007 and 2011 Lindbergh Foundation Award for Science & Sustainability, and Discover Magazine’s “10 Everyday Technologies That Can Change the World”. He was a Distinguished Lecturer for the National Science Foundation, a Merck Co. Innovative Research Awardee, and a Department of Energy E.C.-U.S. Biotechnology Fellowship recipient. Girguis has authored or co-authored over 85 publications in journals such as Nature, Science, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Proceedings of the Royal Society. Girguis served as chair of the National Deep Submergence Science Committee (DeSSC) from 2010-2016, and is now on several notable ocean advisory boards.

Roberta Marinelli, Ph.D.

Roberta Marinelli is Dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. As dean she leads one of the strongest Earth sciences programs in the nation, with nationally recognized teaching and research expertise in oceanography, atmospheric sciences, geology, geography, and coastal studies.

Previously, Marinelli served as executive director of the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Southern California, a post she held since 2011. There, she played a leadership role in planning and implementing an expansion of academic and research programs in environmental studies at USC’s University Park Campus, and directed the Philip K. Wrigley Marine Science Center on Santa Catalina Island. Marinelli also oversaw the George and Mary Lou Boone Center for Science and Environmental Leadership, a nexus where scientists and policy makers can meet to resolve environmental challenges.

Prior to her arrival at USC, Marinelli was the Director of the Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems Program in the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Sciences section, where she helped to lead the development of collaborative, interdisciplinary programs across the Foundation, including the International Polar Year, Climate Research Investments, and SEES (Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability). She was a tenured associate professor on the faculty at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Science, and an assistant professor at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

Marinelli received her master’s and doctoral degrees in marine science from the University of South Carolina, and her bachelor’s degree from Brown University. She is a member of the American Geophysical Union, the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, and The Oceanography Society.

Greg Morena

Growing up in Santa Monica, Greg Morena, was immersed in the boom of the California skate and surf culture, a culture that sparked his creativity and inspired his entrepreneurial spirit. While in college, Greg took this passion and drive to create his first business, Synergy Consulting, a company dedicated to managing entrepreneurial businesses and brands. He later added an accounting arm to his business, Synergy KMC, which offers accounting support for his diverse roster of clients. Both of these companies are still thriving today.

In addition to his work at Synergy, Greg has held positions at various successful companies including COO for Undefeated, a worldwide fashion brand and retail chain, CFO for The Hundreds, an international fashion brand and retail chain, and CRO for the Bleach Group, a holding of Breakwater Investments, LLP. These positions have lead Greg to cultivate invaluable experiences and relationships that benefit his growing restaurant group today.

Greg Morena and his team at The Albright have been trailblazers in their sustainability and greening efforts. Recognized as the first sustainable business on the Pier and awarded the 2017 SQA Grand Prize award and the 2016 SQA Stewardship of the Natural Environment Award, The Albright faithfully follows the triple bottom line framework and aims to help create a green movement across all businesses on the Pier. They believe that running sustainable businesses, that also support other local businesses and vendors, will engender a sense of respect from the Santa Monica community and also help to integrate the Pier as a member of the community, rather than a location where millions of tourists flock to each summer.

Greg is Southern California native, small business owner, husband and father of two, with a focus on establishing effective communication with residents, preserving the legacy of local communities, and contributing smart growth and economic development to build a better tomorrow.

Today Greg sits on the following Boards and Commissions:

• Audit Commissioner for the City of Santa Monica
• Transit Management Board Member
• SM Pier Leasee Board Membe
• Chamber Board Member and Education Committee Organizer
• Treasurer and Board Member of the San Pedro Property Business Improvement   District

● AltaSea Ambassador

Eric Noel Muñoz

Eric is a San Pedro native who has used wave and cultural experiences to explore the world. Holding a degree in Physical Geography from San Diego State University, a career in public sector land use planning for coastal Southern California cities (city of Del Mar, 2 years and city of Carlsbad, 18 years) was followed by another 15+ years (and counting) career as a coastal land use consultant. Experience includes project management, authored city codes, community engagement, secured entitlements for various land use projects, and served as a staff extension planning consultant for the Port of San Diego managing projects on public trust tidelands associated with the five waterfront cities along San Diego Bay: National City, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, Coronado, and San Diego.

As a Carlsbad staff planner, Eric had the role of city liaison to a multi-agency task force that eliminated an invasive aquarium strain of a seaweed from a Carlsbad lagoon that threatened the California coastline. The eradication of Caulerpa taxifolia was the subject of a 3-minute animated video he wrote, directed, and narrated as a TED Educator (Attack of the Killer Algae). Eric went on to author a book on this rare victory over a marine invasive species (Caulerpa Conquest, A Biological Eradication on the California Coast). Public speaking on coastal issues included venues throughout California for audiences ranging from elementary schools to professional planners, environmental groups, and military officers.

Other speaking venues included:
• university and government agency entities in Hawaii
• a national coastal environmental conference in Washington DC
• the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography in Marseille, France
• the first joint conference of Australian and New Zealand city planners in Wellington, New Zealand

Community roles included:
• two-time president, volunteer of the year, and board member of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation in Carlsbad
• served on the board of directors for 8 years with the California Shore and Beach Preservation Association promoting coastal legislation, and climate change-based shoreline resilience policy development for cities, counties and ports statewide

Current community roles include:
• member of the Conservation Committee with Wildcoast which advances coastal conservation efforts in Baja California, southern California, Mexico, Costa Rica and Cuba
• vice-president of the California Surf Museum based in Oceanside, California

Eric has authored a children’s book (Peli Can Surf), and enjoys freelance writing assignments, community outreach, land use challenges, and coastal environmental pursuits. He is also a co-founder of the Palm Springs Surf Club which will combine technology with surf culture to help define the non-ocean future of wave riding.

Eric looks forward to advancing the AltaSea mission, and to add value to innovative efforts to promote sustainable ocean stewardship from our local waters to coastal realms worldwide.

Janice Pober

Janice Pober, former Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Social Responsibility for Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), oversees the studio’s strategic philanthropic efforts, cultural participation and community outreach activities.

In her more than 30 years at SPE, Pober has played an integral role in the development and maturation of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. Under her leadership, SPE has concentrated its efforts on four key areas – arts, education, diversity and inclusion, and the environment.\

Pober has also focused on driving employee engagement, volunteerism and giving.  She developed SPE’s employee-run volunteer program, instituted a corporate matching gift program, and created the company’s Celebrations of Arts and Culture employee outreach series.

Through her efforts within the studio and outside of the company, Pober has increased the company’s reputation for philanthropy and strengthened its role as a CSR leader in the entertainment industry.

Pober began her entertainment industry career as Executive Assistant to Steven Spielberg at Amblin Entertainment. In 1984, she joined Columbia Pictures Entertainment. After roles in marketing and talent relations, Pober was named Executive Director of Corporate Relations in 1991. She assumed her current role in July 2002.

Pober is a Trustee of the California State Summer School for the Arts. Additionally, she serves on the Boards of the Craft & Folk Art Museum and Arts for Incarcerated Youth Network, the Executive Committee for the Los Angeles County Regional Blueprint for Arts Education; the California Institute of the Arts, Community Arts Partnership Council; as well as the advisory boards for the Culver City High School’s Academy of Visual and Performing Arts and Culver City’s District Community Arts Team. She is also a member of Grantmakers in the Arts and Los Angeles Arts Funders.

Gregory F. Schem

Currently President and CEO of Harbor Real Estate Group, specializing in the acquisition, development and management of waterfront real estate investments including marinas, boat yards, and a fuel dock.  Schem has had a successful career in the national real estate market as an investor, developer and manager, including the urban re-development of loft residential units, hotels, office buildings, shopping centers, and industrial facilities. He was co-founder and President of the Kor Group which went on to create the international Viceroy Hotel chain.

Schem has acquired numerous real estate assets on behalf of private and public pension funds, banking institutions, and private investment groups during his career. He was Acquisitions Director at TCW Realty Advisors and prior to that handled acquisitions for Cal Fed Bank, The Preferred Financial Real Estate Company, and the University Group. He has negotiated complex ground leases, achieved entitlements, and secured regulatory approvals from the California State Lands Commission, County of Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles, California Coastal Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Catalina Island Conservancy and Island Company, among others.  Schem is a licensed California Real Estate broker and a member of Marina Recreation Association (MRA), National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), Association of Marina Industries (AMI), and the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC).

An avid yachtsman and sports fisherman, Schem enjoys fishing, cruising, and SCUBA diving throughout the United States, Canada, Caribbean, Bahamas, and Mexico.  He served for three years as a member of the Blue-Ribbon Task Force for the California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative, served on the Marina del Rey Design Guidelines Task Force in Los Angeles, is currently the Vice President of the Marina del Rey Lessees Association, President of the Channel Island Harbor Lessees Association, and completed the pro bono development of a new 350-foot pier on Catalina Island for the Boy Scouts of America in 2008.  He holds a current U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master Captain license, and is an instrument rated Commercial Pilot.  He is an Assistant Scoutmaster and member of the Executive Board for the West Los Angeles County Council-Boy Scouts of America.

Schem earned his Bachelor of Science degree (BS) in chemistry from the State University of New York and his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Business.  As an undergraduate student, Schem was an intern at the New York Ocean Science Laboratory at Montauk, where he co-published his work in analytical chemistry.  Schem is a member of the Bel Air Bay Club in the Pacific Palisades and an equity member at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo.  He is married for 29 years and has three adult children.

Peter Sellars, Ph.D.

Peter Sellars has gained international renown for his groundbreaking and transformative interpretations of artistic masterpieces and for collaborative projects with an extraordinary range of creative artists. He has staged operas at the Dutch National Opera, the English National Opera, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Opéra national de Paris, among others. He made his Salzburg Festival debut in 1992 with Messiaen’s Saint François d’Assise. Peter Sellars has collaborated on the creation of many works with composer John Adams, including Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer, El Niño, Doctor Atomic, A Flowering Tree and The Gospel According to the Other Mary. Inspired by the compositions of Kaija Saariaho, he has guided the creation of productions of her work that have expanded the field of modern opera, including the world premiere of her first opera, L’Amour de loin, at the 2000 Salzburg Festival.  Recent projects include the premiere of the latest Adams/Sellars collaboration, Girls of the Golden West, at the San Francisco Opera, a new production of Doctor Atomic at the Santa Fe Opera, and a revival this spring of his staging of Saint John Passion with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.  He will return to the Salzburg Festival this summer to stage Mozart’s Idomeneo. Peter Sellars has led several major arts festivals, including the 1990 and 1993 Los Angeles Festivals and the 2002 Adelaide Festival of Arts. In 2006 he was artistic director of New Crowned Hope, a month-long festival in Vienna for which he invited artists from diverse cultural backgrounds to create new work in the fields of music, theatre, dance, film, the visual arts and architecture for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth.  Sellars served as music director of the 2016 Ojai Music Festival in California.

Peter Sellars is a distinguished professor in the Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a resident curator of the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. He was a mentor for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. He is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the Erasmus Prize for contributions to European culture and the Gish Prize. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.  He has been awarded the prestigious Polar Music Prize and been named Artist of the Year by Musical America.

Joel Sill

I began my career as a music publisher and record producer. My initial involvement with film was as soundtrack producer for “Easy Rider”. In 1980 I became Vice President in charge of music for Paramount Pictures, I oversaw music for the films “Reds, 48 Hours, An Officer and a Gentleman” featuring “Up Where We Belong”, and “Flashdance” highlighting “Flashdance-What a Feeling”, both songs won Academy awards. In 1983 I moved to Warner Bros Inc., as Vice President of music for all filmed entertainment. At Warner’s, I worked on such films as “Blade Runner, The Killing Fields, Purple Rain, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, The Goonies, The Color Purple ” and introduced Madonna to film in “Vision Quest” with the # 1 recording of “Crazy for You”. I then partnered with director Taylor Hackford in the New Visions Music Group, where I supervised music for “Mannequin” which included the # 1 hit “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”, next was “La Bamba” which produced the # 1 single and # 1 and 5x multiplatinum soundtrack album by Los Lobos. I then partnered with Chuck Kaye previously Chairman of Warner Chappell Music, to form Windswept Pacific, a Joint Venture with Fuji Sankei Communications. We acquired numerous music catalogues, including Tommy James and The Shondells, Rod Stewart, Willie Nelson, The Four Seasons, Count Basie, The Isley Bros, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Little Anthony and the Imperials, The Shirells, K.C. and the Sunshine Band, Tito Puente, John Cougar Mellencamp and grew Windswept to the 4th largest independent music publisher. During that time I continued my film music production work with “Free Willy, The Fabulous Baker Boys, My Cousin Vinny, The Firm, Twister, Wag the Dog, Forrest Gump 8x multiplatinum, Terminator 3, Contact, Castaway, Bobby and Munich”. Currently I have a joint venture with BMG/Chrysalis publishing where my music ventures continue with Quincy Jones, Larry the Cable Guy-The Blue Collar Comedy Group, Bold Films (“Bobby, Whiplash”) and Summit Entertainment (The Twilight Film series). I have been a consultant for Sony PlayStation, Extreme Music and The Exclusive Media Film Group. With my wife Kim, we produced the Animal Awareness documentary “Saved in America”. Since 1972 I have been a scuba diver, underwater photographer and supporter for the preservation of Oceans. I studied Marine Biology at UCLA. As a published U/W photographer I was represented by Cousteau’s Living Sea Corp. I have assisted National Geographic’s The Pristine Seas team on projects with music for their vital productions. I continue to video, share images and advocate for the World’s Oceans which desperately need our care.

Alex Spataru

Mr. Spataru has worked in aerospace, oil & gas, and management consulting in the U.S. and abroad. He served as a U.S. Army Officer from 1969 to 1974. He completed his undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering and business at UCLA. In 1983, he started the ADEPT Group, Inc. (ADEPT), an engineering consulting and green tech transfer firm that provides cost-effective solutions to energy and/or environment challenges. With the ADEPT team, he completed numerous product development and market penetration/acquisition engagements. Mr. Spataru’s forensics engineering skills have been applied in litigation support, in insurance related investigations, and in troubleshooting complex technical challenges.

While at ADEPT – he successfully completed several international technology transfers and commercialized nascent technologies, including instantaneous gas water heaters, LPG & CNG dedicated engines, low-NOx burners, indoor and outdoor air quality sensing systems, emulsified diesel for heavy-duty engines, ocean going vessels performance management systems, and ultrasonic instruments.

Mr. Spataru has completed numerous engagements in the green sector, including geothermal plants, LFG extraction & processing, onshore & offshore wind energy, waste to energy systems, commercial & utility scale solar, and water conserving appliances.

Mr. Spataru is a Certified Gas Engineer. He’s a member of one UL committee, two NFPA committees and one ISO committee. He serves on the Board of the Coalition for Clean Air. He lectures at the UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and at the UCLA School of Engineering & Applied Science, and conducts applied research projects with the Bourns College of Engineering at UC Riverside.

Dr. Greg Stone

Globally celebrated marine scientist Dr. Greg Stone knew the sea was his future from the time he was a boy in Boston. 12,000 dives later, he has explored every ocean top-to-bottom, from tropical reefs to submarine mountains and frozen Antarctic seas. Thousands of hours of research investigation using SCUBA, underwater habitats, deep dives to 18,000 feet in research submarines and seafloor probes with robotic vehicles give him unparalleled knowledge of the ocean and its life.

With outstanding ability to communicate ocean science and natural history Greg has published hundreds of scientific and popular articles, four books, documentaries for Discovery and National Geographic, a TED talk, Davos lecture, and numerous radio and television appearances. His book ‘Ice Island: Expedition to Antarctica’s Largest Iceberg’ won the National Outdoor Book Award.

Greg targets his research and thought leadership toward finding ways for humans to use the oceans sustainably. He is an authority on ocean preserves and architect, in partnership with the government of Kiribati, Conservation International and the New England Aquarium, of the world’s first large open-ocean protected area, the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA). PIPA, now the largest UNESCO World Heritage Site, protects the pristine corals, reef fishes, sharks, manta rays, turtles, tuna stocks and oceandependent human communities in an area more than the size of California (400,000km2).

Greg co-founded the Ocean Health Index, the first global open-science system for measuring how sustainably humans are using the ocean in every country and on the high seas. His most recent book, ‘Soul of the Sea in the Age of Algorithm’ (2017) proposes revolutionary tools and financial models for ocean management as a guide for sustaining human and ocean health into the future.

Honors to Greg include National Geographic Hero, Explorers Club National Fellow, Peter Benchley Award for Ocean Solutions, John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, Pew Fellow for Marine Conservation, Boston Sea Rover’s Diver of the Year, Order of Kiribati Medal, the U.S National Science Foundation/Navy Antarctic Service Medal, and National Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences NOGI award, called by fellow awardee, James Cameron, the ‘Oscar of the Oceans.’

Greg currently serves as Chief Ocean Scientist for Deep Green Resources, where he is responsible for finding sustainable ways to extract metal-rich nodules from the seafloor of the Clipperton Fracture Zone to provide minerals needed for the global transition to renewable energy. He is also co-Founder and Chair of the non-profit Pole to Pole Conservation, which focuses on ocean conservation, Indigenous rights communications, and climate adaptation. His past positions include EVP-Chief Ocean Scientist and chief scientist for Conservation International, one of the largest NGOs in the world; Senior Science Advisor to the UN Special Envoy for Oceans; Oceans Council Chair for the World Economic Forum; Senior VP for New England Aquarium; and an Underwater Research Scientist with top secret clearance for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He speaks Japanese and plays the piano.