Blue + Green Session 3: Aquafarming Jobs of the Future – Building a Regenerative Farming Workforce

The Blue + Green 2022 webinar series will include 4 one-hour webinars scheduled Thursdays from June 2, 2022 – June 23, 2022 at 4 pm.  The goal of the project is to shine a spotlight on emerging aquaculture sector in our economy.  Aquaculture and the supporting technologies bring together all the key ingredients – future growth opportunities that support our coastal ecosystems, the economy, jobs, and our communities.  This webinar series reimagines partnerships between business, government, universities, and communities through regenerative ocean research, exploration, and equity-based economic development.

Speakers:

Ferris Kawar, Sustainability Project Manager/SMC Aquaculture Certificate

Ferris Kawar, Sustainability Project Manager, Santa Monica College. For the past 20 years Ferris has been using his degree in Marketing and his experience working at an ad agency to promote environmental awareness instead of product consumption.  As a behavioral change professional, Ferris has found himself teaching sustainability workshops, producing climate-related media, researching, and published green business guides to LA, SF and NYC, and serving as Recycling Specialist for the City of Burbank.  Ferris is currently the Sustainability Project Manager for Santa Monica College where he gets to work with students, faculty and staff to keep the institution’s sustainability leadership position strong among the community colleges in California. https://www.smc.edu/community/sustainability/

Meredith Brooks, AltaSea, Ocean Pathways

Meredith Brooks is the Programs and Grants Manager Consultant at AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles. She is developing the AltaSea Marine Grants program to expand the portfolio of government grants, with a focus on STEM education, aquaculture and growing the Blue Economy in Los Angeles. Originally from Rancho Palos Verdes, Meredith now splits her time between the Olympic Peninsula, RPV, and Hawai’i, where she has spent the last decade helping manage one of the USDA Regional Aquaculture Centers. She has fifteen years of management and communication experience in the fields of sustainable aquaculture R&D and conservation and has authored two K-12 STEM curriculums for Hawai’i schools. Meredith graduated from the University of Southern California with Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science and Journalism, and is a member of the Lambda Pi Eta honor society of the National Communication Association.

Kendall Barbery, GreenWave

As Programs Director for GreenWave, Kendall develops the organization’s program strategy, and leads partnership development and expansion efforts. Since joining GreenWave in 2017, Kendall helped develop the organizations’ Training & Support and Innovation programs, delivered training to over 600 prospective and current ocean farmers, and incubated four kelp hatcheries across New England, the west coast, and Alaska. Kendall served on the leadership team for the development of GreenWave’s online Regenerative Ocean Farming Hub. Launched in April 2022, the Hub is a free online resource with courses, tools, and community for current and emerging ocean farmers. Kendall has a background as marine technician and deckhand, including six seasons set-netting and drifting for sockeye salmon throughout the Bristol Bay watershed in southwest Alaska. Kendall holds a master’s degree in environmental science from Yale School of the Environment.

Moderator:

Michael Kelly, Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy & Jobs

Michael H. Kelly currently serves as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Coalition for the Economy & Jobs, a non-profit bi-partisan organization that brings together leaders from business, labor, academia and nonprofits to advance initiatives that generate economic growth, create quality jobs and a skilled work-force, and improve the region’s overall quality of life. Prior to working with the Los Angeles Coalition, Mr. Kelly has worked in a number of high-level positions, both in the private sector with The Boeing Company and with California Governor’s Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He currently serves on the Committee for Greater LA, Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission Advisory Board, founding chair of the Philanthropic Foundation for California State University, Dominguez Hills and an advisory board member for WorkingNation.  He was also the recipient of the EnCorps Teachers Program 2010 “Torchbearer of the Year” Award. Michael received an Economics Degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He was a Dean’s Merit Scholar at USC. Michael is married to Mia Kelly and is the proud father of three daughters.