By Jenny Cornuelle Krusoe
Every day, I meet people who want AltaSea to succeed in building a transformative center for ocean-based research, education and sustainable business. Ann Carpenter wants to do more than that for San Pedro and beyond, and in doing so has become one of AltaSea’s most prominent and active allies.
Ann, the CEO and co-founder of San Pedro-based consulting firm Braid Theory, has dedicated her career to building Southern California’s tech community. An innovative thinker and visual communicator, Ann is “bilingual,” routinely bridging the worlds of engineering and marketing during a three-decade career across corporate, nonprofit and entrepreneurial organizations.
Now, to raise awareness and funds for AltaSea, Ann is running for the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce‘s Honorary Mayor position. It’s a major commitment, both in the four-month “campaign” against two worthy opponents and, if she wins, the obligations of the job she will fill for the next two years.
Despite the commitments involved, Ann volunteered to run, her efforts benefiting not just AltaSea but two of our important education partners, the Los Angeles Maritime Institute and the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.
Ann’s campaign is focusing awareness in AltaSea’s hometown about one of our core goals: improving and expanding ocean-based education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Candidates for Honorary Mayor raise funds through a variety of Chamber-sponsored events. At the Chamber’s June 15 Annual Luncheon, the candidate who raises the most is declared San Pedro’s Honorary Mayor for the next two years, and presides over numerous local events.
Ann believes enough in AltaSea’s mission that she is running for Honorary Mayor while building her own business and, not incidentally, organizing a major conference, IGNITE22, that will bring together the area’s Biotech, AgTech and BlueTech founders and investors, C-suite executives, policymakers and industry experts.
As part of the conference at CRAFTED, I will join a panel discussion April 6 on ocean-oriented Blue technologies. Other panelists will include Matthew Mulrennan of XPRIZE, AltaSea partner Phil Cruver of Catalina Sea Ranch and Charles Cousin of GreenWave Instruments.
If you can’t make IGNITE22, Ann also will appear at a series of Honorary Mayor campaign events, including:
- May 5, Los Angeles Marine Institute Tall Ship Sail
- May 13, Sirens Mother’s Day
Each of these will be a chance to learn more about Ann, Braid Theory and AltaSea. We’ll be announcing further details on Facebook. Supporters also can donate directly by going here. Just check the box for the San Pedro Honorary Mayor Campaign.
You too can join Ann’s campaign to strengthen and grow San Pedro, AltaSea and the greater Los Angeles entrepreneurial community.
Jenny Cornuelle Krusoe is the executive director of AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles. Krusoe, a California native based in San Pedro, has a national reputation as a nonprofit executive and senior advisor on organizational and program design and fund development. She is also a former motion picture executive and a longtime leader in the Los Angeles arts community. Krusoe has been a member of the leadership team since the innovative ocean sustainability and marine science campus was first conceived.