Dr. Ancilleno Davis is a general ecologist with a passion for teaching and integrating Bahamian culture and lived experience into the exploration of science. He owns and operates the Science and Perspective Brand @SciPerspective on social media. Dr. Davis has a deep toolkit including computer programming, geospatial data analysis, marine and terrestrial environmental monitoring, science teaching, international field course development and coordination, animal training, plant propagation, coral nursery establishment and maintenance and voice acting. Dr. Davis has held three art exhibitions featuring his wildlife photography and sculptural work related to environmental concepts. He coordinated the establishment of the first coral nursery in the Bahamas, and the participation of Bahamians in the first leg of the Khaled bin Sultan's Living Oceans Foundation Global Reef Expedition. He is the founder of Bahamians Educated in Natural and Geospatial Sciences. He is a father and husband, and aims to improve the lives of those around him through science.

Dr. Claire Simeone is a conservation leader, working fearlessly to heal the animals and ecosystems of our planet. A veterinarian by training, Claire specializes in working with marine mammals, studying the connections between animal health, ocean health, and our own health.

In the wake of her father’s death, and the day she brought her son home from the hospital, Claire suffered a spontaneous coronary artery dissection, a rare post-partum heart attack. This, coupled with severe burnout, led her to a re-evaluation of life, work, and saving the world.

Claire is the Founder and CEO of Sea Change Health, an organization working to massively shift our understanding and cultivation of health, for all those who rely on the sea. Claire was the first veterinarian ever selected as a TED Fellow, and is the author of numerous scientific articles, book chapters, and is a seasoned speaker. Prior to founding Sea Change Health, Claire led conservation efforts for the endangered Hawaiian monk seal at The Marine Mammal Center. Claire’s work underscores the connection between humans and animals, and how our very survival relies on a return to listening to what wisdom the natural world has to share. 

Divina Lade is a marine biologist and a behavior change communicator . She has mixed experiences of marine science and social science research,  community development work, coaching and mentoring community leaders in conservation, and alliance building.  She is currently serving as one of the members of the board of Conservation Marketing Working Group of Society for Conservation Biology. 

Rev.  LoraKim Joyner is both a wildlife veterinarian and Unitarian Universalist minister, having served in parish ministry for 10 years in North Carolina, Minnesota, Texas, and Florida.  Currently she serves as a community minister in Multispecies Ministry and Compassionate Communication, affiliated with the Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains.  She draws on her training as a Certified Trainer in Nonviolent Communication and over 33 years as a conservationist and wildlife veterinarian  to co-lead One Earth Conservation.  With her team, they support others through their international Nurture Nature Program that seeks to empower the people saving the planet. She directs projects in Latin America to stand in solidarity and witness to the plight of the parrots of people there, and do what she can.  One Earth's projects extend to Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Guyana, Brazil, French Guiana, and Suriname. She has written two books, “Conservation in Time of War,” and “Nurturing Discussions and Practices.” Currently she serves as the Acting Secretary of the Parrot Researchers Group.

Dr. Chris Parsons is currently an AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow and a science communications specialist. Dr Parsons has been involved in whale & dolphin research and conservation for nearly 3 decades and has been involved in projects on every continent. Dr. Parsons previously was an Associate Professor at George Mason University as well as designing and managing/directing the undergraduate program in environmental science & conservation. He's taught a variety of courses from marine mammal biology, conservation science & policy, marine ecology, tropical ecosystems, to environmental science communication. He’s been member of the scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) since 1999, and has been involved in organizing four of the International Marine Conservation Congresses (the world’s largest academic marine conservation conference) and two of the International Congresses for Conservation Biology. He was a Governor of the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) for nearly a decade and also served two terms as the president of the SCB Marine Section, and on the Board of Directors of the American Cetacean Society. He is currently the Membership Chair and on the Board of Directors of the Society for Marine Mammalogy and he's also the Conference Chair for the SCB Conservation Marketing Working Group. Dr Parsons has worked with a number of NGOs as a consultant including NRDC, AWI, HSUS, HSI, WDC, Oceana, MCS, Panacetacea, Oceanswell, Earthjustice, Amigos de los Delphines and others. He has also worked with Government conservation and marine management bodies in the USA, UK and Hong Kong. He's also a senior correspondent for the #1 marine science blog www.southernfriedscience.com and the presenter/producer of the Marine Mammal Science, Environmental Studies & Sciences, Dugongs & Seadragons and Marine Conservation Happy Hour podcasts.

Chelsea Gray is an interdisciplinary marine researcher and science educator, currently pursuing a PhD in Environmental Science and Policy. She is also on the board of the Conservation Marketing Working Group of Society for Conservation Biology. She has previously conducted social research, developed coursework for undergraduate environmental scientists, and run social media for research organizations.

Eagle Ray Empress, also known as Nikita Shiel-Rolle, is a dreamer, and her purpose in life is to spread love for The Ocean. She does this as creatrix of Cat Island Mermaid, a science communication and conservation wellness business, Founder and CEO of Young Marine Explorers & the Cat Island Conservation Institute, a NPO focused on developing climate resilient coastal communities, and a Real Estate Assistant at HG Christie and Christie's International. . Nikita has a MSc in Biodiversity Wildlife and Ecosystem Health from the University of Edinburgh and a BA in Marine Affairs from the University of Miami.
As a Climate Justice Activist, Nikita is dedicated to driving bold and ambitious climate action and social justice, especially for those from marginalized and vulnerable communities. A talented speaker, she has shared her passion for ocean conservation and climate adaptation and mitigation at numerous international meetings, most recently at this year's (2020) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change meeting and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commissions Decade of the Ocean Latin America and Caribbean regional planning meetings. Nikita is a UNESCO partner and actively involved in driving small island sustainability. She loves and nurtures her passion and commitment for transformative and loving social change from her homestead on Ocean Soul Farm, Cat Island, The Bahamas.

Brooke Tully helps conservationists use behavioral insights and communication strategies to motivate audiences to take action and change behaviors. She does this by bringing together best practices from her work in commercial advertising, insights from the behavioral and social sciences, and her first-hand experience implementing conservation programs.

Brooke spent the first decade of her career working in ad agencies, such as Ogilvy, helping clients reach target audiences to build brand awareness, change preferences, and sell products. In 2007, she joined the NGO Rare where she designed and implemented behavior change campaigns that inspired local communities in Mongolia, Thailand, Laos, and The Philippines to adopt more sustainable fishing and hunting practices.

Operating independently since 2016, Brooke offers workshops, online courses, and consulting services that provide practical steps for designing communication & outreach plans that create conservation movements. More information about Brooke's work can be found at https://brooketully.com.

Andrew Lewin, Founder and CEO of the Speak Up For Blue Network, launched the Speak Up For The Ocean Blue Podcast in June of 2015 to inform people about the projects happening the protect the Ocean. Andrew instantly fell in love with speaking into a microphone and connecting with people all over the world.

Andrew soon realized that his audience was highly engaged with his content, which developed into numerous opportunities for him including jobs, travel, and TV appearances!

Since 2015, Andrew launched a network of Science and Conservation Podcasts as well as launched podcasts for people who wanted to connect with their audience in their own niches so that they can be exposed to similar opportunities in their field.

He created a service that works closely with clients to gain valuable knowledge and strategies on how to position their podcasts for success.

Andrew Kornblatt, Founder and CEO of the Online Ocean Symposium, which created immersive and strategic outreach plans for ocean and conservation groups around the world. At the same time, the Symposium began holding monthly video panel discussions bringing together ocean experts and advocates ranging from NOAA, to Bill McKibben, Sylvia Earle, and Richard Branson. He also launched the Ocean Science Radio Podcast in October of 2015 to inform people about the latest, greatest, and sometimes deepest stories in the Ocean. Since then Andrew has been working with a wide-range of clients on their general outreach, science communications, internal communications, and even corporate social responsibility efforts. Through that work and meeting other experts in the field, Andrew developed a “yes, and” approach to communication, partnership, and conservation.

Fabian Ritter studied biology at the University of Bremen and today lives in Berlin, Germany. In 1998, he was a co-founder of the association M.E.E.R. Today, he’s the President and Director of Research of this non-profit organization. 

Since 2012, he has been a scientific advisor, policy manager and lead campaigner with Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), mainly involved in the issues of marine protected areas and the conservation of harbour porpoises.On La Gomera (Canary Islands), he conducts courses in behavioral biology for students since many years. He regularly gives talks and also works as a lecturer on expedition cruises. His many journeys brought him to the remotest places including the Arctic and Antarctica. He regularly publishes scientific articles and he is the author of four cetacean related books. Ritter is also a long-standing member of the International Whaling Commission‘s (IWC) Scientific Committee. Since 2012, he acts as one of IWC’s ship strike data-coordinators and oversees the IWC global data base on collisions between ships and cetaceans. Throughout his career he has been asking and exploring question of our human relation to nature, and whales and dolphins were teaching him a lot in that sense. Deep Ecology, he argues, delivers a new level of ecological conservation that is urgently needed in these times. Lately, he designed a special seminary (‘Ocean Transformation’) which explores this ground in greater detail.

Amanda Donaldson is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in the Zimmer Watershed Hydrology Lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her long-term research goal is to promote the sustainability of freshwater resources by contributing to our mechanistic understanding of how water is retained and released within hillslopes.  Her research has brought her to several states within the United States and internationally to conduct fieldwork in a variety of field settings. She is passionate about the safety of all researchers within field settings and hopes to improve the success and retention of historically marginalized groups within the sciences. In her spare time, she loves to hike, practice yoga, and read on the beautiful beaches of Santa Cruz.

Zeke Gonzalez is a queer graduate student in the Carleton lab at the University of Maryland studying cichlid color vision and reproductive behavior. He hosts Zoom movie nights with his friends and colleagues, is training for a half-marathon with his roommate, and watches all the worst horror movies on Netflix you've never heard of. 

Abigail McQuatters-Gollop is a plankton ecologist and Associate Professor in Marine Conservation at University of Plymouth. She is a NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellow and Defra Senior Policy Fellow and is leading the implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive for pelagic habitats (plankton) for the UK and OSPAR (Northern Europe). She was recently PI of the EMFF- funded Increasing Confidence in Evaluating GES for Regional Assessments of Pelagic Habitats (ICEGRAPH) project. Abigail’s research focuses on the generation of national and international impact through the integration of scientific results into the policy process. Key areas of interest lie in

the separation of climate responses in the plankton from those due to anthropogenic disturbances, applying a systems thinking approach to the implementation of nature-based solutions, and the linking of biodiversity state changes to manageable human pressures. Abigail also sits on the British Ecological Society Brexit Policy Working Group and has recently received a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Invited Fellowship to work on policy impact generation in Japan. She has had 45 peer-reviewed publications, her work has been cited >2560 times, her h-index is 27 and her i10 index is 39. Abigail is also the CEO of Ecosystem Approaches, Limited, an environmental consultancy.

Kristi Ashley Collom is a Lead Researcher for Gotham Whale, Critter Spy with Atlas Obscura, Trip Leader for National Geographic and one of the founding directors for the SMM Northeast Student Chapter. She collaborates with several passive acoustic monitoring projects with FINS in Central America and Wildlife Conservation Society in New York.

Geri Eileen Unger (B.S., Natural Resources, University of Michigan; M.Sc., Environmental Biology, Hebrew University) was the Executive Director of the Society for Conservation Biology, before returning to Cleveland, OH.  I am an adjunct professor in Environmental Management at the University of Maryland Global College.  Trained as a systems ecologist, with a background in conservation science, restoration of ecosystems, sustainable agriculture, and environmental education, I’ve initiated programs for public initiatives on air and water quality, energy conservation, biodiversity, ecosystem restoration, environmental education, science exhibit design, urban aquaponics, and women’s rights. I’m a very curious and inquisitive person, open to new ideas, new networks, listening intensively to others, and building compassionate organizations.