Who We Are

Mr. Fischer is the Co-founder and President of Planet Heritage Foundation (PHF), which is devoted to protecting the environment by leading and supporting effective strategic collaborations.

In his professional life, Mr. Fischer is a computer entrepreneur, the Founder of VeriSign and was formerly the co-owner of Duquesne Capital Management with Mr. Stanley Druckenmiller until Mr Druckenmiller retired in 2010.

PHF launched Oceans 5 in 2011 with the other Partner foundations as a means to grant collectively and more strategically, as well as give newer funders a safe and trusted place to invest.

The foundation recently funded two new climate change initiatives, one called Energetics which has the primary goal of identifying and promoting game-changing technology solutions, as well as a project at Stanford University’s Global Project Center, which seeks to better understand how impact/philanthropic capital can more effectively interface with for-profit capital.

Other PHF initiatives and projects include:  the Electrification Coalition — a nonpartisan alliance of business leaders committed to promoting electric vehicles on a mass scale; the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust which PHF spearheaded a funders’ circle around; and, the TED Mission Blue Voyage to fulfill Dr. Sylvia Earle’s TED Wish, whereby 100 influential leaders gathered for a week seeking solutions to restore the health of the oceans.

Mr. Fischer serves as a director of The Jane Goodall Institute and the East West Institute, and is on the advisory boards of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), the Amazon Conservation Team and the Sylvia Earle Foundation.

Amanda Nickson serves as the Senior Program Officer for Ocean Conservation at the Paul M Angell Family Foundation, providing strategy, support and guidance to the Conservation portfolio. Prior to joining the Foundation, Amanda served as Director of International Fisheries at The Pew Charitable Trusts. Where she led Pew’s international fisheries program, including intergovernmental fisheries policy reform, conservation and management of tunas and sharks, as well as work to end illegal fishing and roll out fisheries reforms in European waters.

Before joining Pew, Amanda worked for WWF for nearly 12 years, including leading international efforts to protect threatened charismatic species including tigers, pandas and marine turtles. She also developed and led WWF’s Bycatch Initiative, a major policy and field program aimed at reducing the incidental catch of non-target species in fisheries in more than 20 countries throughout the world.

Amanda began her career in health promotion policy, serving as the New South Wales state lead for the National Breast Cancer Centre in Australia. She also ran the first publicly funded campaign to prevent homophobic violence, which won the Australian government’s Violence Prevention Award.

Director of public relations and charitable giving, Moore Capital Management, LP and Executive Director and Vice President, The Moore Charitable Foundation (MCF) and its affiliate foundations.

As the principal adviser to Moore Charitable founder and chairman, Louis Bacon, Ann has spent more than two decades guiding the foundation’s grant making and partnerships with many of the nation’s foremost conservation organizations. She also represents Moore Charitable in collaboration with local community organizations.

A native of North Carolina, Ann joined MCF in 1994 as its first executive director, after working in presidential, gubernatorial and congressional campaigns. She serves on the Board of Trustees of Waterkeeper Alliance, which MCF was instrumental in founding, and is on the board of the University of North Carolina’s Institute for the Environment. She is a member of The National Council of the Land Trust Alliance, Oceana’s Ocean Council, and Oceans 5.

Ann attended Hollins University and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She lives in New York City and has two sons.

Annika Dubrall is Director & Interim Head of Global Sustainability & Philanthropy at Tiffany & Co. Ms. Dubrall assumed this position in July 2022.

Ms. Dubrall is responsible for providing strategic leadership for Tiffany & Co.’s sustainability and philanthropy functions, driving sustainability strategy, progressing the company’s 2025 Sustainability Goals and ensuring alignment with LVMH’s social & environmental responsibility targets. She sets the conservation grant making strategy for Tiffany & Co. and The Tiffany & Co. Foundation. In December 2023, she was appointed director to The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Board.

Ms. Dubrall has almost 20 years of experience defining and deploying sustainability, philanthropy and supply chain strategy. Prior to Tiffany, she held leadership roles at Gap Inc. and Stitch Fix, and most recently was the Director of Strategic Initiatives at PVH. She consulted with the Skoll Foundation, worked in-house at several non-profit global development organizations and serves on the board of two U.S. organizations.

Ms. Dubrall holds a master’s degree from University of Oxford Saïd Business School.

Antha Williams leads the Climate and Environment Program at Bloomberg Philanthropies, supporting Michael Bloomberg's personal efforts to combat climate change as well as initiatives to improve sustainability of cities, to accelerate the transition to clean energy, combat overfishing and protect coral reefs, and help businesses and investors better understand climate-related financial risks and opportunities. Antha was Consulting Producer of Paris to Pittsburgh, a film about communities across America grappling with the impacts of climate change, and From the Ashes. Previously she served in leadership positions at Corridor Partners, Atlantic Philanthropies, The Beldon Fund, the Campaign for Change, and Green Corps. Outside of philanthropy, Antha has worked as a campaigner and organizer, directing large scale voter protection efforts and serving in leadership positions for five years with Green Corps, a training program for aspiring environmental organizers. Antha graduated from Dartmouth College and lives in New York.

In 2017, The Zegar Family Foundation (ZFF) refined its grantmaking priorities toward two areas, 1) environment and sustainability; and 2) justice and human rights. By 2021 it added climate mitigation and adaptation, as well as environmental justice to its portfolio. The Foundation has more than tripled its funding to these environment related causes in the past several years.

Dr. Bob Cook joined ZFF in late 2018. Bob worked previously as the Chief Veterinarian and then General Director for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). As Chief Vet, he cared for tens of thousands of wild animals in the New York City zoological parks. He helped develop the first international wildlife health field program, dedicated to understanding the health of people, domestic animals, and wildlife. Bob also served as New York Aquarium Director and was later appointed WCS General Director, overseeing their NY parks.

In 2012 Bob became the Program Director for the Helmsley Charitable Trust, assembling a team to oversee grantmaking in conservation and human medical research. The conservation program focused on placed-based initiatives in the Galapagos, Ecuador, Baja California Sur, Mexico, Madagascar, and Myanmar. He participated in the creation of the Shark Conservation Fund. Bob is also a Lecturer and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University. He just concluded a 3-year appointment as the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Avian Medicine & Surgery. He is also the Senior Science Advisor to the Mayday Fund, which is focused on pain alleviation, while representing ZFF in several intermediary funds.

In his “spare time” Bob enjoys hiking, wildlife photography and occasionally, fly fishing (which he points out is vastly different than fish catching - barbless hooks, catch & release).

Chelsea Hillard is the Director of Philanthropy for Vere Initiatives. Vere Initiatives collaborates with great people who have great ideas and the potential to meaningfully impact the future of the planet. Vere's funding is focused mostly on opportunities in conservation, biodiversity, and advocacy that target the root causes of the climate crisis. Vere Initiatives was established in 2022 by Natasha and Dirk Ziff to further their longstanding work in philanthropy.

Chelsea also serves on the board of Climate Breakthrough, a groundbreaking organization that finds extraordinary strategists and gives them the time, space, and resources to create and implement the boldest strategies they can conceive to mitigate climate change. Prior to joining the Ziff Family Office in 2016, Chelsea worked as a Legal and Policy Manager at New American Economy, a bipartisan research and advocacy organization fighting for smart federal, state, and local immigration policies. Chelsea holds a JD from Villanova University School of Law and a BA in public policy and law from Trinity College.

Cherie Prothro-Shea is Managing Director of the Waitt Foundation where she cultivates and executes initiatives on behalf of the board of directors. Cherie began working for Mr. Ted Waitt at Gateway, Inc. nearly 20 years ago. In 2004, when Mr. Waitt retired from Gateway to focus full-time on his philanthropic interests at the Waitt Foundation, Cherie joined the team and helped define the future vision of the organization. In addition to oversight of daily operations and reporting, Cherie manages a diverse global portfolio of non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and the Waitt Rapid Ocean Conservation (ROC) small grants program.

With the launch of the Blue Prosperity Coalition, Cherie helps evaluate conservation opportunities and is closely involved in establishing international government relationships.  She facilitates the development of a network bringing together world class technical experts to create customized partnerships for the purpose of advancing global ocean protections goals.  Cherie has an extensive background in business and investor relations. Combining her corporate background with the conservation initiatives of the Foundation, Cherie provides a unique perspective to program development, management and effectiveness. A native Texan, Cherie resides in Southern California with her husband, Larry.

Emma is Consultant to Environmental Programmes at Arcadia. Arcadia is a charitable foundation that works to protect nature, preserve cultural heritage and promote open access to knowledge. Since 2002 Arcadia has awarded more than $1 billion to organizations around the world. Previously, Emma coordinated the Great British Oceans coalition to expand marine protected areas in the UK Overseas Territories, managed the Gladstone Healthy Harbour Partnership’s Science Program in the Great Barrier Reef, and promoted science-based policy making with the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists. She has led field projects in the UK, Australia and French Polynesia and is a keen technical and cave diver. Emma has a DPhil (PhD) in conservation science from the University of Oxford, UK.

Gerardo is Director of Environmental Programmes at Arcadia. Arcadia is a charitable foundation that works to protect nature, preserve cultural heritage and promote open access to knowledge. Since 2002 Arcadia has awarded more than $1 billion to organizations around the world. Gerardo was previously Head of Programme at the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, where he was responsible for overseeing the provision of advice to national and intergovernmental authorities on the protection of endangered species and their habitats. A graduate of the University of Cambridge, Gerardo’s professional and academic experience span marine and terrestrial conservation, both in tropical and in temperate environments. He is also a qualified financial manager.

Beto is the executive director of the Marisla Foundation where he has focused on international biodiversity conservation, protection of the marine environment and environmental health since 1992.

Prior to his current responsibilities, Mr. Bedolfe directed programs for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), primarily in West and Southern Africa.  He has lived in the Cape Verde Islands and Mozambique and, with the World Bank and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, he implemented short-term assignments in Guinea Bissau and Sao Tome-Principe.  From 1977 – 80, he was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay. Beto served for six years as chair of the board of directors of Oceana, an international marine conservation organization, and he is also a member of the board of directors of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) Environment Fund.  Previously he served as a board member and the treasurer of the Consultative Group on Biological Diversity. Mr. Bedolfe earned his B.A. degree from Swarthmore College and his Master’s of Business Administration from California Lutheran University.  He resides in Southern California and is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.

Jason Haggins is Executive Director and board member of Sall Family Foundation (SFF).  SFF supports transformative change at the nexus between environment, public health, and community resiliency.  The foundation’s work is rooted in the belief that the people in local communities are the ones who should drive the decisions that affect their everyday lives, ultimately enabling them to generate locally governed and sustainable solutions that benefit themselves, their communities and the environment.  SFF backs leaders and organizations closest to the big challenges surrounding the environment, public health, and poverty with the goal of empowering them to experiment, learn, and evolve as the planet and realities around them change. A key pillar of SFF’s approach includes intentionally funding both locally-led organizations and larger non-profit agencies, to encourage knowledge sharing, collaboration and ensure community-driven approaches leverage collective wisdom, scientific evidence, and scale efficiencies.

Reflecting on his passion for community conservation and global environmental issues, Jason serves on multiple non-profit and for-profit boards and advisory councils.

Prior to joining SFF, Jason was a Senior Director with Alvarez & Marsal, where he advised clients on corporate bankruptcy restructurings and conducted forensic accounting investigations.

Jason earned bachelor's degrees, with high honors, in accounting and economics from North Carolina State University and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Javiera Calisto is Programme Officer for Oak's Distant Water Fisheries Sub-programme. She is an environmental attorney and campaigner with more than 15 years of experience working with national and international governmental bodies, local communities, and the private sector, to create science-based strategies, that consider legal and communication perspectives for fair governance of the ocean.

She worked as Legal Director at Oceana Chile, responsible for delivering legal campaign outcomes in the areas of marine pollution, marine protected areas, and fisheries management. Among her achievements, she led the campaigns that managed to pass an ambitious single-use plastic law, ensure transparency and access to information in the salmon farming industry, and stopped the dumping of mining tailing into the ocean, among other victories.

Ms. Calisto holds a master’s degree in environmental law from Melbourne University, and diplomas in International Environmental Law, Human Rights Law, and Law of the Sea from the United Nations Regional Course, the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, and the International Foundation for the Law of the Sea’s Summer Academy. She was selected as an Ocean Leader as part of the Ocean Leaders Program hosted by the University of Edinburgh in 2022.

Jim’s work at the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation focuses primarily on supporting efforts to protect and conserve the world's ocean habitats, coral reefs, and apex predators whose survival is imperiled by overfishing and global climate change.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Jim worked as an attorney for nearly two decades for Earthjustice, a public interest environmental law firm. As an attorney in Earthjustice’s Bozeman, Montana office, and later as the managing attorney in the organization’s Denver, Colorado office, he litigated and directed numerous cases whose goals were to protect the landscapes and endangered species of the American west, and to preserve the clean air and water upon which the region’s residents depend.

Jim has degrees from Columbia College (BA), the University of California at Los Angeles (MA), and the University of California at Berkeley (JD). Jim lives in Denver, Colorado with his two sons, of whom he is inordinately proud.

Keith Shattenkirk is a program officer on Patagonia's environmental grants team. Keith oversees Patagonia's U.S. land and water corporate programs, informing the company's environmental priorities, facilitating employee-based grantmaking activities, and implementing strategic funding opportunities. In this role, he works across Patagonia to help develop giving and campaign initiatives that intersect and align with Patagonia's mission and recreational communities. Prior to joining Patagonia, Keith served as the Marine Life & Oceans program officer for a private family foundation and a policy analyst for the National Marine Fisheries Service. Keith also currently serves on the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ Business Advisory Council, providing advice and recommendations on sustainable management of national marine sanctuaries and ways in which the business community may help advance ONMS' goals.

Keith received his bachelor's degree from Princeton University and completed his master's degree from UC Santa Barbara's Bren School of Environmental Management, specializing in coastal marine resource management and strategic environmental communications.

Mr. Parker is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Oak Foundation and a member of its founding family. He has directed the Oak Foundation’s environment program since its inception in 1998 and has worked full time for the program since 2003. The Oak Foundation’s environment program dedicates a majority of its resources to two of the world’s biggest challenges: climate change and collapsing fishing stocks. Parker has launched several funder Collaboratives in these areas with great success. He is both a British and Danish citizen, born in Aalborg, Denmark and raised in Switzerland. He graduated from Colby College and received a Doctorate in Environmental Sciences from the Duke Marine Laboratory. From 2001 to 2002 Parker held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Kewalo Marine Laboratory in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is also Chairman of the Board of Oceana and a founding board member of the European Climate Foundation.

Loïs is a Program Manager for the People and Nature program at the Adessium Foundation in the Netherlands. At Adessium, she oversees the ocean conservation portfolio that has a specific focus on the Mediterranean Sea. In order to protect the biodiversity of this region, Adessium concentrates on the creation of marine protected areas and sustainable fisheries. Prior to joining Adessium early 2023, Loïs was a Programs Coordinator at Zero Foodprint Asia, an NGO based in Hong Kong. She was responsible for organizing partnerships that fostered collective action towards a more healthy and equitable local food system. She holds a BSc from the Swiss EHL Hospitality Business School and a MSc in Sustainability Management. Besides her love for nature and animals, Loïs can often be found on the football field or out on the water windsurfing.

Mariko Powers is a Program Officer at Oceankind. Mariko oversees grantmaking related to marine conservation, which includes support for policies and organizations that promote fisheries sustainability, marine habitat protections, and the conservation of coastal ecosystems. She obtained her MA in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) and a BA in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College. She is passionate about community-led conservation and environmental justice from grassroots to global scales.

Matt is the Executive Director of Oceankind where he focuses on international marine conservation work. Prior to joining Oceankind in early 2020, Matt spent the previous fifteen years at CEA Consulting, where he led the firm's strategic planning for nonprofits, particularly in the marine conservation and climate arenas. He has a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard University and a master’s degree in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford University.

Meg joined the David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s Conservation and Science program as Deputy Director in 2015. She leads the Foundation’s Ocean team. Prior to joining the Foundation, Meg was the Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program Director at Stanford Law School, Senior Lecturer in Law for the Law School and the Woods Institute for the Environment, and Executive Director of the Center for Ocean Solutions (COS) at Stanford. Meg’s scholarship focuses on the integration of science into ocean and coastal governance, including articles and book chapters on coastal adaptation to sea level rise, ocean acidification, ecosystem-based marine spatial planning, international environmental law, and coastal land use planning. In addition to her 20-year academic career, Meg has devoted much of her professional life to public service, including serving on the California Coastal Commission, the California Coastal Conservancy Board, the California Marine Life Protection Act Blue Ribbon Task Force, and as a senior consultant to The National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.

Melissa leads the Vibrant Oceans Initiative and supports other program efforts on the Environment team at Bloomberg Philanthropies. 

Prior to joining the Philanthropy, Melissa was the Director of the City Energy Project – an initiative to cut energy waste in large buildings and make U.S. cities healthier and more prosperous through energy efficiency. Melissa worked on energy and climate issues in Mayor Bloomberg’s Administration for six years. During this time, she served at both the New York City Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning & Sustainability as well as the DCAS Division of Energy Management where she was responsible for implementation of the PlaNYC initiative to reduce municipal greenhouse gas emissions. She also spent time in development and membership engagement at Greenbelt Alliance in San Francisco. Melissa holds a master’s degree of public administration in environmental policy and science from Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs where she was an Adjunct Professor. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Oberlin College and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Mike is an environmentally-focused artist. He is the founder and director of the Stellar Blue Fund, a marine conservation organization with an emphasis on international MPAs and high-seas governance.

A native of Long Island’s East End, Mike is delighted to carry on the spirit of his family’s seminal agricultural land preservation there in a more liquid and global incarnation, and honored to be Oceans 5’s newest member.

Mike has made a career in the visual arts by metaphorically and literally putting himself in extreme landscape spaces and then examining their meanings, often in in terms of American power and culture. He has exhibited globally, and his work has been collected by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Getty Research Institute, The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The New York Public Library, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, among others.

For the last seventeen years, Mike has aerially photographed over settled and unsettled areas of American space, pursuing themes of mapping, vertigo, human impact on the land, and various aspects of geologic time and the sublime. A private pilot and Guggenheim Fellow, he is currently working on an extended survey of the arid Western states. Radius Books published the first of a multi-volume series of this work, Bingham Mine/Garfield Stack, in 2009. The second, LA Day/LA Night, was released in 2011. The third, Lake Las Vegas/Black Mountain, was published in 2015.

Light is also known for his archive-based works. His first, FULL MOON (1999), used lunar geological survey imagery made by the Apollo astronauts to show the moon both as a sublime desert and an embattled point of first human contact. 100 SUNS (2003), focused on the politics and landscape meanings of military photographs of U.S. atmospheric nuclear detonations from 1945 to 1962.

Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Amherst College and a Master of Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute. He has lived in the Bay Area since 1986.

Molly Parker is Chief of Staff at Coleman Family Ventures. In her role, she is responsible for driving forward the vision and strategy of the Founders.

Molly previously served as Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Jeff Skoll Group, working across Skoll’s portfolio of philanthropic and commercial enterprises - the Skoll Foundation, Participant, and Capricorn Investment Group. Before that, Molly worked at the national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength in Washington, DC known for its No Kid Hungry Campaign.

Molly began her career in the technology sector, and has worked for many early-stage startups across e-commerce, data and business intelligence.

Molly holds an M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School and a B.A. in Government from Cornell University. She lives in New York City.

Peter Bryant joins the Oceans 5 Board of Advisors from the Builders Initiative, a philanthropic organization founded by Lukas Walton dedicated to “shifting minds and markets for good.” Peter leads ocean-related grantmaking, as well as its impact investing through the Rising Tide Fund.

Peter is a longstanding colleague of many of ours. He served formerly at the Walton Family Foundation, where he managed marine conservation grantmaking in Indonesia, Chile, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Peter also directed marine and freshwater programs at The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund. He has a master’s degree from the prestigious Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Peter lives with his children in Carlsbad, California.

The Builders Initiative Foundation supports nonprofit organizations focused on fisheries management, climate resilience and aquaculture. It provides about $20 million annually to groups in the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Peter enjoys kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling, diving and pretty much anything related to the ocean. He’s also a tennis and pickleball fan (for our overseas colleagues, “pickleball” is a cross between tennis and ping pong, typically played by people over 60 here in the United States J). However, Peter’s real claim to fame is that he recently published a cookbook of recipes from his international travels to more than 40 countries!

Sara Lowell is a long-time ocean philanthropist and board member of the Marisla Foundation. She also is the Foundation’s Marine Conservation Program Director and oversees efforts to create marine protected areas, advance sustainable fisheries, and protect coastal lands in California, Hawaii, Baja California, Chile, and the broader Pacific.

Shannon O’Leary Joy is an environmentalist, ocean advocate and executive producer of many documentaries. Shannon serves on the Board of Oceans 5, WildAid and on the Executive Committee of Mission Blue / Sylvia Earle Alliance. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Climate Emergency Fund and as President of the EarthSense Foundation which focuses on the protection of our marine ecosystems, the restoration of our forests and the biodiversity of our planet. EarthSense Foundation also supports documentary filmmakers with a focus on climate, bringing attention and action to critical global environmental issues and nature’s life systems.

Steph heads up the Environment Fund at The Waterloo Foundation (TWF). The fund focusses on two core areas: marine conservation, through offering support for projects working to halt declining fish stocks; and protecting tropical rain forest, principally through avoided deforestation. We look to support both practical local projects, and wider strategic initiatives.

As well as her role with TWF, Steph also sits on the board of the Environmental Funders Network in the UK, which aims to increase the overall level of financial support for environmental causes and to help environmental philanthropy to be as effective as it can be. Steph has previously worked as a fundraiser, as well as running practical projects for a conservation NGO. She continues to keep her hands dirty by volunteering on local conservation projects, as well as feeding her passion for the marine world by being in or on the sea as much as possible!

A native New Yorker, Stephanie attended The Chapin School and holds a BA from Wellesley College. She worked in both investment banking and fashion and now devotes time to her family, which includes her four young children, along with her many active philanthropic endeavors.

Stephanie currently sits on the board of the New York Presbyterian Hospital as Vice Chair, and on the boards of The Chapin School, Harlem Children’s Zone, and the Women’s Committee of The Boys Club of New York.  Stephanie is Co-Founder of Coleman Family Ventures, a philanthropic investment organization working to create a sustainable, more equitable world by supporting efforts in early childhood, the climate and environment, and New York City communities.  Stephanie is also Co-Founder of Valentines Farm, a small biodynamic farm with the mission of growing high-quality food, educating farmers in training, and providing for the local community.  Through the farm, insight is also gained as to how best further assistance can be offered to organizations fighting hunger, childhood obesity, and other health related issues.

At an early age, Stephanie found her passion in helping others.  Her philanthropic work allows her reach to extend to the greater community at large.  Stephanie is committed to continuously looking for ways to make an impact.

Ted helped revolutionize how people use technology to live, work, and play through pioneering the direct marketing of personal computers.

Labeled a maverick by national business publications, he has since gone on to form multiple enterprises: Avalon Capital Group, Inc., Avalon Pictures, Waitt Foundation, Waitt Institute, and Waitt Institute for Violence Prevention. Ted oversees all Waitt Foundation and Waitt Institute efforts and is actively engaged in each project from conception to completion.  He believes that the depletion of ocean resources is one of the biggest challenges of our generation.  Over the past 10 years, he has dedicated the bulk of his time and resources to the cause of ocean conservation.  As Chairman of the Waitt Foundation, Ted was a founding partner and serves as board member of Oceans 5.

Trevor is responsible for developing and implementing grantmaking for MCF marine programs with Panama and the Bahamas as areas of focus. Moore Charitable’s marine program supports the conservation of marine resources for the benefit of current and future generations with a grantmaking approach that is community-based and site-specific. Trevor manages grantee relationships and works closely with other marine funders on the creation and implementation of innovative solutions to persistent marine conservation problems. He has a strategic concentration on sustained research and conservation efforts on overexploited and vulnerable species, including sharks and cetaceans, as well as the protection of specific marine ecosystems.

Xiao focuses on forging meaningful partnerships with entities that aim to foster more sustainable seafood markets and enhance the enduring sustainability of fisheries. Additionally, he assists in executing BI's strategy for a robust blue economy.

Before joining Builders, Xiao was the Director of the Ocean Program at the Environmental Law Institute, where he specialized in small-scale fisheries governance, MPA design and enforcement, and the implementation of Marine Spatial Planning.

Xiao holds a J.D. from the Complutense University of Madrid and an S.J.D. from Duke University School of Law.

Yuta Masuda is the Director of Science at Vulcan LLC, where he advances strategy development, identification, and cultivation of science priorities in ocean health, climate change mitigation, and conservation for the Science and Technology portfolio. He provides leadership and support in these areas for Vulcan and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation.

Prior to joining Vulcan Yuta was a Senior Sustainable Development and Behavioral Scientist at The Nature Conservancy. His work at the Conservancy examined how policies advancing conservation and sustainable development goals impact human well-being and environmental outcomes. He has investigated topics around community-based conservation, human behavior, institutions, human health, diffusions of innovations, land tenure security, and other topics on the human dimensions of conservation and sustainable development. He has published over fifty publications on these and other topics in outlets such as Nature Sustainability, Nature Communications, Global Environmental Change, Lancet Planetary Health, Environmental Research Letters, Conservation Letters, Land Use Policy, One Earth, and Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. He holds a PhD in Public Policy and Management from the University of Washington, and was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Georgia.

Adrian develops and manages Oceans 5 projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. A native of Costa Rica, Adrian has worked in Latin America on a range of marine-related topics including fisheries, tourism, coastal reforestation, science communication, and marine spatial planning. Adrian holds a MSc and PhD from James Cook University in Australia where he studied at fishers’ compliance with marine protected areas.  Adrian is passionate about contributing to marine conservation through pragmatic efforts that consider the environment and people’s wellbeing.

CHOW Yuen Ping (Apple) develops and manages Oceans 5 projects in Asia. Apple has worked for the past 14 years in environmental NGOs focusing on oceans and fisheries issues, especially on distant water fisheries and IUU. As a native Hong Konger, Apple has spent most of her time supporting NGOs' capacity building and campaign development in Asia. She recently facilitated the development of the first collaborative strategy on sustainable fishery in China. She also helped Greenpeace set up new offices and started the distant water fisheries campaign in Taiwan and South Korea in 2009 and 2012 respectively, including office set up, budgeting, recruiting and training of local staff, networking with media and local groups. She has witnessed the problems of modern fisheries including illegal transshipment and shark finning at seas during the expeditions in the Pacific. With her extensive experiences in RFMOs and international conferences, those IUU cases were put under spotlights and led to legislation reform in Asia.

For over ten years Dan has been active on issues at the heart of the ocean and climate nexus, in particular maritime greenhouse gas emissions, at the international level. Prior to joining Oceans 5 he served as a Senior Advisor for the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate within the U.S. Department of State working on crosscutting issues, and as the Shipping Emissions Campaign Manager for Ocean Conservancy. Dan is a mediocre outdoorsman with an amateur's passion for snorkeling, mountain climbing, Shakespearean theater, and history blogging. He holds an undergraduate degree in political science with a minor in German from American University.

Emily is the Director of Program Delivery for the Bloomberg Ocean Fund where she is responsible for program implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and the strategy for coral conservation. Previously, Emily worked for New York City’s Department of Administrative Services, where she led programs to improve government operations and oversaw the agency’s performance management and data governance strategy. From 2009 through 2016, she worked on energy efficiency strategy for the city and state of New York. Emily has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Williams College and received a master’s degree in public administration with a focus in environmental science and policy from Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs.

Heather is a vice president in RPA’s San Francisco office and leads the practice area of Environment, Rights and Global Development. This portfolio includes a range of sponsored projects and donor collaboratives as well as advisory engagements, research and publications. She also leads the Scaling Solutions toward Shifting Systems initiative that encourages funders to place longer-term, more adaptive resources with grantees who are tackling systemic challenges from the local to the global level. Heather serves as an adjunct professor at the China Global Philanthropy Institute and frequently publishes on philanthropy.

Chuck coordinates Oceans 5 on behalf of its Partners and Members. Prior to joining Oceans 5, he served in senior positions with federal and state governments, as well as nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. He served as the Assistant Administrator for Water at the US Environmental Protection Agency and as the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.  Fox also directed the international ocean conservation programs for the Pew Charitable Trusts and served with several conservation organizations including American Rivers, Friends of the Earth and the Environmental Policy Institute.  Fox is viewed as a thoughtful, results-oriented manager with 30 years of experience in the field.

Jacqueline is the Program Associate for the Bloomberg Ocean Fund where she supports project development and management, coordinates communications across funders and grantees, and advances grantee monitoring and evaluation. Previously, Jacqueline held operational and analyst roles in several global non-profits including the Global Reporting Initiative and Accion. Most recently, she was at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors within the Sponsored Projects and Funds team providing relationship management services to clients across the environment sector. Jacqueline has a B.A. in International Relations from American University.

Jean Flemma manages the Ocean Climate Diplomacy Initiative and has spent 30 years advancing ocean and climate policy solutions at the state, federal, and international level. Prior to joining Oceans 5 she was an advisor for nonprofits and foundations, the Director of the Ocean Defense Initiative, and a co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab. She spent two decades in the US House of Representatives advising members of Congress on ocean, fisheries, and wildlife conservation issues. She serves on the board of several non-profits, and began her career in public policy on Capitol Hill as a Sea Grant Fellow from the University of Washington where she got her master's in marine policy. She has an undergraduate degree in economics from Middlebury College.

Jeff manages the financial operations for Oceans 5. Prior to joining Oceans 5, Jeff spent the past 16 years in leadership positions in philanthropy, serving as the Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer for the Heising-Simons Foundation and the Director of Finance and Administration for the James Irvine Foundation. Prior to his move to philanthropy, Jeff was the General Manager of San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater and an Audit Manager with Price Waterhouse. A Certified Public Accountant, Jeff has a B.S. in Accounting from Rider University and has completed the Council on Foundations’ Career Pathways Program and Grantmakers for Effective Organization’s Change Leaders in Philanthropy Fellowship. Jeff has held leadership positions on the boards of the Foundation Financial Officers’ Group, Northern California Grantmakers, Possibility Labs, and the New Conservatory Theatre Center.

Jennifer assists with operationalizing the work of Oceans 5, partnering with RPA, staff, funders and friends in the field to support their many efforts. Prior to joining Oceans 5 in 2017, Jen worked in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem conserving large predators and their habitats through education and fundraising. A sailor and fly fisherman grounded now in the North Woods, she is passionate about oceans, water, and conservation of resources. Through nonprofit grant-seeking, board membership, and project management, she has been fortunate to make a small difference in big causes, and continues to learn and contribute to the world of conservation through her work with Oceans 5.

Jonathan oversees program strategy, stakeholder engagement, and communications for key investments of the Bloomberg Ocean Fund, a project of Bloomberg Philanthropies, and advises on a strategic grant-making.  Before joining the BOF and Oceans 5, Jonathan spent over 20 years advancing ocean conservation initiatives both in the United States and internationally.  

Most recently he directed the Regional Environment Office for West and Central Africa at the U.S. Embassy in Ghana where he led efforts to improve fisheries management and counter IUU fishing, combat wildlife trafficking, and reduce mercury pollution from artisanal gold mining, among others.  Prior work at the U.S. State Department involved negotiating multilateral agreements for Antarctic and Arctic high seas fisheries and other marine conservation efforts, including the initiative to establish one of the world’s largest marine protected areas in Antarctica’s Ross Sea.  Before joining the State Department, Jonathan spent 12 years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration where he managed coastal and coral reef management initiatives in the U.S. Pacific Islands and led regional and national MPA initiatives, including spearheading the policy for the U.S. national system of MPAs.  While at NOAA, Jonathan also led engagement in Congress for the agency’s marine policy and ocean and climate science priorities.  Jonathan’s first dives on healthy and bleached coral reefs were in Belize while a Peace Corps volunteer, and he also worked as a mate on commercial fishing boats in Alaska and Cape Cod.  Jonathan lives in Annapolis, Maryland with his wife, Ellen, and their two children, Adelaide and Parker. 

Justine supports Oceans 5 in managing the Africa portfolio. Prior to joining Oceans 5, she worked for the past 18 years in marine conservation with extensive experience in coordinating international scale research, conservation, scientific and monitoring projects, and programs and advocating for innovative measures to mitigate the risks to marine ecosystems and providing practical solutions for marine biodiversity including fisheries management and MPAs. Justine has served at international environmental organizations, academia, inter-governmental agencies, and NGOs including FIBA/ MAVA Foundation and Sub Regional Fisheries Commission. Most recently, she served as the BirdLife International Marine Program Coordinator in West Africa where she helped establish and integrate the marine work into the Africa Secretariat program with marine strategy development, coordination, fundraising, recruiting and training of program staff, and office set up. She holds an MSC in Coastal and Marine Resources Management from Liège University of Belgium as well as an Environmental Engineering Degree.

Katelyn is the Senior Grants Manager for Oceans 5 and its restricted funds. She oversees the grantmaking process, and the lifecycle of each grant, manages our internal grants systems, and works closely with both grantees and staff. Before joining Oceans 5, Katelyn was a grant writer for small non-profits and a research consultant focusing on human trafficking in Indonesia and human migration in Afghanistan.  She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Riverside, and a Master's of Public Policy from the University of California, Irvine. Originally from California, Katelyn lived in Costa Rica for a decade and now lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida.

Kelly is the Finance Manager for the Bloomberg Oceans Fund where she is responsible for budget management and analysis to support strategic planning. Previously, Kelly worked for the International Boreal Conservation Campaign, providing grant and fiscal management for the Boreal Songbird Initiative. Prior to joining the conservation field, she worked as an attorney with experience in state legislative affairs, appellate law, and white-collar enforcement actions. Kelly received her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Georgia and her J.D. from New York University School of Law. She lives in Seattle, Washington, where she can indulge her lifelong passion for both forests and the ocean.

Marta is our European Program Director and coordinates our IUU fishing efforts around the world. Marta is an environmental lawyer with 13 years of experience protecting nature through international and European Union policy and law. She has successfully engaged in various fisheries policy advocacy efforts mainly on IUU fishing and deep-sea fisheries in the EU, Japan, China, in several RFMOs (IATTC, ICCAT, NEAFC, CCAMLR) and she has also worked towards a new UN high seas treaty. Marta manages “Leading Women for the Ocean” and is a mentor of The Economist’s Women and the Ocean initiative.

Maureen Mahoney joined RPA in 2022 as a Senior Associate on the Sponsored Projects and Funds team. With a strong foundation in the philanthropic sector, Maureen has brought valuable expertise to RPA. In her role, Maureen oversees a diverse portfolio of projects, spanning health, education, and environmental initiatives. Her responsibilities include grants and contract management, ensuring legal compliance, fostering meaningful relationships, and providing crucial operational support for 12 projects. Before joining RPA, Maureen made significant contributions at Arabella Advisors, a philanthropic consulting firm, serving as an advocacy specialist for both 501c3 and 501c4 fiscally sponsored projects. Originally hailing from the Washington, DC area, Maureen now calls Nashville, Tennessee home. She holds a BA from the Ford School at the University of Michigan and loves cheering on her Wolverines.

Scott is the Strategic Communications Lead for the Bloomberg Ocean Fund. Before joining BOF and Oceans 5, Scott was responsible for leading WWF’s global advocacy communications effort to secure an ambitious global biodiversity agreement at UN CBD COP15. Prior to this, he led on media for WWF for climate and international campaigns. Scott has previously held roles at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), Transparency International UK, and the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management. He has an academic background in Geographical Sciences and International Relations and enjoys running and climbing in his spare time. He lives in Bristol, UK.

Semisi is responsible for developing and supporting Oceans 5’s portfolio in the Pacific region, primarily focusing on identifying new grant-making opportunities. Before joining Oceans 5, he spent nearly a decade as a civil servant with Fiji's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he served as a diplomat. His experience also includes senior roles with Nia Tero Foundation and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Most recently, he was a Senior Specialist with the UAE COP28 Presidency Team before taking on the role as Fiji’s National NDC Coordinator with UNOPS. He holds a B.A in International Studies from the International Pacific University (IPU) in New Zealand, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Diplomacy and International Affairs from the University of the South Pacific (USP).

Seth manages the marine protected area (MPA) portfolio for Oceans 5. Prior to joining Oceans 5 Seth worked for the past 17 years defending key domestic environmental laws, promoting new conservation policies, and creating MPAs globally. Most recently, Seth served as a director for the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Ocean Legacy project where he worked to create marine reserves in Chile, France, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Palau, the U.K. and the U.S. He has also worked on many other conservation issues throughout his career including climate change, energy efficiency, water quality, endangered species, forest protection and sustainable fisheries. Seth holds a bachelor's degree in geology from Miami University of Ohio.

Taehyun (Jennifer) supports the strengthening and coordination of Oceans 5 projects in the East Asia region including Japan, South Korea, China mainland and Taiwan. Together with Apple, she also develops and manages projects in Asia. 

Prior to joining Oceans 5, Taehyun Jennifer worked on oceans and climate nexus as a Global Climate Political Advisor at Greenpeace. Previously, as an oceans campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia, she worked on various oceans issue campaigns including Distant Water Fisheries regulation in South Korea, leading a regional project on banning Microbeads across East Asia and improving human rights onboard tuna vessels. Taehyun Jennifer values collaboration across different organisations and loves working to bridge people and strategies for collective work and greater impact. She holds an Erasmus Mundus International MSc in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation from Ghent University.

Veronica (Vero) Frank is High Seas Program Manager for Bloomberg Ocean Fund housed in Oceans 5 where she oversees high seas grantmaking strategy and implementation, government affairs, partner engagement, and campaign communications and works in close coordination with Bloomberg Philanthropies in support of its Ocean Initiative. Vero has two decades of experience working on international ocean policy, most recently as senior political advisor on high seas marine protection and governance with GreenpeaceInternational, where she coordinated political work towards the new UN high seas Treaty. She has a PhD in Law of the Sea from Utrecht University and currently lives in Cascais, Portugal.