Céline  Cousteau

The granddaughter of Jacques Yves Cousteau, Celine carries on the the family legacy of ocean advocacy through adventure and exploration. She is featured in PBS’ series, Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures, and worked on an upcoming Discovery Channel documentary, working with sharks in the Great Barrier Reef.

Fabien Cousteau

An unwavering supporter of BLUE, Fabien has been diving since he was 4, and was part of the crew of his grandfather’s storied ships, Calypso and Alcyone, at the age of 12. Fabien’s fieldwork and a degree in environmental economics have contributed to his belief that solutions can be found to reconcile human and economic interests with conservation needs.  

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

David Doubilet

David Doubilet has produced nearly 70 stories for the National Geographic Magazine since 1971. His personal chal­lenge is to capture the essence of the fragile and finite world below from the smallest plank­ton to the largest predator and to make images that create an enduring connection to the sea. David is a feature columnist, author of twelve books and the recipient of many prestigious awards and founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Julie Packard

Julie Packard, executive director and vice chair­man of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Board of Trustees, has directed the organization since it opened in 1984. Her commitment to advancing ocean conservation has been demonstrated through the aquarium and far beyond. She serves on numerous boards including the California Nature Conservancy, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. She was also a member of the Pew Oceans Commission, which in 2003 issued its recommenda­tions for a comprehensive over­haul of national ocean policy. Ms. Packard was 1998 recipi­ent of the Audubon Medal for Conservation.

Sylvia Earle

Dr. Sylvia Earle is recognized as one of the world’s most influential ambassadors for the oceans. She has authored more than 175 publications and received more than 100 national and international awards, including the prestigious TEDPrize in 2009. A botanist, biologist, conserva­tionist and entrepreneur, she has transcended many boundaries in her career, including an un-tethered walk on the sea floor at a lower depth than any prior human being. Dr. Earle served as chief scientist for NOAA from 1990-1992 and is currently a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence.

HONORED GUESTS

Paul S. Auerbach, MD

Dr. Paul S. Auerbach is currently a professor of surgery in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University. He is one of the world’s leading specialists on wilderness and emergency medicine, editor of the textbook Wilderness Medicine and author of Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine. He also serves as the national medical consultant on hazardous marine animals to the Divers Alert Network.

Bryant Austin

Bryant Austin is a multi-media artist and fine art photographer who creates life-size photo­graphs of whales. Bryant’s collec­tion represents the largest most detailed photographs of whales in history. His aim is to inspire change within whaling nations. His body of work debuted in Norway, and is scheduled to continue in Tokyo in late 2010. Austin is president and founder of the non-profit Marine Mammal Conservation Through the Arts.

Dan Baron

Dan is the president and founder of Footage Search, Inc. and its successful OceanFootage and NatureFootage collec­tions, which represent over 300 leading cinematographers worldwide. Dan created Footage Search using groundbreaking technology that powers both successful web sites while con­necting, promoting and empow­ering the world’s top ocean and nature cinematographers.

Jim Barry

Jim Barry serves as a member of the Fellowship & Curriculum Committee at the Center for Ocean Solutions. He is a benthic ecologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) studying several aspects of the biology and ecology of marine organisms and commu­nities, with a principal interest in factors that influence the structure and function of marine biological communities.

Dan Basta

Dan Basta is the Director of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service. Dan leads the federal program whose mission is to protect and conserve the unique ecological and cultural marine resources contained in the sanc­tuary system. Dan has held posi­tions at Resources for the Future, the Environmental Studies Board of the National Academy of Sciences, and John Hopkins University. He is co-author of more than 60 publications, including textbooks on model­ing, atlases of U.S. coastal and ocean regions, as well as reports, books and articles on environ­mental problems at the national, regional and local levels.

Rick Baumgartner

Since 2007, Emmy-nominated visual effects producer Rick Baumgartner and his teams have delivered over 300 live-action 3D stereoscopic projects includ­ing: U2-3D, NBC’s Chuck (Chuck Versus the Third Dimension), the first 3D HD digital episodic television show, and SO-BE: Lizard Lake, the first 3D HD digi­tal television commercial. He is also owner and lead consultant for 3D Technical Services, spe­cializing in helping filmmakers and content creators negotiate the ever-changing waters of 3D technology and workflows.

Tristan Bayer

Tristan Bayer grew up travel­ing the world making nature documentaries, mentored by his father, renowned wildlife film­maker, Wolfgang Bayer. Tristan’s work has aired internationally on Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Planet Green, National Geographic, BBC, Fox, TBS, and MTV. He was nominated for an Emmy as director of cinematography for the Animal Planet series “Caught in the Moment.”

Suzan Beraza

Suzan Beraza, founder of Reel Thing Productions, was born in Jamaica, and raised in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The focus of Reel Thing Productions thought-provoking films is to challenge viewers to examine their choices and be aware of their impact on the rest of the world. Her latest film, Bag It, examines the impacts of plastic on environmental and human health, and showcases alternatives and solutions to the problem.

Arlene Blum

Dr. Arlene Blum is a biophysical chemist. She is the author of Breaking Trail, A Climbing Life and Annapurna A Woman’s Place. She is a Himalayan climb­er, keynote and motivational speaker. She is also the founder of the Green Science Policy Institute, which is an environ­mental think tank that provides scientific research on dangerous chemicals to government, indus­try and non-governmental orga­nizations. They aim to reduce the use of such substances in a variety of consumer products. Dr. Blum serves as an advisory board member of the Plastic Pollution Coalition.

Mark Borde

Mark Borde has been in the motion picture distribution busi­ness for over thirty years. His well-earned reputation as the foremost independent motion picture distributor began with his work in a family distribu­tion company, Seymour Borde and Associates, representing MGM, Rank, and hundreds of well-known titles. In 1996, Mark founded Legacy Releasing, He now owns The Osio Cinema here in Monterey, which plays art-house, foreign and critically acclaimed independent feature films.

Corinne Bourdeau

Corinne Bourdeau is the President and Founder of 360 Degree Communications (360). Prior to launching 360 in 2001, Corinne was the associ­ate publisher of Los Angeles Magazine. The 360 team has worked on a variety of indie films including the Academy Award winning film, The Cove, the indie hit Bottle Shock, and the Sundance award winning film Fuel.

Jon Bowermaster

Jon Bowermaster is a writer, filmmaker and adventurer. Author of eleven books, his most recent being OCEANS, The Threats to the Sea and What You Can Do To Turn the Tide. A six-time grantee of the National Geographic Expeditions Council, he is currently finishing a power­ful new film called SoLa about Southern Louisianans and the water that surrounds them.

Jason Bradley

Jason is a nature and underwa­ter photographer in Monterey. His passion for photography extends to all kinds of subjects, but he is happiest and most in his element focusing on coastal habitats and ecosystems. Jason’s work has been pub­lished in various books, maga­zines, calendars and digital media outlets.

Stefanie Brendl

Stefanie Brendl’s life is about exploration and adventure. She and Jimmy Hall started their business, Hawaii Shark Encounters, seven years ago on the north shore of Oahu out of mutual respect and admiration for sharks. Brendl is owner of Shark Allies, a nonprofit organi­zation dedicated to the cause of shark conservation. She is also owner of the video production company Sea to Sky Productions and WhySharksMatter.com.

Meg Caldwell

Meg Caldwell is executive direc­tor for the Center for Ocean Solutions. She also directs the Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program at Stanford Law School, where her research and teaching focus on the use of science in envi­ronmental and marine resource policy development and imple­mentation as well as private and public incentives for natural resource conservation.

Tom Campbell

In 1999, Tom Campbell was one of the first to dive head­long into large format HD, owning Amphibico housing #1 for the Sony F-700 series, before moving into the 900 series, and later digital RED. He has worked for major networks and agencies, and has shot award-winning documentaries in at least 10 different coun­tries, building a substantial stock library from which pro­duction companies worldwide obtain footage.

Marina Cappabianca

Marina Cappabianca is a writer and producer from Rome, Italy. WIith over 20 years in the field, she has aquired an excellent set of production skills , and has coordinated a number of inter­national productions on natural history, current affairs and sci­ence, with partners including Discovery, National Geographic, WGBH Nova, WDR, ZDF, BBC, France 2, France 3 and France 5. Along with her husband Pippo Cappellano, she is author of most of their productions.

Pippo Cappellano

Pippo Cappellano is a journalist, author and film director from Rome, Italy. Pippo began his career as an underwater photographer becoming one of Italy’s most credited underwater filmmakers. He specializes in the study of underwater life, and making documentaries on marine biology. Awarded with the international recogni­tion Tridente d’Oro in 1983, in the last few years Cappellano has concentrated on the Mediterranean, making numer­ous series for RAI’s most impor­tant nature programmes.

Scott Cassell

Scott has been a mixed-gas commercial diver for nearly 22 years. His film credits include stock footage of white sharks, blue sharks, and Mako sharks, some of which has aired during Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. He is a world expert on the giant Humboldt squid, and has dove with the giant squid more than anyone and has been featured on Discovery Channel several times. In addition he is also a PADI certified SCUBA instructor and a past teacher at the College of Oceaneering.

Bruckner Chase

Bruckner is a founding member of the Ocean City Swim Club, whose mission is to help adult swimmers discover open ocean swimming. Bruckner is also an ocean lifeguard instructor for the Upper Township Beach Patrol, a motivational speaker and writer forthe Liberty Sports Magazine in Philadelphia. Professionally, Bruckner works with various companies on strategic develop­ment and project management.

Barry Clark

An industry leader in high-definition pro­gram produc­tion and tech­nology, Clark was co-founder of the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and served for nine years as its chairman. As co-chairman of Mandalay Media Arts, he pro­duced one of the first US televi­sion specials to air in HD (Jaguar: Year of the Cat) as well as the PBS special Sahara: Seasons in the Sand and the IMAX 3D film Galapagos: The Enchanted Voyage. Clark’s credits include prime-time dramatic and non-fiction programs for Disney, HBO, Showtime, PBS, NBC, ABC, TBS, Canal+, BBC, the Discovery Channel, and NHK.

Dianna Cohen

Los Angeles-based multi-media visual artist, painter and curator Dianna Cohen is best known for her 2D and 3D works using recycled plastic bags, ranging from small hanging pieces to room-sized installations. She has worked with plastic bags for the past fifteen years and recently expanded her work into making wearable art pieces.

Céline Cousteau

Celine carries on the fam­ily legacy of environmental advocacy through adventure and film­making. Some of her documen­tary work includes Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean adventures (PBS), Mysteries of the Shark Coast (Discovery Channel), and she is now co-hosting a 12 part television series for a Chilean production: Oceano: Chile Frente al Mar. Celine’s non-profit, CauseCentric Productions, creates micro-documentaries for new media distribution about the work of other non-profits finding solu­tions to environmental chal­lenges. Check out the event Celine is planning for this fall: Ocean Inspiration

Fabien Cousteau

An unwavering supporter of BLUE, Fabien has carried on the Cousteau family tradition of ocean explo­ration and advocacy. Fabien has been diving since he was four, and was part of the crew of his grandfather’s storied ships, Calypso and Alcyone, at the age of 12. Fabien’s fieldwork and a degree in environmental eco­nomics from Boston University have developed his strong belief that solutions can be found to reconcile human and economic interests with conservation needs.

Jean-Michel Cousteau

Explorer, dip­lomat for the environment, educator, and film producer, Jean-Michel Cousteau has communicated his love and concern for our water planet for more than four decades. The son of ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel founded Ocean Futures Society in 1999 to carry on this pioneering work. Jean-Michel serves as an impassioned diplomat for the environment, through a variety of media, producing over 80 films, receiv­ing Emmy awards, the Peabody Award, the seven d’Or, and the Cable Ace Award, and authoring hundreds of articles and several books.

Anna Cummins

Anna Cummins has over 10 years of experience in environ­mental non-profit work, educa­tion, writing, and campaign development. She has worked in marine conservation, coastal watershed management, sus­tainabilty education, and high school ecology instruction. In 2007 she joined the Algalita Marine Research Foundation as education adviser, conducting school outreach and giving pub­lic presentations on the plastics issue. Anna completed a month long, 4,000 mile research expedi­tion studying plastic debris in the north Pacific gyre.

Chuck Davis

Chuck Davis has worked as a spe­cialist in marine and underwater photography and cinema­tography. His filming credits include work on two Academy Award-nominated IMAX films, Alaska: Spirit of the Wild and The Living Sea (underwater/marine scenes of Monterey Bay). Davis’s cinematography experience has included expeditions with the Cousteau filming teams and on feature films such as Warner Brothers’ SPHERE and documen­tary projects for the Discovery/Learning Channel, BBC, PBS, CBS, ABC, A&E, NBC/Universal and National Geographic Channel.

Mike deGruy

Mike deGruy is a marine biologist and underwater filmmaker. After work­ing at the Waikiki Aquarium as the Curator of Invertebrates, Mike worked in the Marshall Islands as the resident manager of the Mid-Pacific Marine Lab. For the next ten years Mike travelled the world shooting sequences and films for BBC, PBS and National Geographic. Soon he began producing as well as hosting the films and is the recipient of many awards including BAFTA and EMMYs. Mike is founder of the company, the Film Crew, Inc. and together with wife Mimi, they produce natural history films.

Camille Lenore Derendinger

and Ryuijie

Camille has a rich background in visual and cultural arts. She is also a certified SCUBA diver and free-diver, and in 2007 she stud­ied free-diving physiology with the guidance of Performance Freediving. Several freedives and images later, the world is intro­duced to “Kanchi”.

Ryuijie was born in Otaru. Through his early work on the Monterey Peninsula with Josephus Daniels, Ryuijie estab­lished a reputation for his exqui­site platinum/palladium prints. For over thirty years, Ryuijie has steadfastly pursued his photo­graphic vision. Each of his prints are characterized by perfection.

Mark DiOrio

Mark DiOrio is the capital cam­paign director for The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, a private, non-profit, created to assist the federally managed National Marine Sanctuary Program with education and outreach programs designed to preserve, protect and promote meaningful opportunities for public interaction with the nation’s marine sanctuaries. Mark learned to dive in the Monterey Bay, has lobstered in Long Island Sound, ‘quo-hogged’ in Narragansett Bay and sport fished both coasts.

Howard J. Donner, MD

Dr. Howard J. Donner’s unique medical practice has taken him to the farthest reaches of the globe. Specializing in remote-and expedition-based medicine, he has advised sailors, moun­taineers, rescuers and aerospace personnel, and has become an internationally recognized expert on wilderness medicine. He is an avid sailor, professional guide, rescue adviser, and for­mer medical operations con­sultant at NASA, as well as the co-author of The Field Guide to Wilderness Medicine.

William J. Douros

William J. Douros serves as the first regional director of all five west coast sanctuaries. From 1998-2006 Douros served as superintendent of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and has been instrumental in developing a nationally renowned sanctuary program for California’s central coast. Mr. Douros’ accomplishments include building and operating strong programs for resource protection, research and moni­toring, education and outreach.

Robert Dunbar

Robert Dunbar is a member of the Center for Ocean Solutions Management Committee. He is the William M. Keck professor of earth sciences at Stanford University, and the Victoria P. and Roger W. Sant director of the Earth Systems Program, the largest undergraduate and co-terminal masters program in the School of Earth Sciences.

Craig Eastman

Craig Eastman has recorded and performed with artists including: Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Rickie Lee Jones, Bryan Adams, Daniel Lanois, Brian Setzer, Keb Mo, Dr. John, John Hiatt, Martina McBride, Steve Martin, Billy Bob Thorton, Dennis Quaid and many others.  Craig was introduced to the world of film music when he started working with composer Hans Zimmer, contributing not only his multi-instrumental playing, but also his compositions to films such as:  “Black Hawk Down”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, and “Brokeback Mountain,” working with directors and producers including Ridley Scott, Sean Penn, Michael Mann, Gore Verbinski, Barry Levinson, Michael Bay, Jerry Brukheimer, and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Kip Evans

Kip Evans is a professional photographer and underwater explorer. During the past 10 years he has worked on National Geographic Society projects including the Sustainable Seas Expeditions, where he served as the chief photographer for Sylvia Earle. Kip has also worked on specials for the BBC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic, including Pearl Harbor – Legacy of Attack with Robert Ballard (discoverer of the Titanic). Most recently he completed two documentary films – one on the whale sharks of Holbox, Mexico and one high­lighting California’s new Marine Protected Areas.

Jenifer Austin Foulkes

Jenifer Austin Foulkes is the product manager for the Ocean in Google Earth and Maps. She also helped start the Google Earth Outreach Program which supports non profit groups using Google Earth to change the world. Jenifer holds an undergraduate degree in biol­ogy and has done research at Florida State University, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Labs.

Paul Gasek

In addition to being an execu­tive producer on such shows as Deadliest Catch, Mysteries of the Shark Coast and Project Earth, Discovery Channel Senior Science Editor Paul Gasek has commissioned hundreds of television hours on shows like Expedition Pacific Abyss and Discovery Project Earth. Gasek was formerly owner and direc­tor of Stony Brook films, an Emmy-Nominated and award-winning private company whose clients included, Discovery Pictures, Animal Planet, The Science Channel and National Geographic.

Jennifer Galvin

Dr. Galvin - scientist, filmmaker, educator and entrepreneur - uses her background in public health and environmental science to inform her work as a filmmaker. She is the cofounder of reelblue, LLC (www.reelblue.net), a media company specializing in stories about global health and the environment, and reelgreen (www.reelgreen.net), a social media outreach team.  Galvin is also Director of Programs and Trustee of the Henry David Thoreau Foundation, a founding member of the Pleiades Network, and on the boards of the San Francisco Green Film Festival and Swim to Empower.  Galvin holds a Sc.D. in environmental health from the Exposure, Epidemiology and Risk Program at the Harvard School of Public Health, a M.P.H. in environmental epidemiology from Yale University, and a B.S. in aquatic biology from Brown University. From books to short videos and feature films, her award-winning work at the intersection of art and science pushes the craft of storytelling to educate and inspire.  Her feature film FREE SWIM won the Patagonia-sponsored award at BLUE 2009 and this year she brings us a short documentary called EATING THE OCEAN.

Andrew Gellis

Andrew Gellis produces, writes and consults for numerous entities. He served for six years as senior vice president for film and distribution at the IMAX Corporation, where he pioneered the development of dramatic, narrative filmmaking in the large-format medium, and executive produced the IMAX 3D films: T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous and Space Station 3D. As a producer and executive consultant for Sony Pictures, Gellis developed the strategy for Sony’s entrance into large format production culminating his work there with the IMAX 3D film Across the Sea of Time, which he wrote and produced.

Martin Goebel

Martin Goebel is one of the pioneers of the sustainability movement. Born and raised in Mexico, Martin’s conserva­tion career includes work with The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, the World Wildlife Fund, and the Mexico Nature Conservation Fund, which he helped found. He is founder and president of Sustainable Northwest.

William F. “Zeke” Grader

Since 1992, Grader has served as executive director of the Institute for Fisheries Resources, an organization begun by the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. Zeke works to assure sustainable fish­eries, including measures to pro­tect against overfishing, decreas­ing bycatch, rebuilding depleted fish stocks and protecting and restoring fish habitats.

Rachel Graham, MD

Dr. Rachel Graham is a conserva­tion scientist working with the Wildlife Conservation Society out of Belize. She is an expert on endangered species research including whale sharks and their feeding grounds. Her biologi­cal oceanography and marine ecology work have taken her to the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Indian Ocean and the Eastern Pacific.

Don Hahn

Don Hahn is the executive producer for Disneynature’s first two groundbreak­ing films Earth and Oceans. In 1991 Don produced Beauty and the Beast, the first animated film to receive a Best Picture nomination from the Motion Picture Academy. His next film, The Lion King, broke box-office records all over the world. Hahn also served as asso­ciate producer on Who Framed Roger Rabbit. His other films include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the 2006 short, The Little Matchgirl which earned Hahn his second Oscar nomination. His documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty, is Hahn’s directing debut and chronicles the perfect storm of people and circumstances that led to the animation renais­sance in the 1980’s and 90’s. He is currently working with Tim Burton on the stop-motion ani­mated feature Frankenweenie (in 3D), and continues to serve as executive producer on Disneynature films.

Howard and Michele Hall

Award-winning natural history filmmakers and photogra­phers Howard and Michele Hall are perhaps best known for their underwater IMAX films. As direc­tor and producer, respectively, their IMAX feature film credits include the IMAX 3D feature Into the Deep; Island of the Sharks, Coral Reef Adventure (in which they are also featured on camera), Deep Sea 3D, and most recently the IMAX 3D feature Under the Sea3D. Howard has been the underwater cinema­tographer and/or Director of Underwater Cinematography on four other IMAX features.

Eric Hanson

As a principal in xRez Studios, Eric Hanson is a visual effects designer pioneering new meth­ods to capture and convey natural, urban and imagined landscapes. Eric has worked with Digital Domain, Sony Imageworks, Dream Quest Images, and Walt Disney Feature Animation. He is an associate professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, leading their cur­riculum in visual effects. Eric is a member of the VES, IVRPA, PMA, and ACM/Siggraph.

Scott Hanson

Hanson’s reputation as a mas­ter sculptor of contemporary marine art has been recognized by individuals, celebrities, and corporations worldwide. His commissions include such notable clients as Ford Motor Company, Excel Corporation, and Mandalay Bay with Monuments to eighteen feet tall. As much at home in the water as on land, Scott’s playground has always been the sea.

Graham Hawkes

World renowned engineer, Graham Hawkes, created the DeepFlight series of positively buoyant, winged submersibles. The first DeepFlight submersible was unveiled by Hawkes Ocean Technologies (HOT) in the late 1990s. HOT is now on its fifth generation winged submers­ible. Hawkes designed the Deep Rover submersibles featured in James Cameron’s 3-D IMAX film, Aliens of the Deep, and designed a significant percent­age of manned vehicles used by science and industry.

Ralph Lee Hopkins

Santa Fe, New Mexico-based photographer and iLCP Associate Ralph Lee Hopkins travels to the world’s wild places with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. He is founder and director of Photography Expeditions for the Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic alliance. His current work focuses on conservation and environmental issues in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, and Baja California, Mexico and was published in “Is Baja on the Block?” (National Geographic Traveler, Nov/Dec 2008).

Roger Horrocks

Roger Horrocks is an environmental photographer and underwa­ter camera­man based in Cape Town, South Africa. He has contributed to Men’s Health, GQ, Sport Diver Magazine, National Geographic Traveller, Conde Nast House and Garden, and works as an assis­tant cameraman for the BBC’s Natural History Unit. Using his freediving skills and ability to get close to animals underwater, he specializes in sharks, marine mammals and human adventure underwater.

Enzo Incontro

Born in Lentini (Siracusa), Enzo Incontro holds a degree in environmental sciences from the University of Catania, and is professional trained as diver, div­ing instructor and underwater photographer and cameraman.He consults for Marine Issues in various institutions and is also the Regional representative for the Underwater sector of Legambiente, the main environ­ment protection association in Italy. He is the creator and direc­tor of the Protected Marine Area of Plemmirio, one of the most important Marine Reserve Areas in Sicily.

Valentine Kass

Valentine Kass serves as program director in the Informal Science Education (ISE) program, in the NSF Directorate for Education and Human Resources. The ISE program provids support for innovative projects through the media, science museums, and other non-classroom set­tings. Valentine manages the ISE media portfolio including televi­sion, large format film projects, and other multi-media projects. She is also co-chair of the NSF working group for International Polar Year (IPY).

Fred Kaufman

Fred Kaufman is an American television producer. He has been executive producer of “Nature” since 1991 and has worked on the series since its premiere in 1982. In 2006, The Queen of Trees won the Peabody Award, and, at the Banff World Television Festival, the NHK President’s Prize. Other programs includes “In the Wild: Orangutans with Julia Roberts” which won a Genesis Award for Outstanding PBS Documentary, and the Emmy Award-winning The Urban Elephant.

Peter Knights

Peter Knights was formerly a program director and undercov­er investigator working on illegal trade in endangered species for the Global Survival Network and a senior investigator for the Environmental Investigation Agency. He conducted on-site investigations globally and cam­paigned against the wild bird trade for pets and consumption of endangered species in tradi­tional Chinese medicine. In 1996 while working across Asia he created the Active Conservation Awareness Program, aimed at reducing demand for endan­gered species products. He received an Associate Laureate of the Rolex Award for Enterprise for this work. Peter served as executive director of WildAid and program director to the Barbara Delano Foundation. He created the Shark Conservation and Galapagos Forever Programs.

Josh T. Kohut

Dr. Josh T. Kohut, is an assistant professor of physical oceanogra­phy at Rutgers University. Josh’s research includes bio-physical interactions within the world’s oceans, circulation processes on continental shelves, and the impact of these processes on marine resource management. Josh utilizes ocean observing technologies including satel­lites, high-frequency radar, and underwater gliding robots to develop research programs that apply ocean observations to coastal decision making.

Richard Ludescher

Richard D. Ludescher, the executive producer of Atlantic Crossing: A Robot’s Daring Mission, is an award-winning educator, the founding editor of an international biophysics journal, and a professor of food chemistry and the George H Cook campus Dean for under­graduate education at Rutgers University. He has won numer­ous teaching awards at the department, college, university, and national levels.

Greg MacGillivray

Giant-screen IMAX film­maker Greg MacGillivray has produced some of the most popular films in the genre including hits like Everest and the Academy Award-nominated film The Living Sea. An ardent ocean conservationist, MacGillivray and his Foundation, MacGillivray Freeman Films Educational Foundation, recently started production on One World Ocean, a $25-million multi-media initiative billed as the world’s largest ocean media campaign.

Shaun MacGillivray

Shaun MacGillivray has worked in all aspects of film produc­tion for more than 12 years. He was producer for MacGillivray Freeman’s Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk and is currently producing the company’s forthcoming films To The Arctic, Everest: Conquering Thin Air, Humpback Whales, and One World Ocean.

Andrea Marshall

Since 2003 Andrea has been based in Mozambique researching the manta ray population for her PhD thesis. Her field research has led to a number of discoveries including feeding techniques, mating rituals and reproduction, dive depths and migration pat­terns. Yet most interestingly the work of the manta ray and whale shark Research Center uncov­ered visual and behavioral dif­ferences between Tofo’s mantas culminating in the identification of a second (and possibly third) species separating the manta birostris from the manta alfredi.

Christina Mittermeier

Cristina Mittermeier is a Mexican-born photojournal­ist and marine biologist. She is the president and a fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, a prestigious non-for-profit initiative she created in 2005 to recognize photographers working in conservation. Her photogra­phy has been published and exhibited in some of the world’s most influential publications. Cristina serves on the board of the WILD Foundation and on the Chairman’s Council of Conservation International. Her life’s passion is photojournalism and the documentation of the intersection between nature and human societies.

Laleh Mohajerani

Laleh Mohajerani was one of the original co-founders of IEMANYA OCEANICA. She holds a B.A. in psychology from UCLA and a Masters degree in nonprofit business administration from Regis University. She has worked K-12, special education, adult and environmental education. She has worked and volunteered for various nonprofits, including, the Santa Monica Bay-keeper, Environment Now, and WWF-Philippines. Laleh speaks five languages fluently.

Mary Elizabeth Murphy

Mary Elizabeth Murphy, a key member of 360 Degree Communications and a gradu­ate of UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, is an expert at creating innovative grassroots campaigns that target niche markets. Mary is at the fore­front of new distribution and marketing models for environ­mental films.

Wallace “J” Nichols

Dr. Wallace “J” Nichols is a scientist, activist, com­munity orga­nizer, author and dad. He works to inspire a deeper connection with nature, sometimes simply by walking and talking, other times through writing or images. J is a research associate at California Academy of Sciences and founder/co-director of Ocean Revolution, an international network of young ocean advocates. Lately he is working on Oceanophilia: The Mind + Ocean Initiative.

Didier Noirot

Largely inspired by Jacques Cousteau’s underwater odyssey, at age 15 Didier Noirot knew he wanted to join in the future the divers of the pres­tigious research vessel ‘Calypso’. In 1986, the dream came true and he launched a venerable career in underwater cinema­tography. Didier has contributed to documentaries and under­water programming, including Disneynature’s OCEANS. For his work as a cameraman on the Planet Earth series, Didier was awarded a coveted Emmy. Today, Didier Noirot is involved with Roger Horrocks on one of the films from the BBC Nature’s Great Event Series, The Great Tide produced by Hugh Pearson.

Chris Palmer

Chris Palmer, an environ­mental and wildlife film producer, published his first book Shooting in the Wild: An Insider’s Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom, in May under Sierra Club Books. He is president of the MacGillivray Freeman Films Educational Foundation, and a professor full time at American University, where he founded and directs the Center for Environmental Filmmaking at the School of Communication.

Rafael Parra

Rafael Parra is a professional editor and the owner and senior editor of TimeLine Film & Video, Inc., a New York City post-production facility. He is also the editor of the feature El séptimo cielo (1999) which screened at The Independent Feature Market. Parra edits for the Children’s Television Workshop and teaches Avid software courses at the Film/Video Arts media center in New York City.

Thomas P. Peschak

Thomas P. Peschak is chief pho­tographer of the Save our Seas Foundation. A former marine biologist, he now puruses a life dedicated to marine conserva­tion photojournalism. He has photographed and written four books and is a dedicated conser­vation photographer and a fel­low of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP). He has spearheaded many campaigns to proclaim marine reserves, end abalone poaching and remove shark nets.

Rick Ridgeway

Rick Ridgeway is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, author, photographer and environmentalist. Ridgeway has achieved much, includ­ing being a member of the first American team to summit K2. He has been honored with National Geographic’s “Lifetime Achievement in Adventure” award, and is Patagonia’s vice president of Environmental Initiatives and Special Media Projects. Ridgeway manages Patagonia Productions, the com­pany’s division that publishes books and produces films.

Bruce Robison

Dr. Bruce Robison is a senior scien­tist with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Besides being a pioneer in the use of undersea vehicles for studying deep-sea animals, Dr. Robinson led the first team of scientists trained as research submersible pilots. At MBARI, his research team has focused on the development of remotely operated vehicles as research platforms for deep-sea research.

Saul Rockman

Saul Rockman has spent more than 30 years studying the use and impact of media and technology in education. He is president of Rockman et al, an independent evaluation, research, and consulting firm headquartered in San Francisco. The company works with educa­tional institutions as well as with broadly educational projects having a wide community or consumer audience.

DJ Roller

D.J. Roller is a Producer / Cinematographer and founder of Liquid Pictures has been involved with several recent milestone 3D projects, includ­ing Ghost of the Abyss, U23D, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and the Award-winning Large Format Wild Ocean play­ing worldwide in 3D IMAX and Dome theaters now. He has traveled to all seven continents, filming from the top of the Atlas Mountains to under the ice of Antarica.

Rick Rosenthal

Launching his underwater career at Sea World of San Diego as a whale trainer, Rick went onto pursue advanced degrees in marine biology and oceanography from California State University at San Diego and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Rick has filmed over 30 programs, including three award-winning programs on the great whales, Riddle of the Right Whale, Humpback Whales and Sperm Whales Back From the Abyss.

Daniella Russo

Daniella Russo is a co-founder and the executive director of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, a global alliance of organizations, businesses and individuals dedi­cated to ending plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on people, animals and the environment. Daniella is a social activation strategist, and is passionate about the role of the public in driving societal and behav­ioral shifts. She believes that the foundation of every progres­sive society is an engaged and educated public, and applies her experience into creating public engagement.

Carl Safina

Carl Safina’s writing explores the scien­tific, moral, and social dimensions of our relationship with nature. His writing has been awarded such distinctions as: New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Los Angeles Times “Best Nonfiction,” Library Journal’s “Best Science Book,” Lannan Literary Award, John Burroughs Medal, the National Academies’ “Year’s Best Book for Communicating Science.” Safina is a recipient of the Pew Scholar’s Award in Conservation and the Environment, Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo’s Rabb Medal, and a MacArthur prize. He is an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University, and the found­ing president of Blue Ocean Institute.

Shari Sant Plummer

Shari Sant Plummer, an envi­ronmental philanthropist and activist, is president of Code Blue Charitable Foundation, Secretary/Trustee of the Summit Charitable Foundation, vice president/Trustee of Seacology, board member of the Deep Search Foundation, board mem­ber of International League of Conservation Photographers, member of the BLUE Ocean Film Festival Advisory Board, the Smithsonian Ocean Initiative Advisory Council, and WWF National Council and Marine Leadership Committee. An avid diver and ocean activist, Shari travels extensively throughout the world promoting ocean conservation and environmental awareness.

Steve Schklair

Steve Schklair, founder and CEO of 3ality Digital Systems is highly esteemed as one of the world’s leading experts in digital and live-action 3D—and is one of the primary catalysts behind the recent resurgence of 3D in Hollywood films. He is currently focused on the development and production of new digital 3D motion picture technologies and the real-time broadcast of 3D programming. Mr. Schklair served as 3D and Digital Image Producer on 3ality Digital’s U2 3D movie, overseeing the film’s post-production and comple­tion at the 3ality Digital studios in Burbank. Prior to 3ality, Mr. Schklair was a senior executive at Digital Domain, the special effects studio responsible for films such as Apollo 13, The Fifth Element, Titanic, and Terminator 2:3D

Dena Seidel

Dena Seidel is the producer, director, writer, editor and principle cameraperson for Atlantic Crossing: A Robot’s Daring Mission. Dena’s television credits include documentaries for Discovery Channel, HBO, National Geographic, ABC, PBS (WNET, WGBH-Frontline), Learning Channel, Turner Broadcasting and Court TV. Dena is currently the director of digital storytelling for Writers House, Rutgers University, where she teaches filmmaking as creative writing, directs a visiting film­maker series, and makes films for the university with a crew of cur­rent and former Writers House students.

Mark Shelley

Mark Shelley runs Sea Studios Foundation, the culmination of a lifelong ambition to har­ness the power of filmmaking and spotlight some of the most pressing issues of our times. As a National Geographic filmmaker and senior series producer, Shelley has been part of numer­ous award-winning exhibits and television programs. He is internationally recognized for his underwater filmmaking skills and has developed deep sea imaging systems for National Geographic and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, among others.

Dr. Geoff Shester

Dr. Geoff Shester is the California Program Director for the interna­tional conservation organization Oceana, based in their Monterey office. He worked for the Exxon Valdez Restoration Office in Alaska and served as a conserva­tion coordinator for Oceana’s Juneau office, where he helped protect deep sea coral habitats from bottom trawling. He earned his doctorate in the Stanford University Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in environ­ment and resources, studying the interplay between marine ecology and the economics of fisheries. He served for two years as the senior science manager for the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program.

Karl Shreeves

Karl Shreeves, MA, is the techni­cal development executive for PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) and is education & technical editor of The Undersea Journal. He designs and develops diving, marine science and CPR/first aid instructional materials as a com­mercial/lifestyle photographer and writer. Shreeves is active in diving for science, and has taken part in several research expedi­tions, including the Farb Monitor Expeditions, Project Nohoch, and the Cambrian Foundation’s North Florida Springs Project, Akumal Expeditions and Bermuda Projects. Shreeves is part of the NASA NEEMO sup­port team, which studies human spaceflight dynamics in an underwater habitat.

Vyv Simpson

Vyv has spent all his working life making, selling or commis­sioning factual programmes. He is currently based in Cape Town working as creative director and commissioning editor for NHU Africa. He spent three years as executive producer with the award winning Darlow Smithson Productions in London before joining the world renowned BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol. During his time in Bristo Vyv ran BBC Wildvision, looked after the NHU Children’s series “The Really Wild Show” and was executive producer on series like “The Nature of Britain” for BBC1. In 2008 he joined Discovery Networks Europe where he was responsible for commissioning and delivering programming for Animal Planet International.

Katie Snider

Katie Snider is the executive producer of Ocean Today, a mul­timedia exhibit playing ocean themed videos. The exhibit is located at the Smithsonian’s Sant Ocean Hall and at 16 aquariums and learning centers around the country. She also worked in tele­vision production on shows for the Discovery Network, HGTV, and Smithsonian.

Dr. Greg Stone

Dr. Greg Stone is senior vice president and chief scientist for oceans with Conservation International. Dr. Stone has led the effort to create the world’s largest marine pro­tected area around the Phoenix Islands in the country of Kiribati and was named one of the National Geographic Society’s Heroes of 2007. He has lectured worldwide and produced an award-winning series of marine conservation films.

Lisa Suatoni

Lisa Suatoni is a senior scien­tist in the Oceans program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and will be speaking after the film Acid Test. She works on a variety of topics including fisheries, marine-ecosystem based management, climate change impacts on marine ecosystems, and ocean acidification. Lisa has a mas­ter’s degree in Environment Studies from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Yale University. Her scientific research focused on speciation and the evolution of reproduc­tive isolation.

Ethan Summers

Ethan Summers (xRez Studios) is a multidisciplinary art­ist whose focuses include Scientific Visualization, CGI and Interactive Design. Ethan’s cli­ents have included: Prime Focus Films, Sony, NASA, Sundance Films, Shilo, Mattel, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, Hewlett Packard, Disney, Viacom Interactive, Hasbro, Coca Cola and IBM.

Mike Sutton

Michael Sutton is vice president of the Monterey Bay Aquarium where he directs the Center for the Future of the Oceans. He was appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger as a member of the California Fish and Game Commission, and he serves as summer faculty at the Vermont Law School. He recently co-authored a book, Ocean and Coastal Law and Policy, pub­lished by the American Bar Association. Previously, Sutton helped establish ocean conser­vation programs at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund, where he founded the Marine Stewardship Council. He cur­rently serves as chairman of the Wild Salmon Center and a board member of LightHawk and Ocean Champions.

Douglas Steakley

Douglas is a widely recognized photographer from Carmel Valley. Two books featuring his photography have been pub­lished: Pacific Light, Images of The Monterey Peninsula, and Big Sur and Beyond, The Legacy of The Big Sur Land Trust. In 2003, he received the Ansel Adams Award from The Sierra Club for his conservation pho­tography.

Bob Talbot

Bob Talbot is world-renowned marine pho­tographer and cinema­tographer, award-winning film-maker, marine conservationist and animal rights advocate. He has made it his life’s work to foster a respect for animals and to fight to protect their habitat. His photographs have been published in Audubon, Time, National Geographic, American Photographer, Outdoor Photographer, BBC Wildlife, Natural History and National Wildlife. His images of whales and dolphins have been reproduced into millions of lithographs, which remain the top-selling line of marine mam­mal posters in the world.

Richard Theiss

Richard Theiss is a cinematog­rapher whose work has been utilized by Discovery, National Geographic, A&E, Google Ocean, and others. He is one of the leading videographers of Isla Guadalupe’s great white sharks and produced an award-winning documentary, Island of the Great White Shark.

Eisuke Tsuyuzaki

Eisuke Tsuyuzaki directs Panasonic’s North American efforts in technical standards-making and corporate develop­ment. He served concurrently as managing director of Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory and VP Corporate Development of Panasonic R&D Company of America. There he oversaw R&D, directed Panasonic’s Blu-ray Disc and Full HD 3D format promotion in North America. Mr. Tsuyuzaki served in strate­gic leadership positions within Sony Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Columbia-Tristar Motion Pictures. He cur­rently serves on the board of directors for the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.

Darrell Ticehurst

Darrell Ticehurst is the chairman of the board for the Coastside Fishing Club, a community of recreational fishermen who share the common goal of improving fisheries, sharing their knowledge with younger generations and being more conservation minded to help preserve our resources for future generations.

Karen Van Hoesen, MD

Recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on diving medicine, Dr. Karen Van Hoesen is director of the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Diving Medicine Center and UCSD Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Fellowship, and a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame. She publishes and lectures internationally on div­ing and marine medicine, and is currently a clinical professor of medicine in emergency medi­cine at UCSD.

Caroline Underwood

Caroline Underwood is a senior producer with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Science and Natural History Unit and its flagship program, the multi-award-winning series “The Nature of Things with David Suzuki.,” which will be celebrating its 50th season this fall. She has made more than 30 documentaries about wild­life and the environment.

Charlotte Vick

As Mission Blue’s content man­ager for Google Earth’s “Explore the Ocean” layer, Charlotte edits and moderates all content for this feature introduced by Google in 2009. Charlotte’s work with the Foundation began in early 2008, when she jumped at the chance to support Dr. Earle and Google in the development of the new “Explore the Ocean” layer. She helps develop compel­ling stories about marine life, science and exploration, ocean and atmosphere, oceanic eco­systems, Marine Protected Areas and the human connection in Google Earth.

Sandra H. Welch

Sandra Welch is a program officer at the National Science Foundation managing the informal science education media portfolio. The informal Science education program funds media projects such as radio/TV programs and science center/museum exhibits using technology to support learning and teaching.

Michele Westmorland

Michele Westmorland specializes in capturing travel and cultural images from around the world, most notably Papua New Guinea. She is also known for her underwater photography.

Bridget Whalen

Bridget Whalen is director of develop­ment for the National Geographic Channel (NGC) and responsible for finding and creating the best ideas, formats, producers and talent for the network to pursue. Whalen works with producers to expand NGC’s dynamic and compelling range of content, by commis­sioning original productions and forming creative co-production partnerships with international broadcasters.

Berkley White

Berkley White is the founder of Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo, a specialized underwater imaging equipment distributor with locations on the east and west coasts of the US. He is also a regular author and photographer for international diving magazines and runs a full schedule of photo safari trips for new and advanced shooters.

Zdenka Willis

Zdenka Saba Willis is the direc­tor of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). U.S. IOOS is a coordinated network of people and technology that work together to generate and disseminate continuous data on our coastal waters, Great Lakes, and oceans. Ms. Willis has served as director of NOAA’s National Oceanographic Data Center and is a retired Navy Captain with career service as a Meteorology and Oceanography officer.