Dr. Neil Jacobs is the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction and NOAA's Deputy Administrator. In this role, Dr. Jacobs is responsible for the strategic direction and oversight of over $3.4 billion in annual spending, supporting NOAA's broad portfolio of sea, air, land, and space observing platforms as well as the critical infrastructure for the assimilation and exploitation of environmental data.

Explorer, environmentalist, master navigator, cultural revivalist, educator, storyteller:  Nainoa Thompson has led the rediscovery and revival of the ancient Polynesian art of navigation.  Through his voyaging, teaching and engagement, he has opened a global, multigenerational dialogue on the importance of sustaining ocean resources and maritime heritage.  Nainoa has dedicated his life to exploring the ocean, maintaining the health of the planet and ensuring that the ancient marine heritage and culture of Polynesia remain vibrant into the future.  

Katy Croff Bell is an ocean explorer who has spent nearly 20 years using deep sea technology to discover what lies at the depths of the ocean, and is is passionate about developing new ways to better understand the ocean and and make it more accessible to everyone around the world. She is the Founding Director of the Open Ocean initiative at the MIT Media Lab and a Fellow at the National Geographic Society.

Alan Leonardi is the Director of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, the only federal program dedicated to systematic telepresence-enabled exploration of the world ocean. A meteorologist and oceanographer, Leonardi is responsible for providing direction to NOAA and the U.S. Department of Commerce on ocean exploration, research, and technology development.

Joi Ito has been recognized for his work as an activist, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and advocate of emergent democracy, privacy, and internet freedom. As director of the MIT Media Lab, and a Professor of the Practice in Media Arts and Sciences, he is currently exploring how radical new approaches to science and technology can transform society in substantial and positive ways.

Jenni Chow is project coordinator for the Open Ocean initiative at the MIT Media Lab. She is a lifelong ocean lover who is driven to bringing others those sparky moments of wonder, confidence, adventure, and curiosity that science and nature incite. She has taught courses in earth, environmental, and marine sciences. Her current work as a facilitator of ocean exploration research and outreach projects as well as forums like these resonates with a childhood instilled belief that every individual can make a difference.

Andre Fountain is a Project Coordinator for the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program. He is responsible for the execution of Project Play: Baltimore, an initiative to improve youth sports opportunities in Baltimore. Andre co-authored the State of Play: Baltimore report, the first hyperlocal comprehensive analysis on the current state of youth sports in East Baltimore.

Reece Pacheco is the Executive Director of WSL PURE, the World Surf League’s nonprofit focused on ocean conservation. Previously, Reece was the cofounder/CEO of two video technology startups, and has countless hours volunteering with The 5 Gyres Institute, Surfrider Foundation, and WAVES For Development. Reece is originally from Cape Cod, but now lives in Venice, CA.

Samantha Chiappetti is the Partnership Manager on the Front End Innovation team for LEGO Education. She is responsible for identifying and nurturing strategic product partnerships with other organizations, focusing on bringing playful learning experiences to all students across the globe.

Maria Redin is Chief of Staff at Two Bit Circus where we are building a chain of micro-amusement parks. Our mission is to bring people together elbow-to-elbow to play! She also works with Two Bit Circus Foundation to inspire young inventors through our STEAM Carnival events. Her experience in toys and games began at the MIT Media Lab as part of the Toys of Tomorrow initiative and continued at Mattel, where she brought new technologies to traditional toys and built new brands. Maria holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, an SM from the MIT Media Lab, and a SB in Computer Science from MIT.

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, conservation strategist, and Brooklyn native. She is founder and president of Ocean Collectiv, a strategy consulting firm for conservation solutions. Ayana earned a BA from Harvard University in Environmental Science and Public Policy, and a Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in marine biology. She is an adjunct professor at NYU and board member of the Billion Oyster Project. Ayana envisions and works toward a healthy ocean that supports food security, economies, and cultures.

Steven Wendland is the Head of Technicolor Creative Development, and joined the company in 2008. Among the recent projects developed and produced under his leadership are Atomic Puppet and The Deep. He is currently exec producing season 3 of The Deep. His background includes animation, games, VFX and music.

Ella Al-Shamahi is a National Geographic Explorer, a BBC and PBS presenter, a palaeoanthropologist specialising in fossil hunting in caves in unstable, hostile & disputed territories, and also just happens to be a stand-up comic. She has been profiled in National Geographic, the Times, and New Scientist.

Steven Gould is a science fiction author of eleven novels including JUMPER (Made into the 2008 movie directed by Doug Liman) and IMPULSE (currently streaming as a TV series from YouTube Originals.) He is working with James Cameron on the sequels to AVATAR. He was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America, (2013-2015). He has a lifetime love-affair with the ocean both as a diver and sailor.

Emily Salvador '16 is a current MAS master's student in the Object-Based Media group interested in immersive, interactive experiences and storytelling.  Her work at the Media Lab focuses on the intersection of transparent displays, illusions, and projection to seamlessly blend digital content in our physical world.  She contributes actively to the Open Ocean Initiative at the Media Lab. Her favorite animal is definitely the sea lion, because they’re basically water dogs.

Sven-Olof Lindblad, CEO & President of Lindblad Expeditions, was born in Switzerland and traveled extensively with his father, renowned adventure-travel pioneer Lars-Eric Lindblad, who led some of the first non-scientific groups of travelers to Galapagos and Antarctica. In 1979 he launched Special Expeditions, the adventure tourism company that became Lindblad Expeditions, offering marine-focused expeditions aboard small ships. In 2004, Lindblad formed an alliance with National Geographic that combines the strengths of two pioneers in global exploration, with the goal of inspiring people to explore and care about the planet. His personal experience led to a commitment to environmentally responsible travel.

Vikki N. Spruill is president and CEO of the New England Aquarium and its research and conservation institute, the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium. She previously served as president and CEO of the Council on Foundations, the largest association of philanthropic grant-making organizations, and Ocean Conservancy, a science-based advocacy organization dedicated to the oceans. Ms. Spruill founded the Trash Free Seas Alliance, and helped found and currently serves on the board of COMPASS, which empowers scientists to better engage in public discourse on environmental issues. She was also the founding director of SeaWeb.

Carlos Toro leads a team of designers, developers and filmmakers at Steer Digital.  He has Directed/Produced conservation themed programming for Discovery channel and has served as underwater cinematographer on several productions for Discovery Channel and National Geographic.  He was awarded the emerging filmmaker award at the Blue Ocean Film Festival and has since focused on projects that bring viewers closer into underwater environments. In his role as a conservation media ambassador for the Marine Megafauna Foundation of Ecuador, he’s recently partnered with lookingglassfactory.com to produce experimental underwater hologram content featuring Giant Manta Rays (Mobula Birostris).  His aim to create impactful experiences that draw on the sciences to inspire action.

Dan Fields is Executive Creative Director at Disney Parks Live Entertainment at Walt Disney Imagineering, where he leads creative development for all Marvel-themed entertainment in Parks and Resorts worldwide. Recent projects include SUMMER OF SUPER HEROES at Disneyland Paris, MARVEL DAY AT SEA and STAR WARS DAY AT SEA for Disney Cruise Line, SUMMER OF HEROES at Disney California Adventure, and award-winning KING TRITON’S CONCERT at Tokyo Disney Resort.

Alexis Hope is a designer and researcher based at the MIT Media Lab's Center for Civic Media and the Massachusetts College of Art & Design, where she studies Industrial & Furniture Design. Alexis was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow from 2012 - 2015, focusing on bringing human-centered and participatory research methods to technology design. As part of her commitment to participatory design, she helps organize unique hackathons and civic technology workshops around the world.

Daniel Kohn is an artist whose work stands at the crossroad of art and science. Long immersed in questions of place and representation, his engagement with science began in 2003 when he was invited to the Broad Institute where he became Founding Artist in Residence and co-founded the Viz Group. Kohn was subsequently in residence at the Center for Epigenomics and Art/Science Research Director at Ligo Project. Following a NAKFI conference on the Mesopelagic Daniel refocused his work on the Ocean. He now co-leads a 4 year NAS interdisciplinary grant based on the question: Does the ocean have memories?

Hansi Singh began knitting peculiar undersea oddities following the birth of her son in 2006, inspired by hours spent marveling over the fauna at the Seattle Aquarium with her newborn.  In the following years, her knitting brand Hansigurumi became synonymous with hyper-realistic knitted cephalopods, anglerfish, and other sea creatures. More recently, she returned to graduate school, where she obtained degrees in Atmospheric Sciences and Applied Mathematics, and researched the Earth's physical climate system as a coupling of large-scale atmospheric and oceanic dynamic processes. She remains interested in how awareness of the ocean, through science and art, can inspire action on climate change and other pressing environmental issues.

Geoff Shelton is a filmmaker who’s work has been featured on the websites of numerous publications including: Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Spin Magazine, Time Magazine, NPR, AOL and HuffPost. Geoff’s documentary work with the band OK Go has accumulated over five million views across multiple platforms and was featured on CNN, ABC News and premiered at the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA.

Whitney Cornforth grew up in the small coastal town of Rockport, Maine. With magical summers on Penobscot Bay kindling a love for the ocean and a passion for creating all manner of things, it’s no wonder he was drawn to the fluidity and process of glassblowing. While earning degrees in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at MIT, he discovered glassblowing, and the course of his life was dramatically changed. Upon graduation in 2001, he decided to pursue glassblowing full-time. Whitney now teaches at the MIT Glasslab, while exploring his own designs and ideas.

Diva Amon is a Trinidadian deep-sea biologist who studies the weird and wonderful animals living in the deep ocean and how our actions are impacting them. She is currently undertaking a Marie Skłodowska-Curie research fellowship at the Natural History Museum in London, UK. Diva has participated in deep-sea expeditions around the world and has also done a considerable amount of science communication and public engagement. Additionally, Diva is a founder and director of the non-profit NGO, SpeSeas, dedicated to marine science, education and advocacy in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean.

Alan Leonardi is the Director of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, the only federal program dedicated to systematic telepresence-enabled exploration of the world ocean. A meteorologist and oceanographer, Leonardi is responsible for providing direction to NOAA and the U.S. Department of Commerce on ocean exploration, research, and technology development.

Antonella Wilby is a PhD student and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at the Contextual Robotics Institute, UC San Diego, and a National Geographic Explorer. She develops autonomous robots to explore extreme environments, in particular ocean environments, with the goal of better understanding and protecting our blue planet.

Elizabeth Tyson is a Fellow with National Geographic Society in their Citizen Explorer Labs helping to refine strategic programming around participatory scientific research and innovation. Prior to National Geographic, Tyson was a Program Associate in the Science and Technology Innovation Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and conducted original research and hosted strategic workshops to support the citizen science ecosystem within the U.S. Government and internationally.

Allan Adams leads the Future Ocean Lab at MIT, where his team develops low-cost, low-power tools for underwater exploration, and high-end custom cameras to document the world’s changing oceans. Trained as a theoretical physicist, Allan joined the faculty of the MIT Physics Department in 2008 only to discover that his heart lay in the ocean, so he traded his office for a lab and his seminar room for Mexican cenotes and the deep-sea coral reefs.  Allan is currently PI of the Future Ocean Lab at MIT, a Visiting Investigator at WHOI, a Research Scientist in MIT’s CMS/W, and deeply happy.

Danielle Wood leads the Space Enabled Research Group at the MIT Media Lab, seeking to advance justice in earth's complex systems using designs enabled by space. She is a scholar of societal development with a background that includes satellite design, earth science applications, systems engineering, and technology policy for the US and emerging nations. In her research, Danielle applies these skills to design innovative systems that harness space technology to address development challenges around the world. Previously, she worked as the Applied Sciences Manager within the Earth Science Division of Goddard Space Flight Center and served as Special Assistant and Advisor to the Deputy Administrator of NASA.

Margarita Mora is passionate about empowering local groups in their efforts to manage their territories. She has dedicated the past 15 years to devising and implementing strategies for integrating conservation into a positive vision of the future for these communities. As the Managing Director of the Conservation Stewards Program of Conservation International, Margarita has been involved in conservation agreement initiatives in 19 countries around the globe. She is applying the lessons and experiences from this work to shape Nia Tero’s approach to building partnerships with indigenous peoples and local communities worldwide. Margarita believes that if ecosystems that are vital for humanity’s well-being are to thrive, the people who have sustained these places and are most knowledgeable about them must also thrive. She is a Director’s Fellow at the MIT Media Lab.

Mark Pierce has been invested in national service and education since his first volunteer year as an AmeriCorps member with City Year in 2010. City Year partners with urban school districts to place volunteers in service alongside classroom teachers to bolster student access to tutoring and mentoring. They also create after-school opportunities for students in which they can investigate topics outside their regular class day. Serving as City Year Boston's Senior Manager of Student Engagement Programs, Mark supports teams by connecting them to meaningful extra-curricular programming. Mark is looking forward to seeing students engage with an ocean exploration unit through collaboration with MIT.

Tierney Thys is a National Geographic Explorer, biologist, filmmaker and Research Associate at California Academy of Science. Her work involves satellite tracking marine megafauna, mapping connections between nature and human wellbeing through brain imaging, quantifying nature’s effect on incarcerated populations, and serving as Daily Explorer in the popular online game, Animal Jam, boasting 170 million registered players. As past Director of Research for Sea Studios Foundation, she helped produce PBS documentaries Strange Days on Planet Earth and Shape of Life. Thys is a TED All-star speaker, frequent TEDed contributor and serves on the science advisory board for the innovation think tank, ThinkBeyondPlastic.

Madeleine Foote is an Associate Director at National Geographic, where she runs the science and exploration community, Open Explorer. Open Explorer connects Nat Geo audiences directly with the expeditions and projects of researchers, citizen scientists and students. In October, Open Explorer announced the S.E.E. Initiative, which will donate 1,000 ROVs to projects working on ocean conservation, education and exploration.