Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Marine Biologist, Policy Expert, Founder Urban Ocean Lab, Founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv

is a marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and Brooklyn native. She is founder of, a think tank for the future of coastal cities, and founder and CEO of, a consulting firm for conservation solutions.

Recently, she co-created the , a roadmap for including the ocean in climate policy. Previously, she was executive director of the Waitt Institute, developed policy at the EPA and NOAA, served as a leader of the March for Science, and taught as an adjunct professor at New York University. Dr. Johnson 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 publishes widely, including in,, and, and she blogs on. She was named one of Elle鈥檚 27 Women Leading on Climate. Outside Magazine called her 鈥渢he most influential marine biologist of our time.鈥

Her mission is to build community around solutions to our climate crisis. Find her.