Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, and Brooklyn native. She is founder and CEO of Ocean Collectiv, a strategy consulting firm for conservation solutions, and founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank focused on coastal cities. She also holds appointments as an adjunct professor at New York University and a science scholar at Pioneer Works. As executive director of the Waitt Institute, Ayana co-founded the Blue Halo Initiative and led the Caribbean’s first successful island-wide ocean zoning effort. Previously, she worked on ocean policy at the EPA and NOAA, and was a leader of the March for Science. Ayana earned a BA from Harvard University in environmental science and public policy, and a PhD from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in marine biology. She is a passionate advocate for coastal communities, and builds solutions for ocean justice and our climate crisis.