Ocean • Innovation • Exploration
Building frontier technology for ocean conservation. Exploring what's possible in open water. Connecting the two wherever I can.
Building Moonshots
As Project Director at The Nature Conservancy, I lead cross-functional teams building frontier technology to solve intractable ocean problems — from generative AI to urchin ranching. Every project starts at zero.
Led development and deployment of a category-defining web platform supporting small-scale fishing communities in navigating tradeoffs between ecological sustainability and economic livelihoods. Live across Mexico, Hawaii, French Polynesia, and Micronesia.
Watch on VimeoLed a cross-functional team of industry partners, academics, and engineers to develop the first-of-its-kind low-cost system for ranching purple urchins — incentivizing removal of an overabundant population to restore decimated kelp forests.
Urchin Ranching Manual The Washington PostDirected team building a machine learning image recognition system for fisheries data collection. Took it from concept through field testing to production deployment in Baja California Sur.
Meet Poseidon — Notes from the FieldManaged product development of a native iOS/Android application connecting fishermen to retrieve lost fishing gear from the ocean — reducing wildlife entanglement risk through community-driven technology.
Credentials & Career
From scientific diving, to building and running offshore aquaculture sites, to diver instruction, to coaching open water swimmers.
AAUS Scientific Diver rated to 130 ft. PADI Open Water SCUBA Instructor and Freediving Instructor. Member of The Nature Conservancy's global Diving and Boating Safety Board. Over 2,000 working dives including scientific, instructional, and technical.
As Science Director at Olazul in La Paz, Mexico, oversaw installation of offshore aquaculture systems with local fishermen-divers — developing alternative livelihoods to overfishing.
World Open Water Swimming Association certified coach, Level 5. Training swimmers from first open water crossings to marathon distance expeditions.
WOWSA ProfileExploration
Here are a sample of the ocean adventure projects that keep me energized and curious.
First person to swim around Isla Espíritu Santo — 42.7 km in 16+ hours through open Pacific waters. Officially ratified.
Official RatificationInnovating multi-day swim expeditions — combining open water distance swimming with self-supported backcountry exploration. Carrying everything you need on your back, in the ocean.
Read the featureCo-founded Baja Swim Dog LLC — building products and community around open water swimpacking exploration.
bajaswimdog.comCo-created the Coastal Explorers Project — mapping and documenting iconic swim routes along the coast of Baja California Sur.
openwaternadamas.com