Kate Sutter is a big ocean fan. Kate has been consulting part-time for The Ocean Project on social media and community engagement since March 2021. In addition, she is a Community Manager for Only One. She has previously worked at The American Museum of Natural History in Exhibitions, Communications, and Conservation. Before joining Only One, she was at The Ocean Agency where she managed projects alongside the team who produced Google Underwater Street View and the Netflix Documentary, Chasing Coral. She is a member of the Explorers Club, an avid scuba dive instructor, she has also been featured on Disney as a ‘shipwreck expert.'

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Kate has a B.A. from Fordham University, where she focused on Environmental Studies, Urban Studies, and Bioethics.

Laura Johnson (she/they) is a lifelong environmental advocate & ocean enthusiast based in Long Beach, California. She has been working directly with The Ocean Project's youth initiative since 2020, and is serving as their Youth Programs Manager. Their work at the organization has included co-coordinating Youth-A-Thon in 2020 and 2021, managing the World Ocean Day Youth Advisory Council, coordinating the monthly Rising Blue Network Newsletter, leading the Youth Advocacy Training for Ocean and Climate Action program, and more.
They earned an Associate's Degree from Florida Atlantic University, and two certificates in Environmental Education & Climate Science Communication from Cornell University. They are currently pursuing their Bachelor of Science in marine biology & sustainable aquaculture, with a focus on environmental justice & social change, at Unity Environmental University.
She was a marine science educator at the Aquarium of the Pacific prior to Covid. She has also previously worked as a data analyst for both FAU's Harbor Branch Dolphin Lab & the 5Gyres Institute, as an undergraduate intern with University of Miami's RSMAS Shark Tagging team, and as a community canvasser for Greenpeace. She also served for 5 years as the Youth Representative on the Board of Directors at Big Blue & You.
She was a student delegate in the inaugural class of Sea Youth Rise Up in 2016 and returned to the program as a student mentor in 2018. They became the organizational lead for the collaborative program in 2023. Laura loves hiking, photography, making art in a variety of mediums, and tending to her houseplants, cats, and snakes.

Jihyun Lee is a 24-year-old ocean lover from South Korea who currently lives in Argentina and works part-time for The Ocean Project. Growing up in the United States' Rocky Mountains during her formative years, Jihyun sprouted her interest and love for animals and nature. The gorgeous and mighty Orca especially captivated the heart of the 5-year-old child. For the past four years, she has been working for ocean conservation and youth advocacy in national and international non-profit organizations while in university and has graduated from Yonsei University in Seoul. She served for over 2 years as a High Seas Youth Ambassador at the High Seas Alliance and 3 years as an intern at the Citizens' Institute for Environmental Studies (CIES), determined to work for a healthier, bluer, biodiverse ocean and planet. Jihyun has been engaging with the public by leading youth webinars, supporting public campaigns and academic research, amplifying youth voices by giving speeches at international conferences, and most of all, by staying connected to fellow ocean lovers. She learns from them every day and aspires to continuously grow as an environmental advocate. Currently, she is completing her Master's degree in Applied Economics in Universidad de Buenos Aires. 

Jihyun enjoys walking, indoor bouldering, listening to music, gastronomy, traveling around the world, meeting new people, talking about life, and is always excited to experience new things and learn! LinkedIn profile here.  

Tommy Nguyen (he/him) is a Brown University student. Born in Vietnam and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he has learned the significance of sustainability and community engagement through time in different locations. He was involved with the Refugee Education Center for four years, working closely to help immigrants adapt to the new environment. In addition, Tommy has led the Asian Student Union through different community events and founded an organization, Simplify English, to tutor children from China and Vietnam. These activities have led him to his current engagement in the Future of Sustainable Investing Conference and Bonner Community Fellowship at Brown University, where he addresses social justice issues in the Providence community with 19 other fellows. With the aspiration of connecting people from different backgrounds to the current issues in ocean conservation and sustainability, Tommy hopes that his involvement in The Ocean Project will aid in this journey to amplify voices and advocate for the environment. In addition, Tommy loves traveling the world. He has been to Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Canada, and more! He also enjoys running, working out, folding origami, and meeting new people.

Bill Mott has focused on building networks and coalitions to promote more collaborative and strategic ways to bring about a better future. Bill co-founded The Ocean Project in 1997 and has grown it from five partner North American organizations into 2,000+ organizations in 180 countries. In 2002, Bill helped launch global efforts to coordinate and collaboratively grow World Ocean Day as a rallying point for the ocean every 8th of June and continued year-round ocean and climate advocacy and action.

Bill began his career in Washington, DC, first as an international issues intern at National Audubon Society focused on protecting tropical rainforests in Central America. He then serendipitously landed a job at the Center for Environmental Education (now Ocean Conservancy) in 1988, where he developed support for designation of and funding for national marine sanctuaries and other marine protected areas, including Monterey Bay, Flower Gardens Bank, Stellwagen Bank, Olympic Peninsula, and in the Samana Bay area of Dominican Republic. He served as coordinator of the Coral Reef Coalition, whose efforts led to the establishment of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in 1990. Following graduate school, Bill served as the first executive director of the Marine Fish Conservation Network, an unprecedented effort by the conservation community to address fish conservation and fisheries issues comprehensively. He grew the Network into a diverse coalition with more than 100 conservation, scientific, and fishing organizations; he also directed an innovative national media and grassroots lobbying campaign that resulted in the first major conservation overhaul of the principal fisheries law in the United States, through the 1996 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Bill then worked for seven years with SeaWeb, where he advocated for sustainable aquaculture and supported the early development of the sustainable seafood movement; during those years, he also focused half-time on developing The Ocean Project. He worked full-time at The Ocean Project | World Ocean Day since 2005.

Bill received an M.E.S. from the Yale University School of the Environment in 1993 and a B.S. in Natural Resources with a minor in International Agriculture from Cornell University in 1987. Bill lives in Providence, Rhode Island with his wife and has two children in their 20s and a faithful hound, plus hundreds of composting worms. He volunteers with several community and regional education and sustainability efforts.

LinkedIn profile here. Recent interviews online: Green 2.0, and Marine Stewardship Council.