Kate Sutter, Creative Director
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.
Jihyun Lee, Director of Youth Programs and Engagement
Jihyun Lee is a 26-year-old ocean lover from South Korea who currently lives in Argentina and has worked part-time with The Ocean Project since May 2023. 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.
Paulina Slawek, Intern - North Sea Hub Lead
Paulina Slawek is a Polish activist focused on climate justice and ocean conservation. Born and raised in the Middle East, she is currently based in Singapore and The Hague, studying Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges, specializing in environmental governance and development. Her interests lie at the intersection of international climate policy and law, climate justice, ocean conservation as well as regional to global decision-making and governance processes.
Currently involved in various organizations and initiatives for the climate and ocean, she collaborates with The Ocean Project for World Ocean Day, EU Climate Pact, Stop Ecocide International, Youth and Environment Europe, YOUNGO (UNFCCC), and UNICEF, amongst others. Overall, her work focuses on engaging young people in intersectional environmental advocacy and on mobilizing next generations in shaping sustainable climate futures.
Max McCord, Intern
Max McCord is excited to be working with The Ocean Project / World Ocean Day as a Communications & Outreach Associate. Currently, he is a Junior at Brown University studying International & Public Affairs as well as East Asian Studies. His passion for youth outreach in the sphere of environmentalism began while working as a youth educator for the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium; Furthermore, his interests in this field have only continued to develop in college through his work on the newsletter team for Brown’s Sustainable Business Society. After his time with The Ocean Project, he plans to continue his education in environmental activism, through engaging with sustainable investing & renewable energy development.
Graciela Canil, Intern
Graciela Canil (she/her) is a Brown University student majoring in Environmental Sciences and Studies. Having been born and raised in Guatemala, she closely experienced the intersecting environmental and humanitarian issues present in many developing countries. At home, she manages a protected forest in the Indigenous community where her family is from, which has made her passionate about conservation and how it’s linked to community engagement. She loves spending time in the ocean, the mountains or anywhere outside. Currently, she’s a leader for the Brown Outing Club, whose mission is to get people in contact with nature through outdoor excursions. Additionally, she works for the Brown Center for Students of Color as a Latinx Program Coordinator, bringing latinx youth together to discuss relevant issues and foster community. This passion for the environment and for humanity are what she hopes to continue pursuing with The Ocean Project, bringing young activists together and creating a community that values all aspects of the natural world, both non-human and human.
Tommy Nguyen, Intern
Tommy Nguyen (he/him) is a Brown University student and has worked with The Ocean Project since 2023. 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.
Izzy Lee, Intern
Izzy Lee is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, with a major in Architecture and on the pre-med track. She has been a PADI certified scuba-diver since 11 years old and has achieved the PADI Rescue and Master Diver certifications. During her school breaks, she enjoys exploring new places and scuba diving with her father. Izzy has been passionate about ocean conservation since high school and is particularly interested in coral conservation. During college, she has received grants through PADI for advancing her projects combining architecture and coral conservation. At The Ocean Project, she helps with social media in hopes to spread more awareness about ocean-related issues. Izzy also enjoys sculpting, working out, spending time with family and friends, and going on adventures during her free time!
Bill Mott, Co-Founder and Senior Advisor
Bill is dedicated to supporting and empowering youth worldwide for ocean and climate action. For nearly 40 years he has promoted collaborative and strategic approaches to creating a better future by building networks and coalitions. As a co-founder of The Ocean Project in 1997, he grew it from a partnership of five North American organizations into a global initiative with over 2,000 organizations that catalyzes collective action for a healthy ocean and a stable climate. For 25 years, Bill focused primarily on supporting aquariums and zoos to become bolder leaders for conservation, through market research for behavior change, integration of conservation messaging into all aspects of their operations, and including national and international policy action. He launched global efforts to coordinate World Ocean Day in 2002 and has grown it from an idea into a UN-recognized and globally celebrated event that reaches millions of people in nearly 200 countries each June, with continued action year-round. Since 2009, Bill has focused on supporting and empowering youth engagement and leadership internationally.
Bill's professional journey began as an intern in 1988 in Washington, DC, where he worked at the National Audubon Society and focused on tropical rainforest conservation. He later joined the Center for Environmental Education (now Ocean Conservancy), where he helped with the expansion of NOAA’s national marine sanctuaries program, including the establishment of several marine protected areas; as co-coordinator of the Coral Reef Coalition, he helped lead the collaborative campaign for congressional designation of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. After graduate school, he became the first executive director of the Marine Fish Conservation Network, where he developed a diverse coalition with more than 100 conservation, scientific, and fishing organizations and coordinated an innovative national media and grassroots campaign that led to the first major conservation overhaul of the United States’ principal fisheries law (1996 reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act). Bill then continued his ocean conservation journey with SeaWeb, and for seven years focused on global aquaculture and development of the sustainable seafood movement while also developing The Ocean Project. He has worked full-time at The Ocean Project | World Ocean Day since 2005.
Bill holds an M.E.S. from the Yale School of the Environment and a B.S. in Natural Resources with a minor in International Agriculture from Cornell University. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island with his wife and has two children in their 20s, as well as a faithful hound and hundreds of composting worms. He volunteers with several community and regional education, conservation, and sustainability efforts.
LinkedIn profile here. Interviews online: Green 2.0, and Marine Stewardship Council.