Thomas Okey

Background

About Thomas Okey

As Founder and Executive Director of Climate Sealutions Initiative-a project of The Ocean Foundation-and Strategic Advisor to other innovative entities such as Ocean Diagnostics, Inc, I am fully committed to leveraging my 38 years of experience and credentials in climate studies, ocean science, and conservation to address urgent global challenges such as climate change impacts, biodiversity loss, microplastics pollution, and ecosystem degradation. I am a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation and a Leader for Sea Change, and my career has spanned academia, government, private, non-profit, and Indigenous sectors, developing and leading broad collaborations and many innovative and high-profile solutions for sustainable and healthy social-ecological systems across marine and terrestrial realms. My core competencies include the development and leadership of effective conservation science programs, conservation strategies, policy development, and program administration and fundraising. I bring a deep background in climate change impacts and solutions, ecosystem (and fisheries) assessment and management, vulnerability and adaptation assessments and planning, trophodynamic modeling, local and traditional ecological knowledge, aquaculture innovation, biodiversity conservation, and environmental justice. I have explored or worked in most regions of the Pacific Ocean and other seas and coastal areas, gaining broad ecological and resource management perspectives and cultural sensibilities. I am passionate about working with and helping transform global human systems toward a transition to sustainable systems, and I have helped develop and promote crowd-based surveillance of global ocean and coastal changes. My mission is to use my skills and remaining time to accelerate the recovery of Earth's marine and terrestrial ecosystems to ensure the sustainability of life on Earth and the health and prosperity of human civilization.