Chair: James C. Greenwood
Vice Chair: David Johns
Treasurer: Scott Rayder
Secretary (Interim): Kay Grinnell
Tom Allen
Philippe Cousteau
Larry B. Crowder
Gene Duvernoy
Sylvia A. Earle
G. Robert Kerr
Eric Rosencrantz
Tom Allen
Mr. Allen was born and raised in Portland, Maine. Mr. Allen studied at Bowdoin College where he received a B.A. in English. After graduating from Bowdoin, he received a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, from which he received a B.Phil in Politics in 1970. He worked a year in Washington for U.S. Senator Ed Muskie and then attended Harvard Law School and graduated with a J.D. in 1974. Mr. Allen was elected to Congress and served the people of the 1st District of Maine from 1996-2008. As a Member of Congress, Mr. Allen served on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Budget Committee, the Armed Services Committee, and Government Reform Committee. He also co-founded the House Oceans Caucus, which was created to raise awareness on the need for a coordinated global oceans resources policy. In April 2009, former Congressman Tom Allen joined the Association of American Publishers as its President and Chief Executive Officer.
Philippe Cousteau
Mr. Cousteau is the CEO of EarthEcho International, a non-profit organization he co-founded with his sister Alexandra in memory of their father. Mr. Cousteau is the Chief Ocean Correspondent for Animal Planet and is currently a host for “Oceans,” a Discovery Channel/BBC co-production premiering in the fall of 2008. He has been featured in television and radio programs across the country; has authored articles for numerous publications; and was, along with his sister, guest editor of the November 2007 issue of Women’s Health, the first magazine to ever feature a “Blue Issue.” Mr. Cousteau serves on the Board of Directors of The Ocean Conservancy, Marine Conservation Institute, and the National Environmental Education Foundation, as well as the Advisory Board of Discovery Communications Planet Green and Oceana's Ocean Council. He is also a member of the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Initiative Council. Mr. Cousteau is co-founder of Azure Worldwide a strategic consulting and development company. He holds a Master's degree in history from the University of St. Andrews.
Larry B. Crowder
Dr. Crowder is the Stephen Toth Professor of Marine Biology and directs the Duke Center for Marine Conservation at Duke University Marine Laboratory. His work on population modeling, food web interactions and fishery bycatch mitigation has earned him a title as one of today's top conservation biologists. He currently serves on the Ocean Studies Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences and on the scientific steering committees for the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the Global Oceanic Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) Program. He is a member of the IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialists Group and head of bycatch subgroup. His vision and insights into the current trends and future of marine conservation biology help to guide Marine Conservation Institute.
Gene Duvernoy
Mr. Duvernoy is President of Forterra (formerly Cascade Land Conservancy). Under his leadership, Forterra spearheaded the Cascade Agenda and has risen to national prominence developing bold and innovative conservation strategies. In June, 2008, Cascade Land Conservancy received international recognition as a winner in the first Sustainable Cities Awards sponsored by the Financial Times of London and the Urban Land Institute. In 2008, Mr. Duvernoy was named the first Nonprofit CEO of the Year by CEO Magazine. In 2004, the Municipal League of King County recognized Mr. Duvernoy with its Jim Ellis Regional Leader Award. Mr. Duvernoy has a Masters of Business Administration and law degree from Cornell University, and an engineering degree from Carnegie-Mellon University.
Sylvia A. Earle
Dr. Earle, Explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society, is the world's most famous marine biologist and undersea explorer. She is the author of more than 125 scientific and popular publications, including a 1995 book Sea Change, has led more than 50 expeditions totaling more than 6,000 hours underwater, and holds the world depth record for solo diving. Born in New Jersey, she received her bachelor's from Florida State University, and her master's and doctorate degrees from Duke University. She served as the Chief Scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 1990-1992, has been awarded 12 honorary doctorates, and was named by Time magazine as its first "hero for the planet" in 1998.
James C. Greenwood
Chair - Mr. Greenwood is President of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) in Washington DC. He represented Pennsylvania's Eighth District in the US House of Representatives from 1993 through 2005. Before his election to Congress, Mr. Greenwood earned a B.A. in Sociology from Dickinson College and served in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and Senate. In 2000, he co-founded the bipartisan House Oceans Caucus to encourage efforts to explore and protect the oceans. He introduced the Deep Sea Coral Protection Act to protect vulnerable seafloor ecosystems against bottom trawling, and the OCEANS 21 Act to strengthen ocean and research and management in keeping with recommendations from the US Commission on Ocean Policy and Pew Oceans Commission. The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation awarded Congressman Greenwood the 2004 Leadership Award in recognition of his work to conserve and explore the oceans.
Kay Grinnell
Secretary (Interim) - Ms. Grinnell retired in 2003 after a 20 year career (11 years as a Partner) with Deloitte Consulting. During this time she worked with single and multi-hospital systems, academic physician groups, health plans and Pharmacy Benefit Managers in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia. With a focus on strategy and operations, Ms. Grinnell led projects to assist clients with general and clinical operations efficiency, market strategy, turnarounds, contracting, medical management and pharmacy. Prior to her work with Deloitte she held a position with The Boeing Company where she was involved in decision support systems. Ms. Grinnell is currently an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, where she teaches Analytic Techniques for the Executive Masters Program. She is also an independent consultant, working with organizations such as the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV to improve their decision making processes. A proponent of education as a key to the future of our environment, Ms. Grinnell contributes time to Audubon and the Coastal Discovery Museum, where she leads school field trips in the marshes and on the beach. She holds a Bachelors in Biology from Penn State University, and a MBA and Masters in Decision Sciences from Georgia State University.
David Johns
Vice Chair - Mr. Johns is Adjunct Professor of Political Science, Portland State University, Portland OR. He specializes in place-based ecosystem conservation on a continental scale and in assuring the accountability and financial health of small nonprofits. In addition to teaching law and political science, he serves as Treasurer of the Society for Conservation Biology, co-founded and remains a Board Member of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative and co-founded and was the first executive director of The Wildlands Project. Mr. Johns has published and spoken widely on the relationship of politics, science and advocacy, and brings to Marine Conservation Institute crucial insights on ecosystem-based management and nonprofit management. Mr. Johns received the 2007 Denver Zoological Foundation Conservation Award for his contributions to large-scale conservation efforts and his writing.
G. Robert Kerr
Mr. Kerr is President of Bob Kerr & Associates. He was the founding Director of the Pollution Prevention Assistance Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Mr. Kerr received his education at George Washington University and Georgia State University. Prior to joining state government, he served as the Executive Director of the Georgia Conservancy. He served as President and CEO of the Southern Appalachian Man and Biosphere Program and former Policy Committee Chairman of the Southern Appalachian Mountain Initiative, and is currently a member of the Georgia Advisory Board of the Trust for Public Lands (TPL) and a National Council member and former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). Mr. Kerr's expertise in ecosystem-based management of watersheds and in conflict mediation and facilitation reinforce and complement the talents of Marine Conservation Institute's other Board Members.
Elliott A. Norse
President - Dr. Norse has worked at the conservation science-policy interface for his entire career. After earning his B.S. in Biology from Brooklyn College, he studied the ecology of blue crabs in the Caribbean for his Ph.D. at University of Southern California and his Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of Iowa. Starting in 1978 he worked at the US Environmental Protection Agency, White House Council on Environmental Quality (where he defined biological diversity as conservation’s overarching goal), Ecological Society of America, Wilderness Society and Ocean Conservancy before founding Marine Conservation Institute in 1996. Dr. Norse’s 150+ publications include 4 books: Conserving Biological Diversity in Our National Forests (1986), Ancient Forests of the Pacific Northwest (1990), Global Marine Biological Diversity: A Strategy for Building Conservation into Decision Making (1993) and Marine Conservation Biology: The Science of Maintaining the Sea’s Biodiversity (2005). He is a Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation and Adjunct Professor of Marine Conservation Science and Policy at Duke University Marine Laboratory, served as President of the Society for Conservation Biology’s Marine Section, received the Nancy Foster Award for Habitat Conservation from the National Marine Fisheries Service and Brooklyn College named him its 2008 Distinguished Alumnus.
Scott Rayder
Treasurer - Scott Rayder is the Director of Civil Sector Business Development for ITT Exelis. Mr. Rayder was the Chief of Staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 2001 to 2008. He served as the chief adviser to the NOAA Administrator and was charged with integrating policy and budget priorities in support of the NOAA budget. Mr. Rayder's knowledge of the federal budget and policy processes aids Marine Conservation Institute by providing key insight into programs that support the Marine Conservation Institute mission. Mr. Rayder started his career in 1992 with NOAA in the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research as a Presidential Management Intern. In 1989, he spent ten weeks on a geologic expedition in the Galapagos Islands mapping the caldera of Alcedo Volcano on Isabela Island. Mr. Rayder holds a bachelor's degree in Geology and Government from Hamilton College and received a Master’s in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University with a concentration in science and technology. Mr. Rayder and his wife Catherine are raising four aspiring marine biologists; Hannah, Jenna, Christopher and Joshua.
Eric Rosencrantz
Mr. Rosencrantz is a senior member of Microsoft’s IP acquisitions and investments group. In this role, he shares responsibility for sourcing, structuring, and negotiating Microsoft's IP acquisitions, strategic investments, and joint ventures. His team has led over $1 billion of transactions spanning all of Microsoft's business groups. Prior to Microsoft, Mr. Rosencrantz was an early employee at Aquantive serving as director of business development and strategy. During his tenure at Aquantive, he worked on their IPO and closed several acquisitions and strategic partnerships. Aquantive was recently purchased by Microsoft for $6 billion. Prior to Aquantive, Mr. Rosencrantz worked as a technology equity research analyst at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Rosencrantz started his career working with startups in the technology incubator program for the Israeli government. Mr. Rosencrantz is very active in the non-profit world in the areas of education and environmental sustainability.