Ayana Johnson

Founder at Waitt Institute

My experience and deep interests:

• Climate Change & Environment

• Community & Ecosystem Building

• Strategy

I am based in: New York

I was referred to THNK by Katherine Maher.

I''m a Ph.D. marine biologist, policy expert, conservation strategist, and Brooklyn native. In 2017, I founded of Ocean Collectiv, a consulting firm that creates and amplifies solutions for a healthy ocean, while centering social justice. I also teach at New York University as an adjunct professor, and volunteered as co-director of partnerships for the March for Science. As an Executive Director of the Waitt Institute, I co-founded the Blue Halo Initiative and led the Caribbean’s first successful island-wide ocean zoning effort. Previously, I worked on ocean policy at the EPA and NOAA, and was recently a TED resident and Aspen Institute fellow. I blog and tweet about how we can use the ocean without using it up on the National Geographic blog and on twitter.