AiiM Partners, Shally Shanker, Founder & Managing Partner: *AiiM Partners Fund invests in companies building technologies that solve complex social and environmental issues, with a focus on oceans and how they affect and are affected by land/agriculture and air/energy. Prior to launching AiiM this year, Shally Shanker, CFA, was the Director of Mission Investing at the Schmidt Family Foundation and seven years prior to that, she was the Investment Officer at The Schmidt Family Foundation and Vice President of Investments at Hillspire, LLC. In addition to her investment experience, she also worked at the Stanford Solutions Science Lab at the Stanford School of Medicine building a community-based intervention program for childhood obesity prevention among low income, at-risk communities. She was recently invited to join the Queen's Commonwealth Trust Advisory Board.

AiiM Partners, Ryan Penney, Research Analyst:

* A PhD candidate and Yu-Ly SIGF fellow at Stanford University, Ryan’s research focuses on mapping innovation trends in ocean tech and data solutions. He is trained in both the natural sciences (BSc & MSc Oceanography) and social sciences (MSc Anthropology and Development Studies).

Aqua-Spark, Tom Prins, Head of Dealflow: 

Tom is part of the leadership team at Aqua-Spark, the world’s largest fund investing globally in sustainable aquaculture. He joined the fund in 2015 as one of the first employees and has been an essential team member for the fund’s growth till date. Since 2015 Aqua-Spark has demonstrated impressive growth and has currently >€520mio in AUM and developed a synergistic and vertically integrated portfolio in aquaculture of 28 companies, including the world’s first aquaculture unicorn, grown to a team of 37 employees. Tom manages the process of sourcing and screening business opportunities for Aqua-Spark and negotiating new investments. Based in Bangkok, Tom is heading the Aqua-Spark Asia office, focused on deal origination and ecosystem expansion. Tom serves as a director on the board of Hatch, which is an Aqua-Spark portfolio company.

Big Idea Ventures, Bill Arnold, Director - GFRP Fund:

Bill serves as a Venture Discovery Director at BIV’s Generation Food Rural Partners (GFRP) fund. Prior to joining BIV, Bill was Managing Director at the Purdue Foundry at Purdue University, working with early-stage startups in developing growth, commercialization, and fundraising strategies.

Bill’s background includes roles at multiple startups, including as CTO and CEO, in addition to deep experience in financial services. His focus is on moving technologies to markets to solve real-world problems. He holds an MS in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Georgia.

Crux Capital, Lev Mass, Partner: 

Investor and advisor for world leading families and global enterprises.

Proud to collaborate with leading emerging startups with a focus on enterprise product strategy and monetization. Lev has been known to dramatically accelerate growth in companies for which he collaborates.

CXOConnect AgriVenture Program, Chintan Mehta, Partner:

Chintan is passionate about “catalyzing” innovation & growth across startups, enterprises and investors.

He brings deep experience building product & services at Yahoo, Microsoft, Philips, Bigbasket, iSPIRT.

Cross-Functional experience spanning Consumer Internet, B2B SaaS, eCommerce, Media, Education, Food & AgriTech, Healthcare and Medical device industries.

For Good Ventures, Kim Kolt, Founder & President:

Kim Kolt is the Founder & President of For Good Ventures, a family office investment strategy backing disruptive, exceptional technologies benefiting humanity and the environment. Kim is also the founding General Partner at Bay Bridge Ventures, a climate focused venture capital firm.

Prior to this, Kim worked at Goldman Sachs in their Technology, Media and Telecom Investment Banking Groups in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Deutsche Bank Mergers & Acquisitions Group in NYC. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and received her MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Kim has held designations including USGBC LEED, CCIM, and Series 79 licenses.

Kim is also a board member of Turntide Technologies, Legends of Learning, and Neighborhood Sun. On the non-profit side, she is Chairman of the Board of the Sustainable Ocean Alliance, board member of Venture for America, and board member of Third Derivative (under RMI). She is also on the finance council of Clean Energy for America (501c4).

Hatch.blue, Carston Krome, Managing Partner:

Carsten Krome, a Managing Partner, brings ten years of experience in aquaculture investing. He holds a PhD in fish nutrition from the Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling. Carsten's expertise covers technical aspects of aquaculture, venture capital transactions, deal flow analysis, business development, and investor relations. His career includes roles as a Technical Analyst at Aqua-Spark, Founder of Alimentos Ventures, and co-Founder and Managing Partner at Hatch Blue.

Hemisphere Ventures, Lisa Rich, Founder and Managing Director: ​

*Lisa Rich is a lifelong entrepreneur and strategist who runs Hemisphere Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm focused on synthetic biology, robotics, drones and space. Hemisphere has invested in +200 companies, including Finless Foods, Miraculex, LunaPBC, Orphidia and Axiom Space. In 2000, Lisa and her husband Jeff Rich created BrainyQuote, the world's largest quotation resource. Lisa created the first websites and digital strategies for major brands and companies at the birth of the Internet. She holds a B.S. in English from Loyola University Chicago and M.S. in MarCom/E-commerce from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

HSBC, Geoff Headington, Managing Director, Climate Tech:

*Geoff’s work on the Climate Tech team, part of HSBC’s newly launched Innovation Banking platform, allows him to support current and future clients who are investors and startups in this vibrant and incredibly important ecosystem. Geoff brings over 25 years of financial services experience and holds a BA from Colgate University.

iAccelerate, Ron Shigeta, Principal:

Ron Shigeta PhD advises and coaches innovative startups, entrepreneurs and investors through his advisory accelerator iaccelerate.tech. Ron is a serial Biotech entrepreneur and co-founder of IndieBio, the premier Biotechnology accelerator, having made over 85 investments and advised 120+ startups in FoodTech and BioTech.

Ron did his doctoral training at Princeton University studying protein structure and biophysics. His post-doctoral training at Stanford and Harvard Medical School focused on antibiotic biosynthesis and diabetes.  

Mars Petcare, Rachel Sheppard, Director - Ventures:

Rachel’s career is a fun mix of veterinary meets entrepreneurship! She studied Animal Science & Management at the University of California, Davis where she was pre-veterinary medicine. She spent 3 years working as a veterinary assistant before going to get her MBA at Santa Clara University with a focus in entrepreneurship. Her career has since been a mix of working at small and medium sized companies, but always finding herself drawn to innovative groups and growth stages. Prior to her role at Mars, she was the Director of Global Marketing at a pre-seed accelerator program where she led growth strategies and co-created the Female Founder Initiative to help more women launch companies around the world.

Today at Mars Petcare, she co-leads the Leap Venture Studio program alongside their partner organizations, Michelson Found Animals & R/GA Ventures. Leap is a 12-week hybrid seed-stage accelerator program designed to support the next generation of pet care startups. In addition to running the program, she supports a portfolio of 51 companies, and finds unique ways to provide value and create connections between Mars Petcare and the 1,600+ startups in their global community.

Newday Impact, Doug Heske, CEO:

*Based in San Francisco, Newday is a vertically-integrated, technology-enabled Asset Manager and Registered Investment Advisor. Newday provides affordable, transparent, and easy-to-understand impact investment solutions available to the mass market. Newday was founded in 2017 by Alexander Meek, Doug Heske, and Anthony Randazzo, who bring strong backgrounds in asset management and technology development, respectively. Doug Heske, CEO, brings more than 22 years of investment management leadership.

At Newday, we believe sustainable companies deliver significant positive financial performance in the long term. By investing in socially responsible and sustainable companies Newday aims to generate competitive returns and, most importantly, drive meaningful changes in the way companies in our portfolios adopt environmental, social and governance - ESG - practices and policies. In order to be effective in driving positive impact on corporate behavior, Newday adopts an active ownership model,

engaging with companies’ decisions as they affect their stakeholders including communities, employees and shareholders.

Ocean 14 Capital, Max Holtzman, Principal / Portfolio Governance:

Max Holtzman is a Principal at Ocean 14 Capital, a global private equity impact fund focused on the Blue Economy. Mr. Holtzman is a founding officer of Stronger America through Seafood, which strives to increase the U.S. production of healthy, sustainable and affordable seafood.

Prior to joining Ocean 14 Capital, Mr. Holtzman was the Investments Principal at Pontos Aqua, managing the leveraged buyout practice, and was Vice Chairman of Capitol Peak Asset Management which focused on infrastructure projects and companies in Rural America. Prior to Capitol Peak, Mr. Holtzman was appointed by President Obama as the Senior Advisor to the United States Secretary of Agriculture. For six years, Mr. Holtzman advised the Secretary on the development of new public-private partnerships, aquaculture, trade, biotechnology and international food security. He also served as Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services and as Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Marketing and Regulatory Programs. In these roles, Mr. Holtzman represented the United States in its negotiations with the People's Republic of China as a four-time Delegate on the Joint Committee on Commerce and

Trade, and was regularly involved with a multitude of international trade issues, trade missions and trade negotiations. He also served as the United States Chairman of the North American Biotechnology Initiative, which includes the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Holtzman, an attorney for over 25 years, provided strategic consulting to multi-national companies related to transportation infrastructure, project finance, public-private partnerships, health care and government procurement. He also served as a City Attorney and Special Counsel to several

municipalities. Mr. Holtzman, a Board member of The Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, is the Founding Chairman of Adopt-A-Classroom, sits on the Global Advisory Council of Secure System and a former Board member of K Street Capital. He obtained his undergraduate degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and his law degree from the University of Miami. Married with three children, Mr. Holtzman lives in Washington, D.C.

Temasek, Sebastien Pascual, Director, Agri-Food and Sustainability Investor:

Sebastien joined Temasek in January 2014 and is currently a Director in Temasek’s Agri-Food team that is responsible for direct investments across the Agri-Food value chain. He co-leads the global food tech and ag tech portfolio and oversees its investment activities in Americas and EMEA with the aim to reduce the environmental and resource footprint of the food system. Prior to Temasek, Sebastien focused on energy transition and decarbonization at J.P. Morgan and the World Bank. He is based in San Francisco.

Unovis Asset Management & New Crop Capital, Dan Altschuler Malek, Managing Partner:

My mission is to transform the global food supply by leveraging my passions for food, entrepreneurship, and sustainability.

I partner with founders that align with our values and provide them with resources and guidance to develop transformative companies that improve food systems in terms of food security, health & wellness and environmental impact.

I work closely with companies to strategize and tackle the challenges they face across the entire food value chain from identifying market opportunities and R&D for new products to launching into markets, growing distribution, scaling manufacturing and expanding to international markets.

Specialties: Investments, Venture Capital, Startups, Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Business Development, International Trade, North America, Israel, Food Products, Plant-Based, Cultured Meats, CPGs

Woodside Energy, Jitendra Joshi, Head, Carbon to Products and Alternate Fuels:

*Dr. Jitendra Joshi serves as the Head of Technology for New Energy Solutions at Woodside Energy in Perth, Australia. Jitendra’s responsibilities include formulation of strategy for converting Greenhouse gasses to value-added products, and integrating renewables in Carbon transformation and Hydrogen generation. Jitendra’s team at Woodside Energy is implementing a combination of biological and thermo-chemical pathways to realize the full potential of Greenhouse utilization and Hydrogen production. Previously, Dr. Joshi was the Lead for Technology Integration within the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) at NASA. He has over two decades of Science and Technology project management experience with leadership roles in several research and technology development projects.

APC Proteins, Dr. Joe Crenshaw, Vice President of Technical Service:

Dr. Joe Crenshaw is the Vice President of Technical Service for APC. After earning his PhD in Swine Nutrition, Dr. Crenshaw embarked on a career spanning thirty-five years in the swine industry including teaching, research and development and private consulting in agriculture development. At APC he has 22 years of experience providing technical service for customers and conducts product development and applications research with an emphasis on the safety and efficacy of spray dried plasma. He has been an invited speaker at numerous global conferences and has authored more than 100 publications over the course of his career.

Aquanzo, Stefanie Lobnig, Co-founder & CTO: 

As Aquanzo's Co-founder and CTO, I'm dedicated to advancing climate-smart innovations for the aquaculture and animal feed industry. The increasing demand for alternative proteins due to the limited natural resources drove us to pioneering land-based, scalable technologies to farm marine ingredients using agricultural byproducts. We're merging farming technologies, genetic selection, and underutilized feedstocks to produce artemia as a raw ingredient that surpasses alternative proteins in both taste and nutrition. With a solid foundation in process engineering and scaling insect protein processes, I'm passionate about leading a team that contributes positively to the environment's well-being.

Bosar, Jipeng XUE, Technical Director:

*Bosar is a leading Chinese ingredient company.

BRF Ingredients,  Jose Uebi Maluf, Head of BRF Ingredients:

José Uebi Maluf, currently Head of BRF Ingredients, has worked at BRF for over 20 years. His journey began as head of department in the oil factories, going through factory supervision, CIEX consultant and management positions in the operational and R&D/CIEX areas. Since founding BRF Ingredients in 2016, José Uebi Maluf has been actively involved in the construction and consolidation of this area, with the aim of adding value to the co-products generated in BRF's slaughter processes, exploring new technologies and processes. Today, BRF Ingredients operates on four continents, in the Animal Nutrition, Food Ingredients, Plant Based and Human Health segments.

BRF Ingredients, Thiago Padilha, Business Development:

Thiago is in Business Development-Animal Nutrition with BRF Ingredients.

Calysseo,  Adisseo, David Bal, Head of Research Aquaculture Nutrition & Health: 

David Bal is the Head of Research of Aquaculture Nutrition & Health at Adisseo. He has over 15 years of experience in the aquaculture science and technology industry, having held various project management and leadership roles at companies such as GenoMar, Biomin, BioMar, and DuPont. David earned his postgraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Montpellier. His degrees specialized in Aquaculture Business Management, Aquatic Management Systems and Population biology.

Calysseo, Calysta, Allan LeBlanc, VP, Head of Animal Feed: 

*Mr. LeBlanc served as Senior Director and FeedKind Product Manager from 2017-2019, and as Product Manager, FeedKind® from 2015 to 2017. He joined Calysta in 2013 as Director of Corporate Development. He is responsible for global market and sales strategy for Calysta aquaculture nutritional products. He also provides market intelligence guiding future product development. Mr. LeBlanc holds an MBA from the University of California-Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida.

Chanzi, Andrew Wallace, Co-founder & CEO:

Chief Executive of Chanzi Ltd, an insect protein company dealing in waste management and the production of protein for animal feed.

A decorated history managing businesses in the East African Agro-industry. Skilled in Product Demonstration, Farmers, Project Management, Team Leadership.

Inspired by finding innovative and profitable solutions to continental challenges such as sustainable food supply and waste management. Passionate about development economics with a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of York.

Corbion Biotech (Corbion, San Francisco), Janice Wee, VP, R&D:

Janice Wee is the VP of R&D at Corbion Biotech, where she has dedicated the past 15 years of her career. In addition to her current role, she has also held the position of VP of Strain Development and Downstream Process Development.  Prior to joining Corbion Biotech, Janice had focused her research on vaccine development as a purification scientist in MedImmune (now part of AstraZeneca) and the production of small molecule drug candidates as a process scientist at Kosan Biosciences. Her academic background includes a M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University, along with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Caltech.

Deep Branch, John Hays, VP of Commercial:

John Hays is the VP of Commercial and Sales at Deep Branch, where he leads the commercialization of their innovative product, Proton™, in global feed and food markets. Additionally, for Deep Branch, John leads product development, manages upstream development activities, builds strategic partnerships, and oversees commercial efforts and the Series B capital raise. Before joining Deep Branch, John worked for the Cefetra Group as their Head of Business Development and Senior Business Development Manager. He holds a BA in accounting and international business from Western Washington University and an executive MBA from Imperial College Business School.

eniferBio, Heikki Keskitalo, Business Development Manager:
Heikki Keskitalo is the Business Development Manager of eniferBio. He has 10 years of experience in protein chemistry and fermentation, and is an expert on the pekilo process. Heikki earned a MS degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Oulu.

Entobel, Marcel Smits, Director:

Entobel, Director; Cargill Corporation, Ex CFO, Strategy Leader and APAC Chairman; Sara Lee, Ex CEO" Investor, founder and advisor at various sustainability initiatives such as Stridy, Seenons, Cleancycle, Hydryx, Mosa Meat and Sora Aviation.

Entobel, Gil De Clercq, International Sales Manager
Gil De Clercq is the International Sales Manager for Entobel. Before joining Entobel, Gil had over 10 years of experience in the animal industry. Gil holds a master’s degree in Bio-Science Engineering, Nutritional Sciences at Ghent University. He started with a feed manufacturing company based in Belgium that produces complete feed for poultry, swine and ruminants. Later, he entered the additive market to explore the functionalities on health and performance in the animals, mainly focusing on livestock. Having joined Entobel in July 2023 using the combined experience of using raw materials and functional ingredients, Gil has an understanding of what the Black Soldier Fly insect meal can bring to the animal industry.

Green Plains Technologies, Steve Craig, Senior Nutritionist-Aquaculture:

Dr. Craig received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M in 1994. After seven years as an Associate Professor of Aquaculture Nutrition at Virginia Tech, he left to join Low Salinity Inc/Virginia Cobia Farms as a Senior Research Scientist 2008-2014. His research program has focused upon nutritional requirements for emerging aquaculture species, authoring over 45 papers in the scientific literature with over 28 years’ experience with warm water marine fish and shrimp. In his position at LSI, Dr. Craig was responsible for the development and implementation of the first commercial fish meal-free aquafeed designed for marine carnivorous fish. He confounded Optimal Fish Food in December 2015, which was acquired by Green Plains in February 2020. Dr. Craig currently serves as Senior Nutritionist-Aquaculture for Green Plains Technologies.

Jiangsu Fuhai Biotech Co., Zhijun HU,CEO:

*Zhijun Hu is the CEO of Jiangsu Fujai Biotech Company.

KnipBio, Caitlin Wege, Senior Advisor:

Caitlin has over 15 years of experience working with companies across various industries, emphasizing operational excellence and strategic growth to enhance market positions. Her expertise encompasses manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and software, ranging from startups to large corporations. Additionally, Caitlin is deeply committed to sustainability and addressing some of the world's most complex challenges. She dedicates significant time to working with environmentally focused foundations and regenerative agriculture initiatives.

Laboratoires Phode, Amine Chaabane, Aquaculture Manager:

Amine Chaabane is the Aquaculture Manager for French company Laboratoires Phodé. Phodé is manufacturing aromatic & plant-based solutions for animal well-being. Amine holds a marine biology & physiology degree graduating from Sorbonne University in Paris, France and also holds an Agronomy MSc graduating from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile in Santiago, Chile. After several research experiences on salmonid species in Chile & Canada, he joined Phodé where he leads aquaculture product development and provides technical support on Phodé’s new aquaculture range, Olpheel.

LanzaTech,  Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO:

Dr. Jennifer Holmgren is CEO of LanzaTech. Under Jennifer’s guidance, LanzaTech is developing a variety of platform chemicals and fuels, including the world’s first alternative jet fuel derived from industrial waste gasses. She is also the Director and Chair of the LanzaJet Board of Directors. Prior to LanzaTech, Jennifer was VP and General Manager of the Renewable Energy and Chemicals business unit at UOP LLC, a Honeywell Company. While there, she was a key driver of their leadership in low carbon aviation biofuels.

Jennifer has authored or co-authored 50 U.S. patents and more than 30 scientific publications and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). She is on the Governing Council for the Bio Energy Research Institute in India. The institute has been set up by the DBT (Department of Biotechnology, Indian Government) and IOC (Indian Oil Corporation). She also sits on the Board of Directors of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF), the Board of Directors of Nature's Fynd, the Advisory Council for the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University, the National Academies' Board on Energy and Environmental Systems (BEES), the External Advisory Committee for the Advanced Energy Technologies Directorate (AET) at Argonne National Laboratory, the Advisory Council for the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the Halliburton Labs Advisory Board, the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS International Advisory Council, and the Founder Advisory for The Engine, a venture capital fund built by MIT that invests in early-stage science and engineering companies.

Jennifer holds a B.Sc. degree from Harvey Mudd College, a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a MBA from the University of Chicago.

LanzaTech, Chad Haynes, Director, Science Strategy:

*In this role, Chad works across the company’s science, engineering, and government relations teams to help coordinate and design R&D projects with mutual interest and benefit to Federal agencies and offices. Additionally, his role involves engagement with policy and regulatory stakeholders to help accelerate the deployment of sustainable technologies. Prior to joining LanzaTech, Dr. Haynes was a Lead Associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, serving as a technology and management consultant to the U.S. Dept. of Energy ARPA-E and the U.S. Biomass R&D Board. He previously served as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the USDA ARS. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Kentucky, and completed postdoctoral training at Caltech.

Lucta, Helder Rodrigues Pinto, Feed Additives Director Americas:

Helder Rodrigues Pinto is the Feed Additives Director Americas for Lucta. He has international experience in animal nutrition, health and welfare in: Product development, Product Managing, Technical Support, Marketing and Sales. Lucta’s Feed Additives Division is committed to working towards sustainable solutions for palatability, efficiency and animal welfare, as well as the preservation of feed, ingredients and premixes.

Menon, Dr. Suresh Menon, President:

Dr. Menon is a specialist in molecular engineering and manufacturing automation with a PhD in Engineering Science (1995) from Pennsylvania State University. His doctorate required specialization in life sciences, novel nanotechnologies, material science, robotics and manufacturing. Dr. Menon is a serial entrepreneur, innovating and building products that have been used across numerous sectors for more than 25 years and he has received recognitions from US military and Fortune 50 and Fortune 100 corporations for helping to solve many global challenges. He has over 50 patents, trademarks and peer reviewed publications and has written an entire chapter for a NASA handbook related to automation and materials. Menon Renewable Products was founded by Dr. Menon to find alternative feed ingredients to reduce the demand for fishmeal and forage fish ingredients in aquaculture while also eliminating reliance on antibiotics in farmed aquaculture. He pioneered the production of novel materials in the laboratory creating a spectrum of unique ultra-small molecule peptides, nucleotides and enzymes. His products have disrupted traditional views held in immunology and have been demonstrated to promote health for various animal species yielding unprecedented results over the last 10 years across 15 countries. Deeply concerned about the collective welfare of the planet, Dr. Menon’s aim has been to make the world a better place for humans and animals. His contributions broke the chain of unsustainable farming operations to grow peptides by sustainable methods, improving the condition of animals, eliminating trade practices that harm the ecosystem and in turn making a noticeable difference in the preservation of renewable resources.

Montana Microbials, Bob Kearns, Managing Member:

Bob Kearns is the managing member of Montana Microbial Products. He has three decades experience in bioprocess engineering, scale-up and commercialization. Commercial products range from first-of-kind biopesticides to barley protein concentrate

(BPC). He has raised venture capital to build novel production facilities and also licensed production technology/products to other companies.

NovoNutrients, David Tze, CEO:

David is leading the food and feed from CO2™ bio company, NovoNutrients, that's cleanly transforming carbon dioxide emissions into alternative protein ingredients. In 2017, he engaged with NovoNutrients: investing in it, pivoting it, and taking his current role as its CEO. David had been the sole manager of Aquacopia. That seed-stage fund and its five-company portfolio had a thematic focus on aquaculture. The companies ranged from an aquafeed ingredient manufacturer to a distributor and marketer of sustainable seafood. The fund also led investments into Open Blue, InnovaSea, and Futuna. Including a prior start-up that David co-founded, those six companies raised $250M under his watch. That prior start-up, an online industrial marketplace called NetworkOil and then Network International, was acquired by Liquidity Services (NASDAQ: LQDT). After earning an economics A.B. from Princeton, David’s career had started with internet pioneering that was a mix of general management, entrepreneurial corporate development, and consultative sales of strategic technology and media services.

Nuseed Nutritional USA, Pable Roberto Berner, Aquaculture Business Lead:

Aquaculture Engineer with a Masters in Aquaculture Technology from The Agricultural University of Norway (NLH). Leading Nuseed`s Aquaculture initiative since 2019. Representing Aquaterra, Omega 3 Canola oil within the aquafeed market and fish farming companies.

Nuseed Nutritional USA, Katrina Benedicto, Marketing Director: 

Katrina Benedicto is the Sustainability and Communications Director for Nuseed Nutritional, where she leads brand development and marketing for Aquaterra® and Nutriterra®. Katrina is also establishing the team’s sustainability program, spearheading certifications, partnerships, and progress reporting. Katrina was drawn to Nuseed’s global leadership in progressive agriculture, applying biotechnology to solve environmental challenges. She is excited to bring Omega-3 Canola to new markets in aquaculture and human nutrition.

Katrina earned her degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz where she studied literature and sustainable food systems. She lives in Northern California, spending her free time adventuring outdoors. 

Nuseed Nutritional USA, June Yao, Global Regulatory Lead

Dr. June Yao is an experienced regulatory professional and business leader with over 25 years of experience in the agricultural and biotech industry. June joined Nuseed in January 2019 to lead the global regulatory team with focus on achieving regulatory approvals for omega-3 canola products in various commercial applications. Prior to joining Nuseed, June held various leading positions in the fields of regulatory and scientific affairs, technology and business development, strategic planning and communications, partnership engagement and collaborations at different organizations. June is passionate about global sustainable development and transforming innovations to improve human wellbeing. She is also a certified professional coach and is committed to both personal and organizational growth.

Orffa Additives, Ruud Van den Berg, New Business Development Manager:

A seasoned aquaculture expert with over 12 years of experience in different technical and commercial roles within the aqua feed industry.

Holding a master’s degree, specializing in aquaculture, from Wageningen University, the Netherlands.

I began my career at Alltech Coppens in 2012, a fish feed producer in Europe, specializing in challenging RAS feeds for a variety of species.

In 2023 I switched to Orffa Additives, who engineer feed solutions and are a knowledge and solutions platform within the industry. Orffa develops, customizes, sources and offers feed additives and feed additive concepts for the animal nutrition market. I am working on accelerating business development with new or existing products in new or existing markets/species.

Phileo by Lesaffre, Dr. Jean-Benoît Darodes de Tailly, Global Program Manager-Aquaculture:
Dr. Jean-Benoît Darodes de Tailly serves as the Global Program Manager for Aquaculture at Phileo by Lesaffre, where he acts as a technical referent in charge of marketing campaigns around aquaculture initiatives. Holding a Ph.D. in aquaculture from the University of the West of Scotland (UK), Dr. Darodes de Tailly's prior research centered on the feeding behavior of penaeid shrimp in farm ponds across China and Ecuador, conducted in collaboration with Skretting. His academic background also includes an engineering degree in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences from L’Institut Agro (France), with a specialization in aquaculture.

Regen Organics, Ani Vallabhaneni, Co-Founder:

Ani Vallabhaneni is the CEO of Regen Organics - the largest insect protein producer and organic fertilizer in East Africa. He graduated with an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, where he was a fellow at the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship.

Shaivaa Algaetech LLP, Yashraj Jariwala, CEO:

A Biotechnologist and CEO of a microalgae-based startup from India. Alumni of Johns Hopkins University.

Steadfast in his pursuit of innovative technologies that enable sustainable production of Microalgae. Believes in creating sustainable business rooted in social welfare that creates a deep long-term impact.

Symrise, Vincent Percier, Marketing & Strategic Development Director, Aqua Feed:

Vincent Percier is Marketing & Strategy director for Symrise Aqua Feed, working for the development of natural and sustainable functional hydrolysates and palatability enhancers specifically designed for carnivorous fish and shrimp diets. Since 2011, Vincent has been involved in supporting the aquaculture growth, first as General Manager in Thailand, producing and selling tuna hydrolysates for shrimp feed in Southeast Asia, then in Europe to develop palatability enhancers business for Salmonids and other carnivorous species. Now in a global position and with operations in LATAM, EMEA & APAC, Vincent has an extensive understanding of modern aquaculture feed challenges.

Thrive Algae Oils, Jonathan Wolfson, Co-founder and Chairman; Solazyme/TerraVia, Former Co-founder and CEO:

Co-Founder & Chair:  Ingenuity Brands, Matice Biosciences; Previously - Algenist

Board: Microphyt; Previously - Avantium

Unibo, Olivier Hartz, Chief Commercial Officer:

Olivier Hartz joined Unibio in December 2019 and has led commercial development since November 2022. Olivier has been working with sales and commercial operations of ingredients for the feed, pet food, food, and pharma area for almost 30 years. More than 20 of those with Japanese Ajinomoto in Europe as Vice-

President or general manager. His experience includes Amino acids for feed, food, and pharma industries, specialty food ingredients in taste, texture, sweeteners, alternative protein ingredients, fermentation co-products, and he has a broad overview of the fermentation industry.

He holds an MSc in Agricultural Engineering from UniLasalle University, France, a master’s in business administration and international commerce from Sorbonne Graduate Business School, IAE Paris - France, which is supplemented with an Executive MBA from IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Veramaris, Victoria Parr, Business Development Director, North America:

Victoria Parr, Business Development Director, NA Veramaris has been in seafood for nearly a decade. Beginning with Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, and then in the aquaculture space with AquaChile. Now further upstream, Parr works throughout the value chain with retailers, distributors, NGOs, farmers, and feed mills sharing the features, advantages, and benefits of natural marine algal oil as a source of Omega 3 (EPA&DHA).

Parr brings storytelling experience to seafood from the entertainment industry where she worked with classic Hollywood film producers and in reality TV on the award-winning “Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan,” including its robust licensing program.

A US Air Force Special Forces veteran, Parr grew up in Tacoma, WA where she earned a degree in Leadership from The Evergreen State College. Then, her masters in Mass Communications at California State University – Northridge and most recently, she completed an MBA at Florida International University in Miami.

Aller Aqua, Anders Bylling, Group CEO & Vice President:

Anders Bylling is the Group CEO & Vice President of Aller Aqua, and 4th generation owner of Aller Aqua, a family-owned company that has been producing fish feed for 60 years.

Aqquua, Charles Siebenberg, CEO & Co-founder:

Charlie, as CEO of Aqquua, has been instrumental in transforming the aquaculture landscape. He led the development of Thailand's first ASC-certified grouper farm, reflecting his commitment to innovation in the field. Charlie has forged valuable partnerships with leading universities, promoting the advancement and commercialization of cutting-edge aquaculture technologies. His dedication to education is evident in his establishment of multiple scholarships aimed at cultivating future industry leaders.

Respected by prominent figures in aquaculture and food services, Charlie champions a new vision for the industry. He is fervently advocating for a shift in the current perception of aquaculture. With a strategic focus on scalability and economic viability, his vision encompasses the sustainable farming of fish on a global scale.

BioMar, Vidar Gundersen, Global Sustainability Director:

*Vidar Gundersen is the Global Sustainability Director at BioMar Group. He joined BioMar in 2002 with responsibilities spanning from product management to feed concept and strategy development. He has specialized in sustainability in the aquaculture sector and has designed and built BioMar’s sustainability concept. Vidar holds a MSc in Marine Biotechnology as well as an MBA in Marketing Management and Sustainability Communication. He is on the MarinTrust Standard Steering Committee and the SC for the ASC Feed Standard.

BluGlacier, Chris Fream, Vice President Fresh & National Sales:

*Chris Fream is National Sales Director for Blumar USA, the US branch of the large Chilean seafood and aquaculture producer, Blumar SA.

Based in Portland, Maine, Chris manages Blumar’s supermarket, national chain and master distributor accounts across the US and Canada. Chris’s 20 years of seafood industry experience includes all aspects of the business from working as a commercial fisherman in Alaska, to managing processing operations, and to building an innovative logistics program that supplied true day boat fresh seafood to a national restaurant chain. Chris’s background in both ocean science and the fish business provides him a unique understanding of the needs of and all individuals within the seafood marketplace.

Dainichi Corporation, Makoto Tamaru, CEO:

Established in 1982, Dainichi Corp specializes in the manufacture, import, and sales of aquaculture feeds, mendicants, equipment, and marine products. Dainichi employees and stakeholders pride themselves on being industry leaders and work to create healthy, delicious, nutritious and traceable seafood. Dainichi believes a multidirectional approach that encompasses an unwavering improvement in feed and farming technology is needed with a global field of vision. Makoto Tamaru joined the Dainichi Corporation in 1995. He was promoted to the General Sales Manager overseeing formula feed and fresh seafood sales in 2005. In 2007, he became the Chief Executive Officer of the Dainichi Corporation.

Dainichi Corporation, Shinsuke Tamaru, COO:

Established in 1982, Dainichi Corp specializes in the manufacture, import, and sales of aquaculture feeds, mendicants, equipment, and marine products. Dainichi employees and stakeholders pride themselves on being industry leaders and work to create healthy, delicious, nutritious and traceable seafood. Dainichi believes a multidirectional approach that encompasses an unwavering improvement in feed and farming technology is needed with a global field of vision. Shinsuke manages the Tokyo office and is the Chief Operations Officer for Dainichi Corporation.

Dainichi Corporation, Boyd Way, Director, Foreign Trade Manager:  

Boyd joined the Dainichi Corporation in 1992 and became the Foreign Trade Manager in 2001, where he is responsible for the import of raw materials from South/Central America, and Malaysia, aquaculture equipment from New Zealand and Australia and export of seafood to the Middle East. In 2007, Boyd became a member of Dainichi’s board of directors.

eFishery, Kristin Veriga, Senior Leader of Strategic Feed Initiatives:

Kristin is a purpose-driven industry leader with a passion to positively impact the role Aquaculture can, and should, play in solving the challenges of feeding the world, food security and climate change. He has significant FMCG leadership experience across segments and regions with the last 10 years in seafood and aquaculture in senior management roles across the value chain at industry leaders such as Nomad Foods, Regal Springs and Grobest. He is currently leading the Global Shrimp and Tilapia value chain as SVP at eFishery, the world’s first Aqua unicorn, where he oversees group feed strategy and rollout across the largest feed distribution network in Indonesia. Kristin serves as a Board Trustee at the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and a Board member at the Global Shrimp Council. Kristin graduated from the University of Western Sydney and holds a Bachelor of Commerce – Marketing.

Optimal Aquafeed, Joe Rezek, R&D Manager:

Joe Rezek oversees and manages the Optimal Research Center at Optimal Aquafeed. The in-house research center consists of a multi-system aquaculture lab designed for ingredient and formulation development and evaluation. The Optimal Research Center also incorporates an extrusion lab used to manufacture small-batch research diets for internal and third party trials. Notably, Joe and the team at Optimal Aquafeed manufactured feed for and are currently hosting the F3 Krill Replacement Challenge Trial.

Optimal Aquafeed, Adam Bean, Lab Manager:

Adam and the team at Optimal Aquafeed manufactured feed for and are currently hosting the F3 Krill Replacement Challenge Trial.

Rangen, David Brock, Aquaculture Nutritionist:

David Brock is an Aquaculture Nutritionist at Rangen which operates two US based manufacturing facilities located in Idaho and Texas. David focuses on developing and optimizing feed formulations with innovative raw materials to meet the nutritional and fish welfare needs of a diverse range of aquaculture species while balancing evolving consumer demands. With a robust background of over 30 years in feed manufacturing, quality assurance, and aquaculture nutrition, David is dedicated to innovating sustainable feeding solutions within the aquaculture industry.

ShrimpVet & EcoSeafood Group (ESG), Dr. Loc Tran, Founder-CEO:

Dr. Loc Tran is the founder and director of ShrimpVet Laboratory in Vietnam, leading a team of more than 100 researchers and technicians. Dr. Loc Tran’s research while at the University of Arizona identified that Early Mortality Syndrome, a disease that caused one billion dollars in farmed shrimp losses in Vietnam alone, is caused by a bacterial agent that colonizes the shrimp’s gastrointestinal tract and produces a toxin that results in tissue destruction and dysfunction of the shrimp digestive organ. ShrimpVet Lab includes a state-of-the-art shrimp disease diagnostics lab, a vertically integrated operation with a commercial hatchery/nursery and algae lab, and demonstration grow-out farms in Can Gio (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). ShrimpVet also conducts feed trials to determine the impact of feed ingredients on disease resistance. Committed to sustainability, ShrimpVet produces high-quality SPF shrimp seeds and actively pursues net-zero discharge commercial production in Bac Lieu Province, Vietnam. Dr. Loc Tran is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aquaculture Pathology at the College of Fisheries, Nong Lam University at HCMC, Vietnam. He continues collaborating with the University of Arizona on research and extension projects.

ShrimpVet & EcoSeafood Group (ESG), Ngan Nguyen, Commercial Director:

Mrs. Ngan Nguyen is a member of ShrimpVet in Vietnam, which is a vertically integrated operation with a commercial hatchery/nursery and demonstration grow-out farms. In charge of financial management at Shrimpvet, keeping track of shrimp farming with high-quality SPF shrimp seeds, and actively pursuing net-zero discharge commercial production. ShrimpVet also conducts feed trials to determine the impact of feed ingredients on disease resistance.

Star Milling, Iva Gaglione, Aquaculture Feed Manager:

Iva has been employed with Star Milling Co. since 2002 as the Aquaculture Feed Manager for both commercial food fish farms and Distributors. In that role, Iva provides nutritional services to

a wide variety of fish farms, including, but not limited to, Catfish, Tilapia, Bass, Barramundi, Sturgeon, Trout, Koi and Goldfish.

Iva is a director with the California Aquaculture Association, an association Star Milling Co. proudly sponsors and supports. Iva’s love of animals has involved her in a wide range of activities related to both Aquaculture and Livestock including animal husbandry, feed nutrition, and the manufacturing of quality feeds over the years.

SyAqua, Dr. Craig Browdy, CTO:

Dr. Craig Browdy currently serves as  the CTO for SyAqua. He was a past president and fellow of the World Aquaculture Society. His research over the past 30 years focuses on basic and applied science to improve farmed seafood production. His contributions include fundamental studies on physiology, genomics and systems engineering. He is an innovator developing commercial products to improve aquatic animal nutrition and health, to advance aquaculture production systems, and enhance seafood quality. He served as assistant director of the South Carolina Marine Resources Research Institute, leading the Waddell Mariculture Research and Development Center. Dr. Browdy served as executive manager for global aquaculture research and product development for Novus International Inc. Currently, he is the director of research and development for Zeigler Brothers Inc. leading development of new innovative aquaculture products with a focus on freshwater and marine finfish and shrimp larval, nursery and grout diets. Dr. Browdy has authored over 140 publications and has edited three books on Marine Shrimp Farming.

TwoXSea & McFarland Springs, Bill Foss, Co-owner:

*Bill Foss is a successful Internet entrepreneur who co-founded Netscape Communications and Global Crossing and ended up as a North Bay restaurateur and fish farmer. Bill is co-owner of McFarland Springs Trout, the only farmed trout in the world raised on a 100% vegetarian, non-GMO diet. He is also co-owner of TwoXSea, a San Francisco Bay Area distributor of sustainably sourced wild and farmed fish, and Fish, a rustic American restaurant located on the water in Sausalito, California, with a focus on true sustainability.

TwoXSea & McFarland Springs, Kenny Belov, Co-owner:

*Kenny Belov was born in Moscow, Russia in 1976. His family moved to the United States when he was five years old, and at 17 he was introduced to the world of ocean fishing in Florida. After moving to San Francisco in 1996, he left a career in professional photography to develop a new concept in environmentalism—a socially responsible restaurant with a soul focus on sustainability.

Yuehai Feed Group, Xuezhi ZHU, Technical Director:

Dr. Zhu is currently the Technical Director of Yuehai Company. She is responsible for the company’s technical formula.

Charles Darwin University, Dr. Sunil Kadri, Professor of Tropical Aquaculture:

Sunil has spent over 30 years working in global aquaculture, including farming, developing country projects and research, as well as R&D, commercialisation and sales of disruptive technologies. After completing his Ph.D., he joined a startup commercializing a fish feeding technology, which led to his becoming a founding shareholder of the AKVA Group. He later commercialized a biotech for salmon which was licensed to Europharma where he still holds a Board position. He was also Head of Sales and Business Development at Ridley, where he developed an interest in alternative feed ingredients. Sunil continues to work with startups and investors targeting aquaculture.

Dalhousie University, Dr. Peter Tyedmers, Professor, School for Resource and Environmental Studies:
Peter Tyedmers is a Professor of ecological economics in the School for Resource and Environmental Studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, where he also currently serves as Director of the Interdisciplinary PhD program. Beginning with his Ph.D. research, in which the biophysical costs of salmon fishing and farming in British Columbia were compared, over the last almost 25 years Peter has established himself as an authority regarding the energy and related environmental performance of seafood systems. Though much of this work, undertaken with students and colleagues, has employed life cycle assessment to help illuminate some of the enormous diversity, challenges, and opportunities that exist within seafood systems, Peter’s interests also extend to improving methods of biophysical accounting and data aggregation generally, as well as characterizing the environmental performance of terrestrial food systems. Peter holds a Ph.D. (2000) in Resource Management and Environmental Studies and an LL.B. (1992) from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and a B.Sc. (1988) from the University of Waterloo, Canada.

Nanyang Technological University, Dr. Ezequiel Santillan, Senior Research Fellow & Senior Project Manager:

Ezequiel is a senior research fellow at the Wuertz lab in SCELSE, specializing in interdisciplinary research for the Sustainable Development Goals and the circular economy. As the project manager of a Singapore NRF-funded CRP research grant, he collaborates with industry partners and research institutions to recover aquaculture feed additives from food-processing wastewater. The team is currently exploring options and partnerships to scale up and implement in situ a pilot-scale prototype technology for microbial protein production developed as part of such a project. Ezequiel, a Fulbright scholar, holds a PhD and MSc in Civil & Environmental Engineering from UC Davis, with expertise in assessing microbial communities, disturbance ecology, wastewater treatment, and bioremediation applications, including intellectual property development. As an educator, he has teaching experience in environmental engineering, biotechnology, circular economy and sustainable development, chemical engineering, microbial ecology, experimental design, bioinformatics, statistical data analysis, and data visualization. He also has a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the National University of Salta, Argentina, and five years of experience in the steel industry having worked for Tenaris.

Stanford University, Rieko Yajima, Director Drug Discovery Innovation:

Rieko Yajima is the Director of Drug Discovery Innovation with the Stanford SPARK Program.  She has a PhD in biochemistry and her interests lie at the intersection of science, design and policy.  Previously she was a Research Scholar at the Center for Design Research at Stanford University, the Associate Director of the Research Competitiveness Program at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a science policy fellow at the National Academy of Sciences.  She has organized interdisciplinary symposia on the science of human taste perception and preference and is particularly interested in what makes food taste delicious.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Chunyu LIU,  PhD candidate:

Chunyu Liu is a Ph.D. candidate in Marine Science at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. She earned a Bachelor's degree in GIS from Ohio State University and a Master's degree in Climate and Society from Columbia University. Her doctoral research aims to elucidate the complex socio-ecological dynamics of coastal areas, examining the impacts of human activities and climate change on marine biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Yue LIU, PhD candidate:

PhD candidate at Shanghai Jiaotong University, working on sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Ziyu JIANG, PhD candidate:

Ziyu Jiang is a PhD candidate in School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), and a research assistant in Prof. Ling Cao's group. He acquired a Master of Management in SJTU with a major of public policy in 2020. His current research interests are in the sustainable management of marine capture fisheries and mariculture, particularly integrating natural and social science approaches.

Stanford University, Dr. Roz Naylor, Professor:

Rosamond (Roz) Naylor is the William Wrigley Professor of Global Environmental Policy in the Doerr School of Sustainability; Professor (by courtesy) in Economics; and founding Director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment (FSE) at Stanford University. Her research focuses on policies and practices to improve global food security and protect the environment on land and at sea. She has been involved in numerous field-level research projects around the world with her students and has published widely on issues related to global food systems, food policy, and aquaculture. She is the co-chair of The Blue Food Assessment, an international initiative aimed at providing a comprehensive scientific evaluation of the sustainability, nutrition, equity, and justice dimensions of aquatic foods cultured and captured in freshwater and marine environments within the global food system. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), a Pew Marine Fellow, and a Leopold Leadership Fellow. She is also the President of the Board of Directors for the Aspen Global Change Institute and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for Oceana. At Stanford, she teaches courses on The World Food Economy, Human Society and Environmental Change, and Food and Security.

Stanford University, Jesscia Lu,  MBA student:

Jessica Lu is pursuing a Masters in Business Administration at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Jessica previously worked in consulting with Bain & Company focusing on food systems for retail, consumer packaged goods, and NGO clients. She holds a BA in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Stanford University, Anli Chen, MBA student:

Anli Chen is pursuing a Masters in Business Administration at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Anli previously worked in consulting with Bain & Company focusing on restaurants, retail, CPG, and private equity due diligence. She holds a BA in Economics from Harvard University.

Texas A&M University, Dr. Delbert M. Gatlin, Regents Professor:

Delbert M. Gatlin III, Ph.D. is a Regents Professor in the Texas A&M University Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology and a member of the Intercollegiate Faculty of Nutrition. His research and teaching interests encompass various aspects of aquaculture including different aspects of nutrition and feeding of fish. His research includes determination of requirements for and metabolism of various nutrients, development and evaluation of feedstuffs, diet additives, and diet formulations for various fish species including channel catfish, hybrid striped bass, red drum and tilapia. The targeted goal of his research program is improving sustainability and production efficiency in aquaculture and enhancing the health and well-being of cultured organisms. Delbert Gatlin’s research has been chronicled in 327 peer-reviewed journal articles, 19 book chapters and five books concerning aquaculture and aquatic animal nutrition. In Google Scholar, his H-index is 87 and total citations are 23,873. As of today, one of his seminal papers has been cited 2,253 times. Dr. Gatlin’s research has been supported by grants and contracts totaling over $8M from corporate, state, and federal (including USDA-NIFA and National Science Foundation) sources.

University of Arizona, Dr. Shane Burgess, Vice President for the Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension

Charles-Sander Dean of the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences:

A veterinarian (Massey University, New Zealand, 1989) and Ph.D. (University of Bristol Medical School, UK, 1998). His funded research and 194 published works are in human and other animal and plant systems and genomic biology, bioinformatics, high-performance computation in biology, immunology, virology, cancer biology, vaccinology, bacteriology, toxicology, bioenergy, aquaculture, parasitology, agriculture and biotechnology. His 12 patents and nine software copyrights are from $53 million in competitive funding.

University of California, Davis, Dr. Jackson Gross, Professor of Cooperative Extension in Aquaculture:

*I am an interdisciplinary scholar conducting scientific research to inform sustainable management of natural and farmed aquatic environments and is motivated by the need to increase food security. Examining the diversity of aquaculture in CA reveals their close ties to natural resources, threatened by coastal habitat degradation, human expansion, and environmental challenges like water quality, scarcity, and climate change-induced stressors (heat, drought, ocean acidification). My research program has evolved over the last few years, as a reflection of my role as the Statewide Cooperative Extension Aquaculture Specialist. I address these critical statewide issues by collaborating with and informing stakeholders, including west coast finfish, shellfish, and seaweed producers, local/state/federal resource managers, military, port and harbor managers, CA fishery and agriculture commissions, and environmental organizations.

My research program centers around my interests in the application of technology to address challenges and improve sustainable freshwater and marine aquaculture for CA and the Western US. More specifically I have focused my applied research and extension activities on two critical and timely themes of sustainable aquaculture: 1) Increasing sustainability and animal welfare in finfish aquaculture and 2) The effects of climate change on marine invertebrate conservation with a focus on the reproductive biology of cultured shellfish. My research reflects the stakeholder needs of the region's aquaculture sector, including natural resource agencies, and regularly provides scientific expertise that has immediate application and impacts in my field.

University of Connecticut, Keegan Jalbert, Undergraduate Research, NSF Innovation Corps:

Keegan Jalbert is the founder of AccessFlora, which aims to give everyone the opportunity to be protagonists in the development of their bioeconomy through access to more efficient production and biofactory/entrepreneurship education and training. Keegan is a participant in the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) program, and winner of the University of Connecticut’s Get Seeded Demo Day.

Xiamen University, Dr.  Ling CAO, F3 Judge & Professor:

Growing up on a family fish farm in China, Dr. Cao has dedicated herself to enhancing the sustainability and resilience of fisheries and aquaculture to ensure food security while protecting the oceans. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and worked at Stanford University. For over 15 years, she has established long-term professional relationships with the leading aquaculture and aqua-feed companies, seafood processors, seafood trading companies, governmental agencies of fisheries, and non-governmental conservation groups around the world.

Zhejiang University, Dr.  Yan WANG, Professor:

My research interests include aquatic ecosystem management and sustainable aquaculture. We proposed the concept of aquaculture mode and the technology to optimize aquaculture mode. We optimized the modes for pond culture of freshwater pearl mussel and largemouth bass, and the application of the optimized modes improves production performance and sustainability of commercial farming. We also explored the techniques to replace fish meal in diets for warm-water carnivorous fishes, and established the least fish meal diets for commercially important fish species, such as large yellow croaker, golden pompano, Japanese seabass, malabar grouper, cuneate drum, giant croaker and largemouth bass. At present, our research aims at the impacts of offshore aquaculture on the structure and function of ocean ecosystems and the techniques to establish sustainable offshore aquaculture industry.

Bon Appetit Management Company, Maisie Ganzler, Strategic Advisor, Leadership Team & Author:

Author, speaker, and corporate advisor Maisie Ganzler is the go-to expert on how companies can make positive change in supply chains and other entrenched systems. Driving strategy for Bon Appetit Management Company, a $1.7 billion company with 1,000-plus cafés at corporations, universities, and cultural institutions in 33 states serving more than 250 million meals per year, Maisie tackled local purchasing, antibiotics in meat production, sustainable seafood, humane care of farm animals, climate change, farmworkers’ rights, and food waste, positioning the company as the foodservice industry’s undisputed leader in sustainable purchasing and holistic wellness. She’s been interviewed by leading media outlets including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, Fast Company, and Bloomberg, spoken at conferences around the world, written thought leadership pieces for Forbes, Huffington Post, and the San Francisco Chronicle and is frequently called upon for strategic counsel by start-ups and big business alike. She is also the author of You Can’t Market Manure at Lunchtime: and Other Lessons from the Food Industry for Creating a More Sustainable Company (Harvard Business Review Press, April 2024), a practical how-to guide for building an authentic brand based upon sustainability, no matter the industry.

China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association, Dr. Cui HE, President:

Dr. Cui He has over 40 years of experience in aquatic work, has participated in many important international projects, and has a global perspective on the good connection and coordinated development of various links in the industrial chain. He pays attention to the market changes of major trade varieties such as fish, shrimp, and shellfish both domestically and internationally, understands and masters the trends and operating rules of these changes, and is used to guide the healthy development of the industry. He has published more than 60 papers both domestically and internationally. Under his leadership, the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance has served the industry and its members with a high sense of responsibility, playing a positive role in promoting the improvement of China's aquatic product processing technology and management level, regulating and prospering the aquatic product market, and improving the economic, ecological, and social benefits of the aquatic product processing and circulation industry.

Common Table Creative, Oliver English, CEO & Co-founder

Oliver English is a Filmmaker, Chef & Food Advocate. Oliver is the CEO & CO-Founder of Common Table Creative, a compact-driven production company focused on the future of food. He Co-directed and produced the company's flagship award-winning documentary, Feeding Tomorrow. CTC works with some of the world's leading food companies, NGOs, and nonprofits to tell stories about the power of food.

Growing up in his family’s restaurants, he has been intimately involved in the world of food ever since. For the past several years, he led the company’s international development, opening restaurants throughout North America, Europe, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. He has learned first-hand the positive and negative effects of globalization and climate change on the world's food system, which have instilled a fierce desire to highlight these issues and inspire real change in the world through visual and experiential storytelling.

Oliver is a graduate of Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration and a member of the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL).@Oliver_English

FultonFishMarket.com, Mike Tonetti, CEO:

Mike Tonetti is the CEO of FultonFishMarket.com. Before FultonFishMarket.com, Mike spent his career in food retail and held various leadership positions in companies such as FreshDirect, Jet.com and Daymon Worldwide. Mike has shown a strong track record of driving growth, improving processes, and exceeding financial targets in the retail industry. Mike is a graduate of Bucknell University with a BA in Economics and Political Science.

Mersea, Parke Ulrich, Executive Chef:

Chef Parke Ulrich is the Executive Chef of Waterbar, EPIC Steak, and Mersea. He is a vocal advocate of sustainability sourced seafood and fresh, local, organically-grown produce. His passion for locally sourced high quality ingredients brings greater awareness of sustainability to the respective restaurants staff and guests alike.

Seatopia, Clark Kissiah, COO:

Clark leads supply chain, operations and farm partnerships at Seatopia, a direct-to-consumer brand for sustainable and traceable farm-raised seafood. His work looks across the value chain, linking innovative aquaculture projects with a growing consumer demand for ecologically restorative foodsystems. Previously a fish line chef at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, a two Michelin star restaurant in New York bringing regenerative agriculture to the dining room, Clark’s R&D team supported trials at the Stone Barns Center to test scalable culinary and agricultural applications for cultivated bull kelp, stipe and red algae as binders and soil amendments. He joined the restaurant world from the corporate strategy team at American Express, supporting partnerships and cobrand marketing initiatives with the firms largest retail and hospitality partners. He spent his early career with a boutique management consultancy in New York, co-managing +$1B in capital projects at the nation’s largest public utility to support New York State’s shift to renewable power strategy in 2014. Clark is deeply focused on championing best in class aquaculture, supporting the enablement of a market-based solution to ocean sustainability and regeneration. Clark earned a BA in philosophy, economics and government from Claremont McKenna College and lives in Santa Monica.

Seatopia, James Arthur Smith, Founder:

*James Arthur began the journey into regenerative aquaculture as a teenager volunteering at the Nature Interpretive Center in Southern California where he got first hand experience with a steelhead trout breeding and hatchery program. For 10 years he lived aboard and sailed around the Pacific from San Francisco to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. Throughout that time he’s been on a mission to visit open ocean aquaculture farms, vetting claims, lab testing seafood and connecting the best-in-class aquaculture projects with farm-to-table restaurants in California. In 2020 he founded SEATOPIA, a gourmet seafood subscription box now delivering certified mercury-safe seafood, carbon-neutral, direct to homes nationwide. Through SEATOPIA, he is working to scale a truly regenerative seafood supply chain and empower health-conscious consumers to directly support innovative aquaculture projects producing some of the healthiest protein on the planet.

Whole Foods, Carrie Brownstein, Global Seafood Quality Standards Coordinator:

*In the big picture, Carrie’s work focuses on creating a model for the seafood industry that supports healthier oceans and communities. Working together with stakeholders and partners—fish farmers, fishermen, environmental groups, scientists and skilled seafood buyers—she aims to create a seafood market that supports responsible aquaculture production, reverses trends in overfishing and bycatch, and puts us on the right track toward greater sustainability. Day to day, her work involves developing sourcing policies, and the programs to implement them, for seafood sold at all Whole Foods Market stores. She treks from desk, to farms, fishing docks, and conferences to research, develop, and speak about these industry leading standards.

Most recently, she developed a sourcing policy for canned tuna that requires all fisheries to use pole-and-line, troll or handline catch methods. That means fishermen catch tuna one fish at a time, which prevents bycatch and creates more fishing jobs. The Whole Foods Market canned tuna policy also requires tracking of canned tuna back to the source, utilizing electronic traceability software.

Carrie has a Masters degree in Environmental Management from Duke University, where she studied marine ecology and fisheries management. She has worked on seafood sustainability for the past 24 years, but her roots in seafood go farther back: her great-grandfather started a seafood business in 1909.

Anthropocene Institute, Carl Page, Co-founder:

*Carl Page is the Co-founder of the Anthropocene Institute. He manages projects related to innovative energy solutions.

Eat Real, Nora LaTorre, CEO & Co-founder:

*Nora LaTorre is the CEO and Co-founder of Eat Real, a California-based national non-profit helping school districts serve nutritious food to students. Before joining Eat Real, Nora led growth and partnerships at Ganaz, a new agtech startup. At Ganaz, she was employee #3, Head of Sales, and a member of the Executive Team. Nora was a sustainability leader within both the Produce Industry and the Tech world. Previously, she served as VP of Consumer Packaged Goods and Retail at Fair Trade USA, where she supported sustainable livelihoods for farmers and workers globally while engaging consumers in that journey. Nora enjoys creating the strategy, infrastructure, and vision needed to scale impact. She has extensive experience advising leading companies on how to achieve their financial and company goals while also improving lives and protecting the planet. Nora holds a B.A. in International Relations from Marymount Manhattan College.

FINCA International, Iris Sagi, Director of Philanthropy: 

*Iris is a forward-thinking, enthusiastic, and hands-on business development executive passionate for making a social difference across the private and public landscape. Leverages operations background with business leadership acumen to identify gaps in performance and develop winning strategies that optimize efficiency, workflow, and financial outcomes. Strong influencer among C-suite executives, key stakeholders, thought leaders and opinion drivers.

The Center for Responsible Seafood, George Chamberlain, President:

Dr. George Chamberlain started his aquaculture career in 1975 as a researcher, instructor, and Extension Aquaculture Specialist at Texas A&M University. For the next ten years, he directed the

aquaculture programs at Ralston Purina International and Monsanto. From 1999 to 2020, he founded and managed several shrimp breeding, nutrition, and farming companies ultimately known as Kona Bay with operations in Malaysia, Brunei, and Hawaii. Concurrent with his commercial activities, Chamberlain served as a Board member and President of the World Aquaculture Society and later helped found both the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GSA) and The Center for Responsible Seafood (TCRS). He served for 25 years as President of GSA and now leads TCRS. One of the most

ambitious and impactful projects of TCRS is a new Improver Program which leverages digital technology to help small holder farms begin their sustainability journey to certification.

Monterey Bay Aquarium, Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly, VP of Global Ocean Conservation:

*Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly is the VP of Global Ocean Conservation at Monterey Bay Aquarium. Jennifer has over 25 years of experience in ocean conservation and currently serves in a leadership capacity driving greater collaboration among stakeholder groups. As such, she participates in the Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions Advisory Board, Certification and Ratings Collaboration Steering Committee, Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative Advisory Board, Ocean Visions Leadership Team, Seafood Stewardship Initiative Expert Review Committee, and the NGO Tuna Forum Steering Committee. In 2021 she was recognized by CNN as a Champion for Change and is a member of the US Department of State’s Speaker Program. Jennifer previously served as program manager for the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and as a Senior Conservation Associate for New England Aquarium.  She has also worked for American Oceans Campaign (Oceana) and Environmental Media Services. Jennifer earned a Master of Science degree in environmental sciences from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in education from Florida State University.

Monterey Bay Aquarium, Tyler Isaac, Seafood Watch Aquaculture Program Manager: 

Tyler is a passionate advocate for sustainable aquaculture, working to ensure healthy oceans and seafood for generations to come. As Aquaculture Program Manager at the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch, he leads the strategic direction and technical expertise for assessing the environmental impact of global aquaculture.

With a Master's in Coastal Resource Management and Entrepreneurship and years of practical hands-on experience, Tyler possesses a deep understanding of the ecological and economic dimensions of aquaculture. Before joining the Monterey Bay Aquarium, he founded Slightly Nutty, which worked to improve the sustainability of insect farming by developing insect feedstocks using scalable organic waste streams. Beyond his career, his passion for food, sustainability, and the natural world manifests in everything he does - Tyler is also an avid home cook, seafood smoker, and recreational fisherman.

Pew Charitable Trusts, Nikki Bransome, Senior Officer Pew Bertarelli Protecting Antarctica’s Southern Ocean:

*Nikki Bransome is the Senior Officer of the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy, and works on Pew’s Protecting Antarctica’s Southern Ocean project. This project focuses on conserving an area that encompasses 10% of the world’s ocean through the creation of a network of large-scale marine protected areas (MPAs) around Antarctica. Since joining Pew in 2014, she has helped secure an MPA designation for Antarctica’s Ross Sea; an extension of an ecosystem-based management measure for the Antarctic krill fishery; and 100% observer coverage on krill fishing vessels. Before Pew, Bransome conducted coral reef health assessments and interviews of fishing communities on Mexico’s section of the vast Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System. Bransome also worked at the United States Department of the Interior, where she advanced ecosystem-based management policies across several federal agencies through the National Ocean Policy, and coral reef conservation through the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force. Bransome holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, ecology, behavior and evolution from the University of California, San Diego’s Division of Biological Sciences.

The Nature Conservancy, Taryn Stamper, Aquaculture Fellow:

*Taryn is from the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She received her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Notre Dame and followed by attending Harvard Business School. She is currently located in San Diego CA working with The Nature Conservancy.

Singularity University, Tiffany Vora, Vice Chair of Digital Biology & Medicine:

Dr. Tiffany Vora speaks, writes, and advises on how to harness technology to build the best possible future(s). She combines her 20+ years of expertise in biotechnology and innovation with a communication style that highlights the power of human connections.

Tiffany is currently Faculty and Vice Chair of Medicine and Digital Biology at Singularity University, Faculty at EY Tech University, and a Nonresident Fellow of the GeoTech Center of the Atlantic Council. She amplifies the impact of women leaders in STEM through Homeward Bound, and is fostering global conversations about the future of mankind with Humanity in Deep Space and and Explore Mars, where she is a Board Member and VP of Innovation Partnerships

Tiffany builds on her experience as a molecular biologist and an entrepreneur to spark conversations about health, medicine, food, space, security, and other innovation areas impacted by exponential innovation in biotechnologies. Her questions about ethics and biotech encourage audiences to think deeply about their own visions of the future. Visit tiffanyvora.com to explore her videos, articles, podcasts, and more.

Tiffany has mentored startup founders, inspired companies to tackle humanity’s grand challenges, and supported governments and other organizations to prepare for a radically different future of life on Earth (and elsewhere). Her in-person presentations, workshops, and videos through TEDx, YPO, EO, Singularity University, EY, and other organizations have reached more than 100,000 people around the world.

She holds undergraduate degrees in Biology and Chemistry from New York University and a PhD in Molecular Biology from Princeton University. Tiffany previously worked in the pharmaceutical industry, was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the American University in Cairo, was an Instructor in Bioengineering at Stanford University, and founded two companies focused on communication strategies for scientists and experts.

Aquatic Feed Technologies,  Dr. Rick Barrows, F3 CSO, Founder:

Rick Barrows is founder of Aquatic Feed Technologies a consulting company focused on the development of sustainable aquaculture feeds. He also serves as Chief Scientific Officer of the Feed Innovation Network. Prior to this he served for 13 years as Lead Scientist and Nutritionist for the Trout Grains Project of the Agricultural Research Service/USDA. His research focused on the development of fishmeal and fish oil free diets for trout and other species. Prior to this he worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developing feeds for a variety of fish species for recreation, food and threatened and endangered species with feeds for all life stages. During the last 40 years he has over 170 peer-reviewed publications. In 2008 he was selected to be a member of the Aquaculture Protein Center in Norway and in 2011 he received the Outstanding Commercialization Success award for the development of improved feed and trout from the Federal Lab Consortium for Technology Transfer. In 2012 he received the Excellence in Aquaculture award from the Illinois Soybean Association and the Senior Research Scientist of the Year Award, PWA, from the Agricultural Research Service. In 2016 he received the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Aquaculture Society, U.S. Chapter.

BASF, Brian Siddons, License and IP Strategy Manager, Biotechnology Innovation Center:

*Brian Siddons is the License and IP Strategy Manager at BASF's Biotechnology Innovation Center. Brian has worked for BASF for the last ten years, and he is a passionate innovator, biologist, and environmentalist with a legal background that loves solving complex challenges. His technical expertise is in industrial biotechnology, specifically for research, development, production, and commercialization of industrial proteins (enzymes) for customers in the bioenergy, food, animal feed, and detergent industries. Brian holds a B.S. in Biology from UC San Diego, and an ABA Approved Paralegal Certificate from the University of San Diego.

Cognoscenti LLC, Dr.  Ewen McLean, Principal:

Dr. Ewen McLean has been engaged in various aspects of aquaculture for over 35 years. He has held appointments as Research Leader, Department Chair, and Program Professor in Bio(techno)logy, Marine Science, Fisheries and Aquaculture. He has also acted as interim director of the East Caribbean Institute for Agriculture and Forestry. He has actively participated on research review panels and contributed to various committees and commissions with an aquaculture focus in North America, the Caribbean, Europe, The Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Ewen was responsible for developing national standards for sustainable aquaculture in Oman, where he was board member of an International Oversight Committee for their Science Council. More recently he led a group developing aquaculture governance and legislation in Cambodia. He has mentored 40 graduate students and has acted as Editorial Board Member for nine peer-reviewed journals and has published extensively. Dr. McLean has provided service to the European Commission/Union, Asian Development Bank, and various other governmental and non-governmental organizations, private enterprise, and international development agencies. 

Global Change Labs, Banny Banerjee, Founder and Director:

Banny Banerjee works on system level innovation and the design of platforms for large scale 'planet centered' transformations and has worked with institutions, alliances, and organizations across sectors to design win-win transitions in extremely complex systemic challenges in the backdrop of a rapidly changing world. He went from working at IDEO, having been in the core team working on Design Thinking, to joining Stanford as the faculty director of the Stanford Design Program. His interest in developing innovation methodology for global challenges led to the formation of Stanford ChangeLabs. He has spent the last 15 years in developing the approach that has come to be named Systems Acupuncture. He teaches Innovation of Systems Transformation at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability for the Master's program on Sustainability Science and Leadership that he helped launch, but as Founder.  Director of Global ChangeLabs, his main focus is on developing next generation paradigms and platform architectures for rapid system level transformation. He is a frequent keynote speaker on issues of System Transformation, System Leadership, and Planet Centered Innovation, and serves on advisory boards such as Vinnova, the Swedish national innovation agency, the World Economic Forum's Global Futures Council, and multi-agency initiatives.

Finless Foods, Michael Selden, CEO & Co-founder:

*I am the CEO and Co-founder of Finless Foods, where we work together to build a future for seafood where the ocean thrives. My background in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has played a big role in me dedicating my life to climate justice and science advocacy.

Back in 2014, I was inspired by an article in The Atlantic that announced a crucial scientific development: the ability to synthesize horseshoe crab blood, a vital component for quality control of many life saving vaccines. I thought to myself - “if we can make horseshoe crab blood without horseshoe crabs, why can’t we make seafood without harvesting fish?”

One night over beers with my friend Brian Wywras, a research technician at the time, we fleshed out our ideas that laid the foundation for what would soon become one of the most innovative companies in the field of cell-cultured seafood. In 2017, Finless Foods created the first fish meat grown outside of a living fish to ever be consumed by a person. Eventually, our passion and vision attracted $25 million in funding and even landed Brian and myself a coveted spot on the Forbes 30 under 30 for Social Impact.

Beyond my dedication to creating a more sustainable future for our oceans, I find a healthy balance by cultivating my interests in music and audio engineering. In my spare time I love to read sci-fi and hang out with my rockstar bulldog, Roscoe.

JM & Associates, Jeffrey Millard, Founder:

In 2016, Jeff founded JM & Associates, a consulting firm

focused on nonprofit development. He advises nonprofits on

individual and corporate fundraising, as well as capital

campaigns and endowment funding. Jeff and his team serve

multiple non-profit organizations across the U.S. as outsourced

major gifts officers, identifying, cultivating and stewarding new

major donors. Some of his most interesting clients include: San

Francisco Symphony, The Culinary Institute of America,

Chance Academy, Peer Forward, Mission Bit, American Policy

Ventures + Humanity Forward.

Prior to founding his own consulting practice, Jeff spent nearly

15 years in the financial services sector involved in all aspects of

client relations, reporting, portfolio maintenance, and business

development. Jeff began his career at Morgan Stanley as a

liaison between the trading floor and financial advisors across

the United States. Realizing that his true passion and talent was

working directly with clients, he began working with a team of

high-net-worth advisors at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in San

Francisco where he focused on business development, client

relations, and operations management. He studied Business

and Psychology at Nyack College in NY and Theology for

Ministry through St. John’s College, Nottingham.

Popular Biology Inc, Andy Bass, Co-founder & CEO:

Andy Bass is a visionary biotech entrepreneur with over two decades of pioneering experience in both consumer and industrial biotechnology. His multifaceted expertise in molecular biology, business development, marketing, and design positions him at the forefront of the industry. Andy is renowned for his ability to transform complex biological technologies into captivating consumer products that have achieved global market penetration.

As the CEO of Popular Biology, Inc., Andy leads a team of ultra-technologists, navigating the intersection of art, technology, design and the natural world. Under his leadership, the company is at the cutting edge of developing new bio-based consumer products and experiences.

Andy's innovative work has garnered recognition at prestigious institutions such as the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His contributions to biotechnology have also been featured in The New York Times, Wired, and Fast Company, highlighting his role as a thought leader in the field.

Holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Andy’s unique approach to integrating pop culture with biology solidifies his status as a luminary in consumer biotechnology and propels his vision for a future enhanced by biotechnology.

Novalis Advisors,  LLC, Dr. Thomas Huot, Managing Partner:

*Thomas is the former COO of Calysta and former Managing Director of Calysseo, a current participant in the F3 Krill Replacement Challenge.

Reefgen Inc, Christopher Oakes, CEO:

Christopher Oakes is a marine biologist who specializes in deep-tech product commercialization and corporate development. Oakes holds a B.A. and M.A. in Biology from Occidental College. Oakes has dedicated his career to molecular tools and diagnostics, robotics, sustainable aquaculture and venture building. As CEO of Reefgen, he is setting the company’s vision around mechanizing nearshore planting operations and strategic direction to meet the scale of ecosystem restoration market needs in the face of climate change. During his time at Occidental, Chris worked with the Vantuna Research Group focusing on life history studies of nearshore marine fishes, marine environmental monitoring, time series analysis and spatial modeling. He also developed laboratory procedures and analytical techniques for morphology studies of gastropods. Former companies and roles include: COO Sustainable Ocean Alliance, VP Product and Market Development NovoNutrients, Development Manager Liquid Robotics, Regional Manager Laboratory Corporation of America, and Director of Strategic Alliances and Venture Portfolio at Deep Science Ventures. Chris is also a long-time board member and R&D chair at the non-profit Marine Applied Research and Exploration (MARE).

Ko Nishimura, Former CEO Solectron:

Greg Nishimura, Bariatric Surgeon on Sabbatical:

Aquafeed.com, Lucia Barreiro, Editor:

Lucía Barreiro is a marine biologist with a background in aquaculture, and editor of Aquafeed.com. Lucía Prior to her role as editor of Aquafeed.com, she worked for a non-profit organization, Cluster de la Acuicultura, mainly as the hatchery manager but also with other duties, such as project management, vaccine development, new species, among others. After 15 years, Lucía moved to a different arena, still in the aquaculture industry, and joined Aquafeed.com and Hatchery Feed & Management as editor, both international media platforms with a technical approach.

FishFirst, Dan LUO, Editor and Senior Media Expert:

Dan LUO is a media professional at FishFirst, China’s largest aquaculture media outlet.

Aquatic Feed Technologies, Dr. Rick Barrows, Founder, F3 CSO:

Rick Barrows is founder of Aquatic Feed Technologies a consulting company focused on the development of sustainable aquaculture feeds. He also serves as Chief Scientific Officer of the Feed Innovation Network. Prior to this he served for 13 years as Lead Scientist and Nutritionist for the Trout Grains Project of the Agricultural Research Service/USDA. His research focused on the development of fishmeal and fish oil free diets for trout and other species. Prior to this he worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service developing feeds for a variety of fish species for recreation, food and threatened and endangered species with feeds for all life stages. During the last 28 years he has over 130 peer-reviewed publications. In 2008 he was selected to be a member of the Aquaculture Protein Center in Norway and in 2011 he received the Outstanding Commercialization Success award for the development of improved feed and trout from the Federal Lab Consortium for Technology Transfer. In 2012 he received the Excellence in Aquaculture award from the Illinois Soybean Association and the Senior Research Scientist of the Year Award, PWA, from the Agricultural Research Service. In 2016 he received the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Aquaculture Society, U.S. Chapter.

F3 Team, Barbara Page, Ph.D., h.c. 

Barbara administers the F3 Prize and assists with F3 Meeting content creation. At the Anthropocene Institute, she administers grant programs and projects in mapping and radar tracking. Formerly, she was a founder of OpenWebU, and a Director at Oracle in Public Sector Applications. She holds an AB from the University of Chicago in Public Policy and a Ph.D. in Education at Stanford University.

F3 Team, Alex Driedger:

Alex is Sr. GIS Analyst for the Anthropocene Institute’s ProtectedSeas branch, supporting the development of Navigator - a global database of marine regulations. He also assists the F3 team with website, graphics, and technical support. Alex has a background in geomatics and holds a M.Sc. in Environmental Science from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.

F3 Team, Brendan Tougher:

Brendan manages the Marine Monitor (M2) project for the Anthropocene Institute’s ProtectedSeas branch and assists the F3 team with overall program management, research analysis, and event logistics. Brendan holds a Master’s of Science in Environmental Management and an MBA from the University of San Francisco.

F3 Team, Emma Hoffman:

Emma acts as Future of Fish Feed Coordinator for the Anthropocene Institute, assisting with the administration of F3 program Challenges, Research, and Meetings. She enjoys thinking creatively, with previous experiences at a startup, an urban school district, and in tech Learning and Development. Emma is a proud graduate of Bryn Mawr College where she earned a BA in Environmental Studies, focusing on food systems.

F3 Team, Ford Brodeur:

Ford Brodeur is a Staff Writer and Researcher for the Anthropocene Institute. For F3, he oversees its social media and he also assists with the F3 project’s communication efforts. Ford has a M.Sc. in International Relations and Diplomacy from Leiden University.

F3 Team, Keith Edie:

Keith Edie was born in Eastern Washington, in Mattawa, a farming town so small and remote, it features in the Geoff Mack song, “I’ve Been Everywhere.” The son of a sheriff’s deputy and a syndicated columnist and newspaper editor, Keith attended college at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington and graduate school at the Asolo Conservatory in Sarasota, Florida. For many years, he worked primarily as a stage actor, performing roles in Florida, New York, California, and the Pacific Northwest, along with three seasons at the English Theatre of Frankfurt (Germany). He specialized in comedy and Shakespeare shows, playing roles in Romeo and Juliet, The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and Hamlet, among others. He met his wife, writer Elise Forier Edie in 2007 and moved to Los Angeles in 2013, when he began pursuing a career in film and television. In addition to being an actor, Edie is also a screenwriter and producer.

MAR Communications, Annie Reisewitz, F3 Communications Consultant:

Annie has over 20 years of experience in environmental communications and marketing. At MAR Communications she leads the development of comprehensive environmental marketing strategies and public relations campaigns for clients in the non-profit, government and private sectors. Annie specializes in media relations, science writing and brand development. Her clients are frequently called upon as experts for marine science and conservation news.

F3 Prize, Chair and Judge; Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons, University of Arizona; Past President of the World Aquaculture Society

Kevin Fitzsimmons is the Chair and Judge of the F3 Team and F3 Prize. He is also a Professor of Environmental Science and Extension Specialist at the University of Arizona, and a past President of the World Aquaculture Society. A central component of his research since 1981 has focused on improving the sustainability of aquaculture. He has been a leader in the development of integrated farming systems to rear tilapia, shrimp, and soft-shell crabs and using the nutrient rich effluents to fertilize seaweeds and halophytes. He has also conducted research on nutrition of tilapia and shrimp utilizing alternative ingredients eliminating the need for fishmeal and fish oil in practical diets. Kevin also teaches aquaculture and phycology (algae) courses at the University of Arizona. He currently has research/development projects in Kenya, Niger, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, the US, and Saudi Arabia and also serves as the Director for International Programs for the College of Agriculture, Life and Environmental Sciences.

University of Massachusetts Boston, Dr. Michael Tlusty, F3 Judge & Associate Professor of Sustainability and Food Solutions:

Michael is an associate professor of sustainability & food solutions in the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts at Boston where he links science, technology, and innovation to help transform the world's aquatic food systems and to educate the next generation leaders necessary to develop integrative solutions to create enough food for our burgeoning population. His approach is to find solutions to create more food, waste less of it and to help the entire value chain do a better job creating the food we already produce. In his spare time, he uses the lessons learned in studying seafood value chains to create solutions to stop the trade of illegal wildlife products.

Xiamen University, Dr. Ling CAO, F3 Judge & Professor:

Growing up on a family fish farm in China, Dr. Cao has dedicated herself to enhancing the sustainability and resilience of fisheries and aquaculture to ensure food security while protecting the oceans. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and worked at Stanford University. For over 15 years, she has established long-term professional relationships with the leading aquaculture and aqua-feed companies, seafood processors, seafood trading companies, governmental agencies of fisheries, and non-governmental conservation groups around the world.