Staff Biographies - Living Oceans Foundation

Staff Biographies

[2015]

Global Reef Expedition explorers available for interviews

The following staff members are available for interviews, contact [email protected] for interview requests:

LOF Executive Director Philip Renaud
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Capt. Phil Renaud
Captain Renaud is the executive director of the Living Oceans Foundation. Before joining the Living Oceans Foundation, he had a distinguished 25‐year career in the Navy where he served as the oceanographer for an aircraft carrier (USS Theodore Roosevelt), was the lead oceanographer for the Commander, Second Fleet, and his naval career culminated as the Commanding Officer of the Naval Oceanographic Office.

Presently, Phil is concentrating on fulfilling Prince Khaled’s vision of circumnavigating the globe to combat the rapid decline in coral reef health through the Foundation’s ambitious Global Reef Expedition program. This fast‐paced expedition is achieving the goals of mapping and surveying coral reefs around the world to rapidly close scientific knowledge gaps and to identify factors that either harm reefs or contribute to their resilience.

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LOF Education Director Amy Heemsoth — LOF Education Director
Amy Heemsoth

Amy Heemsoth
Amy Heemsoth is the Director of Education for the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. She develops and implements innovative education projects and programs for K‐12 students, teachers, and non‐formal educators. Additionally, she enhances the Foundation’s community engagement through education and outreach.

Amy earned her Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology at Spring Hill College, a liberal arts school, in Mobile, Alabama. Later, she attended Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida obtaining a Master’s degree in Marine Biology.

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2025-2026 B.A.M. Student Voices

Throughout the Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves (B.A.M.) and Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) programs, we evaluate each phase of the mangrove education and restoration process to better understand how students are learning, growing, and connecting with their coastal environments.

Before the programs begin, students share what they already know about mangroves and how they feel about them. As the program progresses, we continue to gather feedback to see how their knowledge evolves from identifying mangrove species and understanding food webs to recognizing the role mangroves play in coastal protection and climate change mitigation.

But the surveys go beyond science content.

We also ask students…

Ten Years of B.A.M.: Rooted in Partnership, Growing in Purpose

Ten years ago, the Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves (B.A.M.) program began with a simple but meaningful commitment: to connect Bahamian students with the mangrove ecosystems that shape and protect their island home.

Since 2015, B.A.M. has been implemented in partnership with Friends of the Environment, whose dedication to environmental stewardship in Abaco has made this program possible year after year. Together, we have worked alongside Patrick J. Bethel High School and Forest Heights Academy to bring hands-on mangrove science into classrooms and out into the field.

What makes ten years remarkable is not just longevity — it is consistency…

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2025-2026 B.A.M. Student Voices

Ten Years of B.A.M.: Rooted in Partnership, Growing in Purpose