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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From Mangrove Mud to Meaningful Work: Desta’s J.A.M.I.N. Journey

Some students I remember for their grades, their quick answers, or a moment that made the whole class laugh. Others I remember for the way they stepped into the mangroves.

Desta was the kind of student who thrived outdoors. While some students hesitated at the edge of the mud, he walked right in. And when he inevitably got stuck — because everyone does — he didn’t get frustrated. He laughed. Covered in mud, holding mangrove propagules in his hands, he embraced the experience fully.

Even then, it was clear that he was connecting with the environment in a way that went beyond the lesson plan…

From Students to Stewards: A Full-Circle Moment for J.A.M.I.N.

There are certain faces you never forget.

Over the years, hundreds of students have stepped into mangrove forests with us through the Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) program. I may not always remember every name, but I remember the expressions — the hesitation before stepping into thick mud, the laughter when someone loses a shoe, the look of surprise when they catch that unmistakable sulfur smell rising from the mangrove soil…

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From Mangrove Mud to Meaningful Work: Desta’s J.A.M.I.N. Journey

From Students to Stewards: A Full-Circle Moment for J.A.M.I.N.