Meet our Highly Esteemed Board of Advisors
From the inception of Sanacora, we have been lucky enough to be supported by a network of experts in the field, collaborating and providing invaluable knowledge to further our mission. This important cause would not be possible without their contributions.
Dr. Kylie Smith
Dr. Smith is a coral reef ecologist. She examines territoriality effects on coral reef ecosystems in the Florida Keys. She also studies the health and growth of reef building corals and the competitive interaction taking place between these corals and macroalgae species
About a month after Hurricane Irma’s untimely appearance, and as a young scientist from Clemson, she donned scuba gear and plunged into the waters of the Middle Keys to examine the damage firsthand. Lingering silt and debris made for poor visibility, but the scientist was still able to see well enough to confirm her fears. The coral reef — the first of six she would visit during this latest research venture — had been scoured. Soft corals, algae and sponges were obliterated. Stony corals fared better, but half of even those were damaged or destroyed.
It was a grim discovery. But the worst disaster can have a silver lining. It became her quest to find one.
She has spent hundreds of hours studying the creatures that inhabit coral reefs, measuring fish abundance, testing water quality and acidification levels, and also transplanting fragments of coral and recording their rates of survival and growth.
Smith’s early research taught her many things about coral reefs. For instance, different species of corals seemed to have different sensitivities to warm-water conditions, which can cause coral to turn completely white. This is called coral bleaching, and it occurs when corals expel algae that reside in their tissues. Corals can survive bleaching events, but the resulting stress often causes widespread damage
What Smith learned between 2013 and 2015 prompted her to broaden her focus to include a wider range of interactions in the coral reef community. In 2016, she began to devise a structured-equation model that could be used to predict the best conditions for coral transplant success. Her hope was that environmentalists who might eventually follow this model would be able to increase survival rates. To test her model, Smith picked out eight near-shore and offshore reefs in the Middle Keys that differed in structure and composition.
Dr. Todd Osborne
Dr. Todd Z. Osborne, Assistant Professor in the Wetland Biogeochemistry Laboratory, has a diverse research program focusing on biogeochemical processes in soil and water in a variety of ecosystems throughout Florida. Currently, Dr. Osborne is highly engaged in Everglades restoration science with several projects investigating biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus, sulfur and carbon within the Greater Everglades. These research initiatives include fire effects on biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus and impacts to water quality and exotic species, sulfur biogeochemistry and relationships to mercury and phosphorus mobility in Everglades soils, and spatial variability of soil nutrients at the landscape scale. Other Everglades research currently being conducted in Dr. Osborne’s program includes conservation of the ridge and slough landscape mosaic in the central Everglades via research on hydrologic modulators of plant productivity and community structure. Collaborative efforts with Dr. Matt Cohen (SFRC) and Dr. Mark Clark (SWS) have led to interesting new findings concerning alternative stable state theory with respect to south Florida wetlands (Watts et al. in review). Recently completed work on nutrient gradients in the Taylor Slough basin of Everglades National Park have also gained the attention of ecologists and Park Service land managers, resulting in new theories concerning nutrient cycling at the landscape scale in Everglades restoration science.
Robert Swan
Every once in a while, we cross paths with extraordinary people doing exceptional things. Robert is one of those people. His professional story begins with having been the first person on the planet to have walked to both the South and North Poles. Extraordinary. That adjective barely covers his talents. He is a successful author and has delivered thousands of presentations to large audiences, small audiences, and boardrooms. He does that with the same capability and enthusiasm for our environmental world in a full-on effort to deliver the continent of Antarctica into the future free of human intervention stripping it raw. It is the only place on Earth that is not owned by anyone. Let's keep it that way. We met years ago at a FastCompany event and have been friends since. It is an honor indeed that Robert stands with us. A trusted coach and valued friend indeed.
Ted Hood
Ted is a wonderful and soft spoken man that easily masks his incredible knowledge base about the sailing community. As an exemplary sailor he has made bow waves through many oceans while running a successful yacht brokerage business, Wellington Yachts. His pedigree is extraordinary as his Dad forged incredible paths in the boating world from winning the America's Cup to launching sailing businesses. Ted is one of those apples that did not fall far from the tree. His company, Wellington Yacht Partners, based in Portsmouth, Rhode Island is a very successful business in an extraordinarily competitive market. Ted and I randomly met at a boat show in Ft, Lauderdale some years ago, carried that meeting forward, and now join forces for the benefit of Coral Reefs.
Richard Vevers
You know Richard's story. You know him as the main subject in the beautiful film "Chasing Coral". From the advertising world in London, marketing toilet paper, to a complete about face now fully incorporating his immense capacity for the world's oceans as a diver, photographer, and accelerator of ocean conservation action through creativity, technology, and powerful partnerships. A uniquely intelligent individual able to coalesce groups into powerful forces of actions. His favorite sea animal is the Sea Dragon, an elegantly beautiful Seahorse that is truly infatuating. His ability to think creatively is unique and we will be pleased to have him apply his vision to our project. Richard’s core focus now is at The Ocean Agency which he developed and now runs.
Tim Joseph
When we met Tim, it was casual and nondistinctive. We were both working on our Yachts. Dirty work. Tedious work, but there was something about Tim's manner that was intriguing. Having become quickly acquainted it was clear that his business capabilities were superb and he easily discerned why, where, and how we would get the most impact. He is a successful entrepreneur able to easily apply his knowledge base to any variety of situations. Tim birthed the Maple Hill Creamery, producing $40.0 million in revenue, and turned it into a commercial success later selling it to an investment banking group. With a family of six and an extraordinary sense of care for them all, it is pleasing in the extreme to have him at our side.
Dr. Pat Pozzi
Occasionally, we all cross paths with incredible minds and talents within the medical community. Pat is one of those Doctors who has worked tirelessly for the benefit of his patients in the Chicagoland community. Schedules for Doc's are wild and unsympathetic. Pat takes it all in stride while frequently arising at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning when he is called in for a special surgical procedure and continuing on with a full day of appointments at various hospital locations afterward. He and I have been friends for decades and his adoration of automobile or motorcycle equipment is difficult to match as is his trusted, steadfast friendship. His mind strength is unique and quickly apparent. We are thankful for his willingness to stand with us.
Roman Giconi
Periodically we all meet people who are outstanding. Roman Giconi is one of those examples. Living in South Florida he is the Creator and owner of a small business called Neutrally Buoyant, which specializes in teaching scuba diving and making autonomous divers with the highest level of training. Roman is an internationally recognized Scuba Diving Instructor with a passion for teaching others how to dive and to explore one of the last frontiers on earth. As he tell it, “I have deep admiration for this underwater world, and my life revolves around diving. I pride myself in the extensive knowledge I have for the equipment and safety procedures used while scuba diving. For as long as I can remember I have been infatuated by the ocean. I am extremely grateful that my career has allowed me to be involved in doing my part to help preserve the underwater ecosystem.”