Solving ocean crises by unifying and empowering global communities!sm
With the help of donors like you, OpenOceans Global is developing solutions to save our ocean.
With the help of donors like you, OpenOceans Global is developing solutions to save our ocean.
PRESIDENT - Carl Nettleton, Nettleton Strategies, San Diego, CA. Carl Nettleton is an award-winning writer, acclaimed speaker, and a subject-matter expert regarding water, climate, sustainability, the ocean, and binational U.S. Mexico affairs. He is the founder of OpenOceans Global, the past president of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation – Pacific Region and the former founding executive director of the San Diego Oceans Foundation. In those positions, he energetically worked with government agencies, educational organizations, and ocean interests to develop collaborations and consensus to resolve ocean issues. He operates Nettleton Strategies LLC, a consulting firm specializing in resolving complex public policy and business issues.
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER - Mohsen Mortada, CEO, Cole Engineering, Toronto, Canada. Mohsen Mortada is President of Cole Engineering Group in Ontario, Canada. Mr. Mortada started his career in the public sector working with Tucson Water department operations. After several years with Tucson Water, Mohsen moved into consulting at Arcadis with a focus on strategic planning, utility business optimization and large infrastructure projects throughout North America and the Middle East. Mohsen relocated back to Canada to work with Cole Engineering Group as Chief Executive in 2014.
CORPORATE SECRETARY - Shauna Buffington, Experiential Event Leader. Shauna brings a career of experience in event management and marketing to OpenOceans Global. One of the founding staff of the Rock and Roll Marathon, Shauna became the Vice President for Events and Marketing, based in London and charged with expanding the marathon’s globally. Shauna will develop OpenOceans’s special event fundraisers.
DIRECTOR - Linda Adams, Chair, Climate Action Resere, Anguilla. Linda Adams brings OpenOceans Global her experience as a seasoned policy advisor, political strategist, and respected public servant. Linda is the chair of the Climate Action Reserve, a nationally recognized carbon offset program, and represents Oxfam as a global ambassador for America’s Sisters on the Planet climate change initiative. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Linda as the first woman to serve as Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA). She served as the Governor’s lead negotiator for Assembly Bill 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, a first-of-its-kind greenhouse gas reduction law. Linda served as Chair of the Governor’s Climate Action Team. She is a former member of the Ocean Protection Council and California’s Strategic Growth Council. Linda is the founding President of R20-Regions of Climate Action, the first international consortium of subnational governments seeking to combat climate change.
DIRECTOR - Gino Mazzanti, Attorney at Law, San Diego. Gino Mazzanti is an attorney who earned his law degree from California Western School of Law in 1976. He has been in private practice with the Law Offices of Gino V. Mazzanti in San Diego since 1977. His practice concentrates in the field of business law where he is engaged in forming and advising partnerships, corporations (both for profit and not for profit) and limited liability companies. He also handles business litigation.
DIRECTOR - Brock Rosenthal, President, Ocean Innovations, San Diego. For forty years, Brock Rosenthal has been providing underwater and oceanographic equipment solutions to research, military, and commercial customers. He has served in a number of positions at the local and national level of the Marine Technology Society. Brock has degrees in management from UCSD and UCLA and is a life-long surfer, diver, and ocean swimmer.
DIRECTOR - Alok Singh, Principal Data Scientist, Genentech, San Diego. Alok Singh is a Machine Learning professional with 14 years of industry experience. Alok brings technical expertise and a passion aligned with OpenOceans Global’s vision of a world where humanity is in harmony with the ocean. His innovative journey in Machine Learning and Deep Learning includes pioneering AI-driven solutions at Genentech, crafting intelligent AI Recommender Systems at Amazon, and advising multiple startups on leveraging AI for global impact. Alok’s empathetic approach, passion for utilizing AI to solve real-world problems, and commitment to making a difference resonate deeply with OpenOceans Global’s work to end plastic flow to the ocean.
DIRECTOR - Chris Stern, Corporate Vice President and Managing Director, Trimble Ventures and Partnerships, and Board Member, Trimble Foundation Fund & Trimble Inc., Irvine, CA. Chris Stern is an accomplished technology executive, entrepreneur and investor, with experience leading and developing software and technology businesses focused on addressing global industry and environmental challenges. He currently serves as vice president and managing director for Trimble Ventures, a $200 million venture capital fund, corporate partnerships and is a member of the board of directors for the Trimble Foundation Fund at Trimble Inc., (NASD:TRMB), a Fortune 500 worldwide leader in AEC and industrial technology solutions with over $3.6 billion in annual revenue. Chris joined Trimble through the sale of his company, where he served as founder, Chairman and CEO. He is a licensed professional engineer, holds master's and bachelor's degrees in engineering, and serves on boards at UCLA and Loyola Marymount universities.
GENERAL COUNSEL - Gino Mazzanti, Attorney at Law, San Diego.
FOUNDING DIRECTORS
OOG is grateful for the service of the following founding directors.
PAST DIRECTORS