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Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

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Ayana Johnson
Born1980 or 1981 (age 43–44)
EducationHarvard University (BA)
University of California, San Diego (MS, PhD)
OrganizationUrban Ocean Lab[2]
Known forMarine biology
Marine conservation
Climate communication
Climate policy
Board member ofPatagonia[3]
Greenwave [4]
AwardsTime100 NEXT 2021 [1]
Scientific career
ThesisFish, Fishing, Diving and the Management of Coral Reefs (2011)
Doctoral advisorJeremy Jackson
WebsiteOfficial website
External videos
video icon How to find joy in climate action, TED2022
A Coral Reef Love Story, TED2019

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (born 1980 or 1981[5]) is a marine biologist, policy expert, and conservation strategist. She is the co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for ocean-climate policy in coastal cities,[2][6] and the Roux Distinguished Scholar at Bowdoin College.[7] She is the author of What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures (2024).

She was an adjunct professor at New York University in the Department of Environmental Studies and previously worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Early life and education

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Johnson grew up in Brooklyn, New York[2] as the daughter of a teacher/farmer and an architect/potter.[8] In high school, she served in the Student Conservation Association, working on the Continental Divide Trail in the San Juan Mountains.[9][10]

Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental science and public policy at Harvard University in 2002, where she was a friend of actress Tatyana Ali.[11] In 2011, Johnson earned a PhD in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.[12] Her PhD research focused on understanding multi-disciplinary sustainable management approaches for coral reef resources, and her dissertation was entitled Fish, Fishing, Diving and the Management of Coral Reefs.[13]

For her research, Johnson was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship, an NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Fellowship, a Switzer Environmental Fellowship, and was a 2010–11 American Association of University Women fellow.[14][15] In 2012, the fish trap she invented to reduce bycatch won the first Rare/National Geographic Solutions Search contest.[16]

Career

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Johnson's research interests focus on urban ocean conservation, sustainable fishing, ocean zoning, climate change, and social justice. Johnson has conducted research on the bycatch impacts in Caribbean coral reef trap fisheries[17] and has also collaborated on research related to international collaboration for reducing the impacts of climate change on small island states.[18]

Prior to graduate school, Johnson worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. After completing her PhD, Johnson worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and then went on to work as the Director of Science and Solutions at the Waitt Foundation in Washington, D.C. to fund ocean conservation projects.[19] In 2013, she became executive director of the Waitt Institute and co-founded the Blue Halo Initiative to partner with governments and local communities in Barbuda, Montserrat, and Curaçao to enact more sustainable plans for ocean use and conservation. With the Blue Halo Initiative, Johnson led the Caribbean's first successful ocean zoning project, providing maps, communications, policy support, and scientific assistance to the island Barbuda as it began to regulate and protect its coastal waters.[15][20][21][22]

Currently, Johnson works as a consultant for ocean conservation and climate policy issues and leads Urban Ocean Lab, an ocean policy think tank that she co-founded with Jean Flemma and Marquise Stillwell.[2] Until 2021 she was the founder and president of Ocean Collectiv,[23] a consulting firm that helped find ocean "conservation solutions grounded in social justice".[23] She is also a former adjunct professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at New York University.[12][15]

Johnson was a national co-director of partnerships for the inaugural March For Science in 2017.[24][15]

In August 2020, Johnson launched the How to Save a Planet podcast[25] with co-creator and co-host Alex Blumberg. In September 2020 One World/Penguin Random House published Johnson's first book All We Can Save, which is an anthology of writing by women climate leaders edited by Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson.[26][27]

In November 2021, Johnson organized a joint statement signed by over 100 notable figures demanding that Edelman end its work with fossil fuel companies, such as Exxon. She also promoted the hashtag #EdelmanDropExxon on social media.[28]

In July 2023, Johnson began a three-year tenure as the Roux Distinguished Scholar at Bowdoin College.[7]

Her book What If We Get It Right? Visions of Climate Futures is forthcoming from OneWorld. It received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, which called it "a much-needed antidote to 'climate grief.'"[29]

Honors and recognition

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In 2014, Johnson was named a Mack Lipkin Man and Nature Series Fellow.[30] She was selected as an inaugural TED resident in Spring 2016 and was a 2016 Aspen Institute Fellow.[15][31] She was named a University of California San Diego "40 Under 40" outstanding alumni.[32] She serves on the board of directors for Patagonia, Greenwave,[8] the Billion Oyster Project and World Surf League's PURE campaign[33][34] as well as on the advisory boards for the Environmental Voter Project,[35] the Simons Foundation's Science Sandbox,[36] Scientific American,[37] and Oceanic Global.[38]

In 2016, Johnson delivered a TED talk in New York City, "How to Use the Ocean Without Using it Up".[39] She delivered a second TED talk in Vancouver, "A Love Story for the Coral Reef Crisis".[40] In 2017, she was a keynote speaker at the Smithsonian Institution "Earth Optimism" conference.[41] She advised and moderated the inaugural World Ocean Festival in 2017.[42] In February 2018, she took part in the YouTube series "Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants".[43] In February 2021, she was named a Time100 Next, nominated by Gina McCarthy.[44]

In June 2022, Johnson was appointed a member of the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken's Foreign Affairs Policy Board.[45]

Media coverage

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Johnson's work has been covered by The New York Times,[46] Nature journal,[47] Scientific American,[48] and The Atlantic.[49] Her conservation and policy work is frequently profiled in popular media, including The Observer,[50] Atlas of the Future,[51] Outside,[52] and Elle, which named her as one of the "27 Women Leading the Charge to Protect Our Environment".[53]

Johnson's writing about the intersections of climate change, ocean conservation, and environmental justice has been published in numerous outlets, including The New York Times,[54] The Washington Post,[55][56] Time,[57] and Scientific American.[58][59] She was interviewed by the NPR podcast, Short Wave, in 2020 following her Washington Post op-ed.[60] Since 2013, she has contributed to the National Geographic Society[61] and HuffPost blogs.[62]

References

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  1. ^ "2021 TIME100 Next: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson". Time. February 17, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d "Urban Ocean Lab". Urban Ocean Lab. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  3. ^ "Yvon Chouinard Donates Patagonia to Fight Climate Crisis". www.patagonia.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  4. ^ "Our Story". GreenWave. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  5. ^ Marchese, David (May 18, 2024). "This Scientist Has an Antidote to Our Climate Delusions". The New York Times. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  6. ^ Gelles, David (November 24, 2023). "A Different Approach to Climate Action What if we actually succeed in addressing the crisis?". The New York Times. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Climate Expert Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Appointed Roux Distinguished Scholar". News. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Bio". Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  9. ^ "Women in Science Spotlight: Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | Connecticut Science Center". Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  10. ^ Krista Tippett (June 9, 2022). "[Unedited] Ayana Elizabeth Johnson with Krista Tippett". The On Being Project (Podcast). Event occurs at 61:45. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  11. ^ "Former Fresh Prince Star Performs | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Hook, Brittany (October 22, 2018). "Around the Pier: Fighting for the Ocean | Scripps Institution of Oceanography". scripps.ucsd.edu. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  13. ^ Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth (2011). Fish, Fishing, Diving and the Management of Coral Reefs (PhD thesis). UC San Diego.
  14. ^ "American Fellows Through History". American Association for University Women. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Ghedin Lab: Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson". New York University. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  16. ^ "WCS's Marine Program Wins Grand Prize for Work in Curacao and Kenya > Newsroom". newsroom.wcs.org. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  17. ^ Johnson AE (2010) Reducing bycatch in coral reef trap fisheries: escape gaps as a step towards sustainability. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 415:201-209. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08762
  18. ^ Hind EJ, Alexander SM, Green SJ, Kritzer JP, Sweet MJ, Johnson AE, Amargós FP, Smith NS and Peterson AM. 2015. Fostering effective international collaboration for marine science in small island states. Frontiers in Marine Science, 2: 86.
  19. ^ "Navigating Ocean Conservation as a Woman of Color". AAUW: Empowering Women Since 1881. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  20. ^ "Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson | Ayana Elizabeth Consulting LLC". Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  21. ^ Waitt Institute (October 9, 2013). "Barbuda Blue Halo - Live Radio Interview (October 2013)". Vimeo. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  22. ^ Koll, Chad (June 5, 2015). "From the Field: Bringing a Blue Halo to Barbuda". Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  23. ^ a b "Ocean Collectiv". web.archive.org. February 11, 2021. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021.
  24. ^ "Ayana Elizabeth Johnson". New York University. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  25. ^ "How to Save A Planet Podcast". February 15, 2021. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020.
  26. ^ Kaplan, Sarah. "They edited a book about the climate crisis. Here's what they learned about hope". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  27. ^ Martinko, Katherine (November 17, 2020). "'All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis' (Book Review)". Treehugger. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  28. ^ Specter, Emma (November 10, 2021). "Designers and Creators Call Out PR Giant Edelman for Its Continued Work With Fossil Fuel Companies". Vogue.
  29. ^ "What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson". Publishers Weekly. July 3, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  30. ^ "2014 Mack Lipkin Man and Nature Series Panel Discussion". Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  31. ^ "Meet our first class of TED Residents". TED Blog. April 25, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  32. ^ "UC San Diego 40 Under 40: All Honorees". www.alumni.ucsd.edu. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  33. ^ "Billion Oyster Project | BOARD". Billion Oyster Project. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  34. ^ "WSL PURE - Our commitment to ocean health". World Surf League. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  35. ^ "Leadership". Environmental Voter Project. September 5, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  36. ^ "Advisory". Simons Foundation. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  37. ^ "Scientific American: Board of Advisers". Pressroom. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  38. ^ "Who We Are". Oceanic Global. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  39. ^ TED Residency (November 21, 2016), Ayana Elizabeth Johnson: How to use the ocean without using it up, retrieved February 22, 2018
  40. ^ Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth (October 18, 2019), A love story for the coral reef crisis, retrieved September 13, 2020
  41. ^ Commons, Smithsonian Conservation. "| Earth Optimism Summit | Smithsonian Conservation Commons". earthoptimism.si.edu. Archived from the original on April 30, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  42. ^ "World Ocean Festival and National Geographic Host Ocean Experts on Governors Island on June 4". Business Wire. May 24, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  43. ^ Exploring By The Seat Of Your Pants (February 21, 2018), Dr. Ayana Johnson | Marine Biologist and Conservation Strategist, retrieved February 23, 2018
  44. ^ "2021 Time100 Next: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson". Time. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  45. ^ "Secretary Blinken Selects Members of the Foreign Affairs Policy Board". United States Department of State. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  46. ^ Revkin, Andrew C. (August 22, 2014). "A Small Island Takes a Big Step on Ocean Conservation". Dot Earth Blog. The New York Times. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  47. ^ "From despair to repair: Empowering communities to restore their oceans: Soapbox Science". Nature. Nature Publishing Group. Archived from the original on February 16, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  48. ^ Mulrennan M, Johnson AE. "7 Award-Winning Apps Launch a Mobile Age for the Ocean Economy". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  49. ^ Narula, Svati Kirsten. "How the Famous Marshmallow Study Explains Environmental Conservation". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  50. ^ "Meet the Brooklyn-Born Marine Biologist Co-Leading the 'March for Science'". Observer. April 21, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  51. ^ Goldapple, Lisa (September 25, 2019). "Fighting for ocean justice: Ayana Elizabeth Johnson". Atlas of the Future. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  52. ^ Granada, Stephanie (August 29, 2017). "Meet the Most Influential Marine Biologist of Our Time". Outside Online. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  53. ^ Hyl, Véronique; Rougeau, Naomi; Vadnal, Julie (June 6, 2019). "These 27 Women Are Leading the Charge to Protect Our Environment". Elle. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  54. ^ Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth (May 27, 2019). "Opinion | The Concrete Jungle Has 578 Miles of Shoreline at Risk (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  55. ^ Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth. "Perspective | I'm a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  56. ^ Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth. "Opinion | Our oceans brim with climate solutions. We need a Blue New Deal". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  57. ^ Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth. "We Can't Solve the Climate Crisis Unless Black Lives Matter". Time. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  58. ^ Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth. "To Save the Climate, Look to the Oceans". Scientific American. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  59. ^ Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth. "5 Things That Went Right for Climate Action in 2019". Scientific American Blog Network. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  60. ^ "The Inseparable Link Between Climate Change And Racial Justice". NPR.org.
  61. ^ "Ayana Elizabeth Johnson – National Geographic Blog". blog.nationalgeographic.org. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  62. ^ "Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson". HuffPost. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
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