National Geographic Society Explorer in Residence Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, called Her Deepness by the New Yorker and the New York Times, Living Legend by the Library of Congress, and first Hero for the Planet by Time Magazine, is an oceanographer, explorer, author and lecturer with experience as a field research scientist, government official, and director for corporate and non-profit organizations including the Kerr McGee Corporation, Dresser Industries, Oryx Energy, the Aspen Institute, the Conservation Fund, American Rivers, Mote Marine Laboratory, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Rutgers Institute for Marine Science, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and Ocean Futures.

Formerly Chief Scientist of NOAA, Dr. Earle is the Founder of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research, Inc. (DOER), Founder of the Sylvia Earle Alliance (S.E.A.) / Mission Blue, Chair of the Advisory Council of the Harte Research Institute, inspiration for the ocean in Google Earth, leader of the NGS Sustainable Seas Expeditions, and the subject of the 2014 Netflix film, Mission Blue. She has a B.S. degree from Florida State University, M.S. and PhD. from Duke University, 27 honorary degrees and has authored more than 200 scientific, technical and popular publications including 13 books (most recently Blue Hope in 2014), lectured in more than 90 countries, and appeared in hundreds of radio and television productions.

She has led more than 100 expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater including leading the first team of women aquanauts during the Tektite Project in 1970, participating in ten saturation dives, most recently in July 2012, and setting a record for solo diving in 1,000 meters depth. Her research concerns marine ecosystems with special reference to exploration, conservation and the development and use of new technologies for access and effective operations in the deep sea and other remote environments.

Her special focus is on developing a global network of areas in the Ocean, “Hope Spots,” to safeguard the living systems that provide the underpinnings of global processes, from maintaining biodiversity and yielding basic life support services to providing stability and resiliency in response to accelerating climate change.

Her more than 100 national and international honors include the 2013 National Geographic Hubbard Medal, 2011 Royal Geographical Society Patron’s Medal, 2011 Medal of Honor from the Dominican Republic, 2009 TED Prize, Netherlands Order of the Golden Ark, Australia’s International Banksia Award, Italy’s Artiglio Award, the International Seakeepers Award, the International Women’s Forum, the National Women’s Hall of Fame, UNEP 2014 Champion of the Earth, 2014 Glamour Woman of the Year, Academy of Achievement, Los Angeles Times Woman of the Year, UN Global 500, and medals from the Explorers Club, the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, Lindbergh Foundation, National Wildlife Federation, Sigma Xi, Barnard College, and the Society of Women Geographers.

Award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and explorer Kip Evans has led or participated in more than sixty expeditions throughout the world, including recent assignments in Antarctica, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, and the Galapagos Islands. In 2008 Kip joined Mission Blue as the Director of Photography and Expeditions, documenting “hope spots,” critical areas around the world’s ocean that need protection.

As a photographer, he has worked on dozens of National Geographic Society projects since 1998, including the five-year Sustainable Seas project where he spent over 300 hours diving submersibles at depths down to 1,800 feet. Kip’s images have been featured in hundreds of books, exhibits, travel guides, advertisements, and magazines worldwide including, Alert Diver, Huffington Post, National Geographic Magazine, Patagonia, Outside, Rolex and Coastal Living to name a few. He has been a photo expert with National Geographic’s expeditions program since 2006.

As a cinematographer, Kip’s films have been featured at film festivals around the world and he has shot for several natural history networks including National Geographic, PBS and Discovery Channel. His Mission Blue documentary, “Isla Holbox – Whale Shark Island,” won best non-broadcast documentary at the 2010 BLUE Film Festival.

In addition to his photography experience, Kip has worked as a naturalist and an educator for the National Marine Sanctuary Program. As a diver and submersible pilot, Kip holds a number of certifications including PADI Scuba Instructor, Diver Medical Technician (DMT,) and Scientific Research Diver. Kip has also logged nearly 4000 hours underwater, mostly during research and photographic expeditions, including a 17 - day assignment where he saturated at the Aquarius Habitat as part of Mission 31. From 1996 – 2008, he served as a volunteer rescue swimmer and diver with the Pacific Grove Ocean Rescue Team. In 2002 he received a commendation for saving the life of a young teen that had been swept out to sea.

Kip was recently honored as the 2017 Ocean Champion by the San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival for his work in ocean conservation.

Kip graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1990, with a degree in Environmental/Marine Studies.

Brett directs Mission Blue's communications program as well as shoots video for the expeditions program. As the son of an original national organizer for Earth Day, Brett grew up in a family dedicated to preserving the integrity of our environment. Brett graduated from Tufts with a degree in International Relations and has focused his career on producing communications strategy, content marketing and video production for organizations that better our planet. Having signed on over 200 Mission Blue partners since 2012, Brett continues to grow the network. Brett plays professional jazz piano and enjoys hiking and sailing in the Bay area.

Susan Racanelli Susan joined the Mission Blue team in early 2019 and brings her development expertise and enthusiasm for global conservation to the organization. She holds a BA in French Language and Literature from San Jose State University and attended the Leavy School of Business at Santa Clara University. In addition, she is a graduate of the Protocol School of Washington, certified to consult in international protocol and etiquette. She has led marketing for high tech, luxury hotels and real estate firms throughout her career. In 2004, Susan found her passion advocating and fundraising for endangered species and environmental causes working with an island conservancy. Her work has taken her all over the world – often with groups of donors – to help indigenous people preserve and restore their historic cultures and precious habitats. On a trip to Fiji in 2015, Susan finally became dive certified. There her love for the ocean and its magical world was fully ignited, much to the delight of her husband, a master diver. Susan enjoys skiing, snorkeling, diving, and cooking exotic cuisines, inspired by her travels, for friends and family. She and her husband live in Baltimore, MD. She also takes pleasure in planning trips to meet up with their son, who currently resides in Tunis, Tunisia.

As Communications Strategist, Avrah works to produce press releases announcing Hope Spot launches, creates Mission Blue's monthly newsletters and has aggregated content for Google Earth. Avrah earned a degree in Journalism from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where she spent much of her time exploring and reporting on the tide pools and rolling dunes of Montaña de Oro State Park, Morro Bay and Cambria. Avrah spends her free time hiking, reading and documenting the wonders of California through photography and watercolor. 

Charlotte’s fascination with sea life began when she was in elementary school. She loved to sneak down to a quarry and lake near her home to collect what she learned were fossils. These giant white chalky versions were really big. This was her personal introduction to the history of the ocean and modern crustaceans — the brachiopods, clams, snails, and related organisms we know today. 

Her professional life was transformed by working in Washington, D.C. in the Ford Administration with US territories – all of which were islands. There she began a 40-year interest in the UN Convention on Law of the Sea that led to a long string of projects relating to the economic, social, legal, oceanographic and technological aspect of oceans and islands. She worked in many locations in the Pacific region and other regions and continues to be interested in issues of effective management, oceanographic exploration, mapping and research. She believes emerging technologies and approaches needed in the 21st Century coupled with dispelling ignorance can reverse the tide for our oceans. 

Joining Dr. Sylvia Earle and others in 2008, she seeks to facilitate, collaborate, support and fund ocean exploration, education, mapping, policy advocacy and whatever moves positive action on ocean health, restoration and policy. She has worked with Dr. Earle in many capacities and is currently the Mission Blue Director of Engagement working with staff, partners and her personal network of friends to protect and restore the “Blue.” 

With a Master of Arts in environmental studies from Brown University, Courtney has a deep understanding of marine conservation science and policy—particularly regarding coral reef ecosystems—and believes in finding creative ways to bring ocean issues above the surface to inspire conservation. Courtney joined the Mission Blue family in 2012 and today consults on special projects for the organization.

Courtney is also an internationally recognized environmental artist and her large-scale ceramic sculptural works have been exhibited at notable science and art venues, including the Washington, D.C. headquarters of NOAA and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center in South Florida and the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, in an effort to unite art and science to promote awareness for the protection of coral reefs and Mission Blue Hope Spots.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Courtney grew up exploring the ocean and became an avid scuba diver at age 18. In 2008 she completed an interdisciplinary BA in sculpture and marine ecology at Skidmore College with coursework at James Cook University in Australia, where she studied coral reef ecology and fell in love with the Great Barrier Reef. She then spent a year as a fellow at the Harvard Ceramics Program before graduate school. She lives and works in Los Angeles. www.courtneymattison.com