Ocean conservation group Oceana has announced new leadership for its international Board of Directors.
Diana Thomson was elected Chair, succeeding actor Sam Waterston. Additionally, Sara Lowell was elected Treasurer, a position previously held by Thomson. Board Members María Eugenia Girón and James (Jim) Sandler were re-elected as Vice Chair and Secretary, respectively. Longtime Board Member Keith Addis remains President of the Board.
Oceana CEO James Simon said:
“Diana, María, Sara and Jim are an excellent representation of our international scope, hailing from Canada, Spain, and the United States, respectively. Their leadership and guidance will be key in helping us continue to win science-based policies that protect and restore the world’s oceans. Thank you, Sam, for your dedication over the last four years as Oceana’s Board Chair. We are grateful for your steadfast leadership, which was instrumental in achieving dozens of victories.”
Thomson is Chair of The Nikita Foundation, a Toronto, Canada-based charity she co-founded in 2012 with her husband Peter Thomson that fights food insecurity and environmental degradation. Throughout the last 10 years, Thomson and the Nikita Foundation have supported Oceana in Canada to strengthen the country’s fisheries policy, create marine protected areas, and reduce the nation’s production of single-use plastics.
Thomson said:
“I am honored to be elected as Chair of Oceana as we tackle the ever-increasing threats to the world’s oceans. I strongly support Oceana’s targeted approach to ocean campaigns that make real change for communities around the world, including protecting habitat, marine life, and the human lives that depend on them.”