Marine Debris Foundation

August 27, 2024 - The NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to announce the appointment of four individuals to fill vacancies on the Board of Directors of the Marine Debris Foundation. 

The following four individuals meet the requirements of the law and represent diverse points of view, expertise, education, and experiences relating to the assessment, prevention, reduction, and removal of marine debris:

• Scott A. Cassel: Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Product Stewardship Institute; Board Member, Marine Debris Foundation (2022-2024); 
• Richard A. Formato: Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Klick;
• Sherry M. Lippiatt, Ph.D.: Board Member, Marine Debris Foundation (2022-2024); and
• Miki K. Tomita, Ph.D.: Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Education Incubator; Board Member, Marine Debris Foundation (2022-2024). 

November 2, 2022 - The NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to announce that Dr. Spinrad, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, appointed Melvin Álvarez as a new member of the Marine Debris Foundation Board of Directors, pursuant to 33 U.S.C. 4212(b)(3). 

Melvin is the Grant Program Associate at 11th Hour Racing where he manages the organization’s strategic grantmaking initiatives to advance solutions and practices that protect and restore the health of our ocean. Melvin brings over six years of experience working with diverse communities, nonprofit organizations, and government and intergovernmental organizations, including serving as a Marine Policy Fellow in the office of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. 

Melvin replaces John Foley as a Board Member, and will serve the remainder of the six-year term for which John Foley was originally appointed.

April 6, 2022 - The NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to announce the inaugural Board of Directors of the new Marine Debris Foundation. This distinguished group will help the Foundation to begin operations and start augmenting federal efforts to address marine debris. 

Marine debris is one of the most widespread pollution problems facing our waterways, Great Lakes, and ocean. Huge amounts of plastics, metals, rubber, paper, textiles, derelict fishing gear, derelict vessels, and other lost or discarded items enter the marine environment every day. In order to help solve this problem, the Save Our Seas 2.0 Act of 2020 established the Marine Debris Foundation and directed the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to appoint the Foundation’s inaugural governing Board of Directors (Board). 

The Foundation will also assist State, local, and Tribal governments, foreign governments, organizations, and individuals in mitigating the problem of marine debris and support other Federal actions to reduce marine debris. 

The following individuals have been appointed to serve on the Board of Directors (in alphabetical order):

• Scott A. Cassel, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Product Stewardship Institute
• Katie A. Conlon, Ph.D., National Geographic Explorer
• Julianne J. Curry, Public Affairs Manager, Icicle Seafoods and commercial fisherman
• Ginny L. Eckert, Ph.D., Director, Alaska Sea Grant and Professor, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks
• John P. Foley, Founder and Executive Chairman of Peloton
• Jenna R. Jambeck, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor in Environmental Engineering, University of Georgia
• Sherry M. Lippiatt, Ph.D., Risk and Finance Communications Specialist, Scoot Science
• Nicholas J. Mallos, Senior Director, Trash Free Seas Program, Ocean Conservancy
• Erica L. Nuñez, Program Officer, The Ocean Foundation
• Neil V. Tangri, Ph.D., Science and Policy Director, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives
• Carrie A. Thompson, Senior Foreign Service Officer (ret) and former Acting Assistant Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development
• Miki K. Tomita, Ph.D., Founder and CEO, Education Incubator