{"id":5697,"date":"2018-01-26T10:24:24","date_gmt":"2018-01-26T15:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/future-of-the-ocean-symposium-and-champion-of-the-ocean-awards\/"},"modified":"2025-11-25T08:10:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T13:10:36","slug":"symposium-and-awards","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/symposium-and-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Future of the Ocean Symposium and Champion of the Ocean Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2018\/01\/sympos.png\" alt=\"symposium\" style=\"width:300px\" title=\"symposium\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Each year, the Urban Coast Institute hosts a Future of the Ocean Symposium and Champion of the Ocean Awards reception at Monmouth University. The Champion of the Ocean Award was established in 2005 to honor individuals who have undertaken actions and demonstrated sustained leadership that ensures coasts and oceans are clean, safe, sustainably managed, and preserved for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Previous Champion of the Ocean honorees include ocean explorer Robert Ballard, marine biologist and explorer Sylvia Earle, ocean scientist and advocate Jean-Michael Cousteau, and former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta. See below for full list of honorees.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"past-event-pages\">Past Event Pages<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list is-style-three-column\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/symposium-and-awards\/2025-ocean-champions\/\">2025<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/2024\/03\/25\/uci-recognizes-four-with-state-coastal-and-ocean-leadership-awards\/\">2024<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/symposium-and-awards\/the-16th-annual-future-of-the-ocean-symposium-and-champion-of-the-ocean-awards-reception\/\">2023<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/2019-future-of-the-ocean-symposium-and-champion-of-the-ocean-awards\/\">2019<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/symposium-and-awards\/2018-state-and-ocean-champion-awards\/\">2018<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a title=\"2017\" href=\"\/uci\/symposium-and-awards\/ocean-champions2017\/\">2017<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a title=\"2016&nbsp;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/symposium-and-awards\/symposium2016\/\">2016<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a title=\"2015\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/symposium-and-awards\/symposium2015\/\">2015<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a title=\"2014\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/symposium-and-awards\/symposium2014\/\">2014<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"alltime-honorees\">All-Time Honorees<\/h1>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"national-champions-of-the-ocean\">National Champions of the Ocean<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>2025: <strong>Larry Mayer, Ph.D.<\/strong>, director of the University of New Hampshire Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping and chair of U.S. Arctic Research Commission; Congressman <strong>Frank Pallone<\/strong>; <strong>Victor Vescovo<\/strong>, CDR, USN (Ret.), ocean explorer and CEO of Caladan Oceanic<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2023: <strong>Margaret Leinen, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Scripps Institution of Oceanography director; <strong>Richard Spinrad, Ph.D.<\/strong>, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administrator<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-medium is-style-left-bracket\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" style=\"object-position: 47.961666666667% 27.173333333333%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2018\/10\/honorees-small-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Gov. Florio, Tony MacDonald, and Gov. Kean\" class=\"wp-image-10922\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2018\/10\/honorees-small-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2018\/10\/honorees-small-280x187.jpg 280w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2018\/10\/honorees-small-320x214.jpg 320w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2018\/10\/honorees-small-360x240.jpg 360w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2018\/10\/honorees-small.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Former N.J. Govs. Florio and Kean, 2018<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>2019: Rear Admiral <strong>Timothy Gallaudet<\/strong>, NOAA deputy administrator<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2018: <strong>Marcia McNutt, Ph.D.<\/strong>, National Academy of Sciences president; former New Jersey Governors <strong>Thomas Kean<\/strong> and <strong>James Florio<\/strong>, honorary co-chairs of the New Jersey Climate Adaptation Alliance<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2017: <strong>Barry Gold<\/strong>, Walton Family Foundation environmental program director; <strong>Biliana Cicin-Sain, Ph.D.<\/strong>, director, Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy at the University of Delaware<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2016: <strong>Robert Ballard, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Ocean Exploration Trust president; <strong>Christine Todd Whitman<\/strong>, former New Jersey governor and EPA administrator<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2015: <strong>Sylvia Earle, Ph.D.<\/strong>, National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence; <strong>Terry Garcia<\/strong>, National Geographic Society chief science and exploration officer<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2014: <strong>Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D.<\/strong>, NOAA administrator; <strong>Wendy Schmidt<\/strong>, Schmidt Family Foundation president and co-founder of Schmidt Ocean Institute<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2013: Admiral <strong>Thad Allen<\/strong>, USCG (ret.), Booz Allen Hamilton executive vice president<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2012: <strong>Jesse H. Ausubel<\/strong>, director of the Program for the Human Environment at the Rockefeller University and vice president for programs of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-medium is-style-left-bracket\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" style=\"object-position: 38.035185185185% 73.309259259259%\" src=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2025\/08\/FutureOfOceanSymposium_20111021_JR_383-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"Jean-Michel Cousteau\" class=\"wp-image-28297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2025\/08\/FutureOfOceanSymposium_20111021_JR_383-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2025\/08\/FutureOfOceanSymposium_20111021_JR_383-1024x680.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2025\/08\/FutureOfOceanSymposium_20111021_JR_383-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2025\/08\/FutureOfOceanSymposium_20111021_JR_383-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/58\/2025\/08\/FutureOfOceanSymposium_20111021_JR_383.jpg 1286w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Jean-Michel Cousteau, 2011<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>2011: <strong>Jean-Michel Cousteau<\/strong>, Ocean Futures Society president<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2010: <strong>Carl Safina, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Blue Ocean Institute president and co-founder<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2009: <strong>Lillian C. Borrone<\/strong>, member of&nbsp; U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and Joint Ocean Commission Initiative and former port director, Port Authority of NY\/NJ<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2008: Congressman <strong>James Saxton<\/strong> (New Jersey D-3); <strong>Shirley A. Pomponi, Ph.D.<\/strong>, executive director, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2007: <strong>Jerry Schubel, Ph.D.<\/strong>, president and CEO of the Aquarium of the Pacific; <strong>Ted Ames<\/strong>, director of the Lobster Hatchery in Stonington, Maine<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2006: <strong>Robert Gagosian, Ph.D.<\/strong>, past president and director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2005: <strong>Leon Panetta<\/strong>, Pew Ocean Commission chair; Admiral <strong>James Watkins<\/strong>, U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy chair<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"regional-champions-of-the-ocean\">Regional Champions of the Ocean<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>2019: <strong>Bradley Campbell<\/strong>, Conservation Law Foundation president<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2016: <strong>Donald Boesch, Ph.D.<\/strong>, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science president<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2015: <strong>Richard B. Robins<\/strong>, Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council chair; <strong>Ernie Panacek<\/strong>, Garden State Seafood Association president; <strong>Jay Odell<\/strong>, Mid-Atlantic marine program director, The Nature Conservancy<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"state-coastal-and-ocean-leadership\">State, Coastal and Ocean Leadership<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>2024: <strong>Genevieve Clifton<\/strong>, New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) Office of Maritime Resources manager; <strong>Scott Douglas<\/strong>, NJDOT dredging program manager; <strong>Dave Golden<\/strong>, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) assistant commissioner; <strong>Virginia Rettig<\/strong>, Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge manager<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2023: <strong>Tim Dillingham<\/strong>, American Littoral Society executive director; New Jersey State Sen. <strong>Bob Smith<\/strong> (D-17)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2019: <strong>Scott Glenn, Ph.D.<\/strong>, Rutgers University Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences distinguished professor<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2018: <strong>David Kinsey<\/strong>, <strong>Mark Mauriello<\/strong>, <strong>Norbert Psuty<\/strong>, and <strong>John Weingart<\/strong>, for their contributions to the creation and success of New Jersey\u2019s Coastal Management Program<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2016: <strong>David Rosenblatt<\/strong>, NJDEP assistant commissioner of engineering and construction; <strong>Elizabeth Semple<\/strong>, NJDEP Office of Coastal and Land Use Planning assistant director<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2012: <strong>Lawrence R. Dickerson<\/strong>, Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc., president and CEO; <strong>Cristopher Koch<\/strong>, World Shipping Council president and CEO; Rear Admiral <strong>Richard M. Larrabee<\/strong>, USCG (ret.), Port Authority of NY\/NJ port commerce director<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2011: <strong>Kenneth E. Pringle, Esq.<\/strong>, founding member Pringle Quinn Anzano, and former mayor of Belmar<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2010: New Jersey State Sen. <strong>Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr.<\/strong> (D-13); <strong>John Wnek<\/strong>, Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science vice principal; <strong>Steve Zeck<\/strong>, volunteer for Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, Rutgers Marine Field Station<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2009: <strong>Claire Antonucci<\/strong>, New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium\/New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium vice president for education and acting president; <strong>Barbara Boyd<\/strong>, Marine Academy of Science and Technology teacher of oceanography; <strong>Rosemary Brewer<\/strong>, volunteer committed to enhancing life in coastal communities<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2008: <strong>J. Fred Grassle, Ph.D.<\/strong>, founding director, Rutgers University Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences; <strong>Margo Pellegrino<\/strong>, citizen ocean activist<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2007: <strong>Robert B. Abel, Ph.D.<\/strong>, former director of the National Sea Grant, president of the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium and senior scientist at the Stevens Institute of Technology (posthumously); <strong>Thomas Gagliano<\/strong>, Jersey Shore Partnership chairman<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2006: <strong>William Rosenblatt, Ed.D.<\/strong>, former mayor of Loch Arbor and Surfrider Foundation Chair; <strong>Tom Fote<\/strong>, Jersey Coast Anglers Association chairman<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Future of the Ocean Symposium &amp; Champions of the Ocean Awards                             <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":6,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_mu_eop_enabled":false,"_mu_eop_name":"","_mu_eop_name_override":false,"_mu_eop_description":"","_mu_eop_description_override":false,"_mu_eop_url":"","_mu_eop_url_override":false,"_mu_eop_program_type":"","_mu_eop_educational_credential":"","_mu_eop_time_to_complete":"","_mu_eop_number_of_credits":"","_mu_eop_occupational_category":"","_mu_eop_occupational_category_code":"","_mu_eop_program_prerequisites":"","_mu_eop_application_deadline":"","_mu_eop_application_start_date":"","_mu_eop_start_date":"","_mu_eop_end_date":"","_mu_eop_day_of_week":"","_mu_eop_time_of_day":"","_mu_eop_educational_program_mode":"","_mu_eop_financial_aid_eligible":"","_mu_eop_maximum_enrollment":"","_mu_eop_offers_price":"","_mu_eop_offers_currency":"USD","_mu_eop_offers_price_per":"","_mu_eop_offers_preset":"","_mu_eop_salary_upon_completion":"","_mu_eop_training_salary":"","_mu_eop_recognized_by_name":"","_mu_eop_recognized_by_url":"","_mu_eop_concentrations":"","_mu_eop_identifier_cip":"","_mu_eop_provider_name":"","_mu_eop_provider_name_override":false,"_mu_eop_provider_url":"","_mu_eop_provider_address":"","_mu_eop_provider_city":"","_mu_eop_provider_state":"","_mu_eop_provider_zip":"","_mu_eop_provider_country":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5697","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-10 16:51:02","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5697"}],"version-history":[{"count":77,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28715,"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5697\/revisions\/28715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.monmouth.edu\/uci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}