Deborah Brosnan

president, Sustainable Ecosystems Institute

Founder of SEI, Dr. Deborah Brosnan is passionate about science and the oceans. She is a scientist on the front lines, as a strong advocate for the use of science in ecological decisions, and as a catalyst for scientists to participate in the global forum. She created SEI as the conduit for scientists to outreach to all stakeholders and to help find science-based solutions to ecological problems. She believes strongly that scientists must fulfill a new social contract , and assume a greater leadership role in conservation and natural resource issues. Born in Ireland, she grew up on the shores of the wild Atlantic coast. Always a trailblazer, as a young undergraduate she became the first woman ever to qualify as a scuba diver at the University. She graduated with an honors degree from the National University of Galway Ireland, and went on to her PhD with Jane Lubchenco and Bruce Menge at OSU. She holds professorships at Lewis and Clark College and Portland State, a visiting scholar at Stanford University and a Whitely fellow. The author of scientific and popular articles, she is known for her work on the ecology and conservation of marine life. She is actively sought out for membership of organizational boards, including U.C. Davis SeaDoc, PADI ProjectAWARE OSU, College of Forestry, co-chairs the National Science and Policy Forum, and the Santa Barbara Group.