Our Sheroes
Beatriz Chachamovits
Beatriz Chachamovits is an environmental artist and educator from São Paulo, Brazil living and working in Miami, Florida
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Artist:
Beatriz Chachamovits is an environmental artist and educator from São Paulo, Brazil living and working in Miami, Florida. Her work renders tangible the decline of the coral reef ecosystems, and the role played by humans in it. Her intention is to share the majestic beauty of at-risk marine ecologies as well as the appalling rate of their destruction. She works with ceramic sculptures and drawings to highlight the unique shape, form and texture that exists in the underwater world. She is the author and illustrator of the book The little handbook of marine fishes and other aquatic marvels published by Companhia das Letrinhas in São Paulo, Brazil in 2018. Chachamovits’ work has recently been featured in Vogue Magazine’s Earth and Us section, Arte Al Dia and in the National Geographic Education platform, part of an AAAS grant to teach fifth graders about women in marine science. She was a grant recipient for the Underwater Museum of Art of Florida where she placed a permanent sculpture in their underwater sculpture garden as an artificial reef, and is currently a resident artist at The Bakehouse Art Complex in Wynwood, Miami.
Ai Futaki
Champion free diver: Tokyo-based Japanese free diver, educational speaker and documentary filmmaker
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Holding a Guinness World Record for the longest distance swam in one breath and having devoted her life to sharing the beauty of being connected to water – Tokyo-based Japanese free diver, educational speaker and documentary filmmaker Ai Futaki is determined to teach two things: the importance of being yourself and how we can live in harmony with nature. She considers herself a “Subaquatic Messenger”, dedicated to sharing her incredible encounters from the sea: “I believe my role is to share the connection from underwater. An image can speak a thousand words. And it doesn’t matter your generation, your sex, your nationality because it’s the universal language.” According to Ai, diving without any equipment is key to understanding the flow and the energy of the animals in the water.
Carlee Monique Jackson
Director of Communications, Minorities in Shark Science. Carlee is a shark and sea turtle scientist with an M.S. in marine biology from Nova Southeastern University.
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She worked with the NSU shark tagging program tagging sharks along the coast of Broward County, and researched the effects of provisioning tourism on nurse sharks in Belize. Her interests lie in how different human activities and urban development affect sharks and their habitats. Carlee was the recipient of the 2022 Justice in Equity, Diversity & Inclusion award by the Florida Marine Science Educators Association. Previously, Carlee has worked as a Research Associate for the New College of Florida, assisting the Disney Conservation team, as a Marine Turtle Specialist at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, and as an environmental educator in south Florida. goes here
Merle Liivand
Swimming champion, ocean advocate: Five-time Guiness World Record Holder for the longest distance swam with a mono fin, Merle Liivand is a Miami-based, national Estonian competitive swimmer, Model, aquapreneur, SWIMERA CEO, Ambassador, Triathlete, International Spokesperson and open water swimmer.
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She is known mostly as a modern day Mermaid and Ice Princess who never stops exploring the water world. A fierce advocate against marine pollution, Merle uses her long-distance, open-water swims as a means to draw attention to this growing environmental issue. When she saw how plastic pollution affects marine life and traps them, she challenged herself to swim the same way: No arms, just one tailfin – simulating marine life, trying to avoid a net or other plastic death sentence.
Elizabeth Wheaton
Environment and Sustainability Director at NEOM; formerly Environment and Sustainability Director, City of Miami Beach:
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Elizabeth is a leader in helping communities plan and implement climate adaptation and mitigation programs. As the former Environment & Sustainability Director for the City of Miami Beach, she spent 13+ years leading the sustainability, environmental resources management and urban forestry divisions. Elizabeth also served as Chief of Staff for Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, where she led the government affairs and marketing and communications teams. Since 2021, Elizabeth worked alongside the other CIP leaders in building sustainability across a portfolio of over $550M of infrastructure programs. Elizabeth graduated from University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science with a Bachelor´s and Master’s in Marine Affairs and Policy and most recently received an Executive MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Nikki Traylor-Knowles
Professor Nikki Traylor-Knowles, Assistant Professor of Marine Biology and Ecology at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Miami.
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Nikki Traylor-Knowles is an Associate Professor in Marine Biology and Ecology at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. She is a cell biologist that studies the evolution of immunity, wound healing, and regeneration. Her lab uses cell biology, genomics, microbiology, and molecular biology techniques to study the cnidarian innate immune system and its interaction with climate change and other human-induced stressors. She is interested in the application of these techniques to conservation efforts through the development of biomarkers. She is the founder of the Cnidarian Immunity Laboratory, a collective of integrative biologists conducting world-class discovery research on the innate immune system in corals, sea anemones, and (the non-cnidarian) ctenophores. The Lab investigates disease processes, environmental stress, symbiosis, wound healing, regeneration, and cellular mechanisms of immunity with the aim of enhancing our understanding of the fundamental processes of biological life in our oceans.
Ana Teresa Fernandez
Artist of fluencies. A student of linguistics, she speaks five languages
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An artist of border erasure, she elevates the intersectionality of place, person, and politics to create a common human vernacular. Time-based actions and social gestures are her syntax. Land, history, gender, climate, and culture are her subjects. Performance, video, photography, painting, and sculpture become her dynamic tools of grammar. Through enacted narratives, she reveals all that too often gets lost in translation, becoming the literal embodiment of the stories that divide but also bind us as human beings sharing a planet of great fragility and beauty. Asked to characterize her work, Fernandez gives it the novel label Magical Non-fiction, explaining: “Where unimaginable conditions are the reality, I seek to portray dreamscapes of what’s possible. The courage to transform is up to us.” Born in Tampico, Mexico, Fernandez grew up in California and makes her home in San Francisco. She has created residencies and public work in Haiti, Brazil, Spain, South Africa, Cuba, Mexico & throughout the United States. Major public projects include On The Horizon, which was featured in the 2021 Lands End exhibition, organized by the FOR-SITE Foundation. In one highly visible work, she erased the border between Tijuana & San Diego by painting a portion sky blue while wearing a tango dress and heels to create an illusion of a hole on the wall from afar.
Lauren Riley
Program Manager, Museum Volunteers for the Environment (MUVE) at Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science.
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After 4 years of working with Frost Science, Lauren is now a full-time artist combining her background in art, ecology, and sustainability to cultivate a socially, environmentally, and economically resilient future.
“Raised in a family of nature enthusiasts, we spent weekends hiking and camping, making sure to leave the trails “better than we found them.” With science-dad and artsy mama, I wound up somewhere in the middle- obsessed with nature and called to art, with an engrained ethos of leaving the world better than I found it.
Early 2024, I left my full-time job. With a lifelong creative practice, an aptitude for science, and a strong background in community-based conservation, I knew it was time to blaze my own trail. Now, I create visual and interactive stories about humanity and the natural world. I hope to foster public understanding and engagement by bringing complex scientific topics to life. Still, my mission is to inform and empower others by making knowledge-sharing and community-building fun and accessible”.
Maggie Winchester
Is a scientist and educator specializing in Fish Physiology and Florida Conservation.
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She currently holds the position as the Florida Conservation Program Manager at Ocean Conservancy. She has a background in marine research and science communication, and earned her Master of Science in marine biology at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her research focused on reducing accidental shark mortality during catch-and-release fishing, and she is an adjunct faculty member for Shoals Marine Laboratory where she teaches an undergraduate course on Shark Biology and Conservation. Prior to her position with Ocean Conservancy, she worked as Program Associate at the International SeaKeepers Society.
Jamora Arroyo-Jefferson
Youth Environmental Advocate, Miami Waterkeeper Junior Ambassador Program
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Jamora Arroyo-Jefferson is currently a freshman attending Bard College pursuing a Biology degree with a concentration in Environmental Studies. She aspires to have a career in Controlled Environment Agriculture as a NASA Space Farmer with the goal of helping to advance space exploration and interstellar colonization. She graduated from the nationally ranked Ransom Everglades School in Miami, Florida, where she was an active student member of the Environmental Sustainability Counsel, the Black Students Association, and serves as the President of the Gender and Sexuality Association. As a multidisciplinary artist with a wide range of creative talents, she loves designing her own clothing and fashion accessories, developing new products as well as producing original multimedia content, which includes several Q&A styled interview series featured on her social media accounts. Additionally, Jamora is a 2023 History Miami Museum “Youth Photography Fellowship” member, and she represents the state of Florida as a 2023 Afterschool Alliance “National Youth Ambassador Program” member and 2023 STEM Next Opportunity Fund’s Million Girls Moonshot Program “National Flight Crew” member.
Artist and Founder/ED of Before it’s Too Late. Linda Cheung is a multidisciplinary artist and environmental nonprofit leader based in Miami.
Linda Cheung
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Linda Cheung is a multidisciplinary artist and environmental nonprofit leader based in Miami. She loves to bring local artists together to collaborate on creating public art projects that share the beauty and importance of our native species and natural world. In 2017, she founded the nonprofit Before It’s Too Late (BITL) to partner with schools and cities around South Florida to create murals and augmented reality experiences that educate and inspire the community to build a more sustainable world together. Linda is a self-taught painter who learned through all the artists she has collaborated with through her work with BITL.
She is currently the Vice President at Green Homes, helping to green single family home renovations across the U.S. with a holistic approach. Linda holds an MBA from MIT in Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Finance, and a BS in Economics with Major in Marketing and a Minor in Anthropology from the Wharton School.
Jennifer Jaquet
Is a Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science at the University of Miami, and affiliated faculty with the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy.
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She is also Associate Research Director of the Climate Social Science Network (CSSN) at Brown University. From 2012–2022, she worked in the Department of Environmental Studies at New York University. She is the author of dozens of refereed research articles as well as two books: Is Shame Necessary? (Pantheon, 2015) and The Playbook: How To Deny Science, Sell Lies, and Make A Killing In The Corporate World (Pantheon, 2022).
Jennifer Jacquet is interested in globalized cooperation dilemmas, such as climate change and the exploitation of wild animals via fishing and the Internet wildlife trade. She is particularly interested in the role of social approval in encouraging cooperation. Dr. Jacquet earned a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Management and Environmental Studies from the University of British Columbia.
Rumya Sundaram
Director of Environmental Science and Operations Manager at Key Biscayne Community Foundation
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With a strong commitment to fisheries management, conservation, and toxicology, Rumya has specialized primarily in aquatic biology for the last ~15 years, including substantial experience in management of marine science initiatives and project administration; considerable experience in various types of field sampling and ecosystem evaluation; understanding of state and federal waterway and wetland regulations; strong research and presentation skills, including a significant involvement in public education and public speaking. She received an MA from University of Miami in Ecosystem, Science & Policy.
Dr. Lisa Beal
Lisa Beal is a Professor of Oceanography in the Ocean Sciences department at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science
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She is an expert on the Agulhas system of currents around South Africa and has brought recognition to the key role this system plays in a warming climate through her publications and international leadership.
Beal designs research programs, leads scientific cruises, and supervises graduate students and postdoctoral scientists in a quest to understand variability and change in the ocean. Beal teaches Physical Oceanography at the graduate level, as well as courses on Observing the Ocean and Climate Change to undergraduates including students in non-science majors.
In addition to her research, Beal works to increase the engagement, recruitment, and retention of women and minorities in oceanography. She has led mentoring groups for MPOWIR.org. She produced the recruitment film Women in Oceanography with videographer Valery Lyman. She funds and co-leads an annual scientific writing workshop with author Dallas Murphy. In 2019 she led a review of the Indian Ocean Observing System, highlighting the importance of partnering with Indian Ocean rim nations in its design and sustainability. She teaches periodically in the Honours program at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. And she currently serves as Editor in Chief of JGR-Oceans where she is proud to have recruited the most diverse editorial board in the journal's history.
When she is not being an oceanographer, mentor, teacher, writer, chief scientist, editor, communicator, or climate-action-advocate, Beal is an open water swimmer and tango dancer and proud member of the LGBTQ community. She loves fresh cocktails, the performing arts, and hanging in the shady wild garden she shares with her neighbours in Miami Beach.
Dr. Karlisa Callwood
Dr. Karlisa Callwood is a marine scientist, science communicator and educator who focuses on interdisciplinary approaches to evaluating fisheries and conservation management
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With 19 years of experience developing and managing science education programming, her work ranges from community engagement and partnership development to leading and implementing DEAI initiatives across several organizations.
She has created and overseen the implementation of a variety of science programs and grant projects at organizations like the Perry Institute for Marine Science, Frost Museum of Science, the Deering Estate at Cutler, Breakthrough Miami, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, and Pacific Science Center. This includes the management of several programs focused specifically on engaging students from underrepresented and underserved communities in the sciences.
Dr. Callwood’s interests include establishing practices to enhance science education in underserved communities; understanding the socio-economic factors that influence fishers’ decisions and prompt behavior changes; enhancing strategies to better bridge the gaps that exist between scientists, policymakers, and the public; and developing tools to facilitate DEAI transformations in organizations.
A native of the US Virgin Islands, Karlisa graduated from the University of Miami with a B.S. in Marine Science and Biology, an M.S. in Marine Affairs and Policy, and a Ph.D. in Ecosystem Science and Policy, with a focus on interdisciplinary studies of fisheries management, conservation and sustainability. Dr. Callwood’s current research focuses on the socio-economic factors and perceptions influencing the dynamics in Bahamian fisheries, particularly spiny lobster and parrotfish, and strategies for influencing social and behavior conservation change related to fisheries.
Anya Freeman
Anya is the founder and CEO of Kind Design, a Miami-based climate technology company that creates 3D-printed living seawalls with environmental benefits over traditional concrete seawalls.
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These living seawalls provide habitat to marine organisms, collect water quality data and sequester carbon.
Anya has always been ambitious– growing up in Ukraine, and moving with her family to Israel, then Maine, and finally South Carolina, she saw her hard-working parents persevere to follow their dreams. Anya went to SMU where she studied in South Africa and China, before settling in Miami to attend law school.
After law school Anya worked for the US Attorney’s Office and clerked at the United States District Court before opening her own law firm, Freeman Law Group, focused on environmental policy and litigation. Inspired by first-hand experience at her flooding house South Beach, and frustrated with lack of innovation around rising sea-levels, Anya took on the challenge of finding technological solutions to this global challenge that both supports the environment and has economies of scale.
That’s when Kind Designs was born!
Environmental Artist. Mitchell's passion for environmental exploration is deeply rooted in her certification as a Master Naturalist from the esteemed University of Florida.
Deborah Mitchell
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Born in 1965 in Toronto, Canada, Deborah Mitchell hails from Scottish immigrant parents. Currently residing and operating in Miami Beach, Florida, she has established her life and artistic practice in the vibrant city. Mitchell's passion for environmental exploration is deeply rooted in her certification as a Master Naturalist from the esteemed University of Florida. This educational background ignites her unquenchable thirst for knowledge and understanding of the natural world. Through immersive fieldwork experiences, Mitchell gathers invaluable observations that serve as the catalyst for her creative process. Transitioning from photography, her primary medium, she skillfully transforms her captured moments into captivating collages, employing elements such as paint, fabric, and installations. The culmination of her experience-based approach breathes life into her evocative artistic creations.
Cyan is the Community Liaison for Ocean Conservancy, and part of the 5th Cohort, U.S. Youth Action Council for UN Ocean Decade.
Cyan Simmons
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She possesses a deep-rooted commitment to fostering positive change within the realms of marine science, sustainability, and community outreach. Cyan is a recent graduate from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School where she received her Masters of Professional Science in Coastal Zone Management with a research focus on the impact of STEM outreach in underrepresented communities, and earned her Bachelors of Science in Biology and Psychology from Tuskegee University. She has over five years’ experience in delivering quality community outreach with the National Park Service and various other non-profit organizations. Cyan has been connecting authentically with communities and creating awareness amongst youth throughout her career. Throughout her professional journey, she has consistently demonstrated her ability to establish genuine connections with diverse communities, particularly those that have historically faced exclusion or inadequate support. In her current role as the South Florida Port Community Liaison at Ocean Conservancy, Cyan works with historically excluded communities to mobilize regional wisdom, and leverage sustainable partnerships to steward local livelihoods. Driven by her unwavering passion for marine science, sustainability, and outreach, Cyan focuses her work and energy on advocating for positive change for our ocean and empowering local communities and safeguarding their livelihoods.
Interdisciplinary environmental scientist: Dr. Rahimi is a Miami-based award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and National Geographic Explorer.
Dr. Shireen Rahimi
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Dr. Rahimi is a Miami-based award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and National Geographic Explorer. She is the founder of Lightpalace, a visual media production company which focuses on telling stories about rapidly changing human relationships to the natural world. As a marine anthropologist, Shireen studies how people make sense of, interact with, and adapt to changing oceans. She has documented the lives of those living on the frontlines of environmental disturbance, and in the process, she has become a proficient freediving photographer and videographer. She has been featured as a contributor on National Geographic Sharkfest, was named Nautica’s newest ocean conservation Wavemaker, and has had her work featured in National Geographic, Sierra Magazine, The Nature Conservancy, PBS, and film festivals around the word.