Carl Gouldman took the helm as Director of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS®) Program in February 2017. Prior to becoming the director, Carl served as the Deputy Director of the program since June 2014. NOAA is the lead federal agency for implementing the U.S IOOS as called for in the Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009. U.S. IOOS is a coordinated network of people and technology that work together to generate and disseminate continuous data on our coastal waters, Great Lakes, and oceans. Carl joined NOAA as a program coordinator at the Coastal Services Center in 2000 and then spent a year at NOS headquarters staffing the NOAA Ocean Council during the 2003-2004 NOAA review of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy Report. He joined the IOOS program full time in 2004 as the first IOOS permanent employee. He has been a member of the IOOS leadership team since then and served as a Steering Team member for the U.S. IOOS Summit in 2012 and as Acting Deputy Director for the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) for 4 months in 2013. Prior to NOAA, Carl worked in the coastal recreation sector teaching sailing, kayaking and windsurfing before spending 3 years working his way to become an education Senior Manager at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, where he led field programs teaching students about bay ecology and conservation. He holds a B.S. in political science from Duke University and a Masters (MEM) in Coastal Environmental Management from the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke. Carl lives in Bethesda with his wife, has two children, and enjoys spending as much free time outdoors as possible. He is a lifelong recreational boater, fisherman, surfer, hunter, and claims to have learned to read a "tide chart" by the age of 10 to plan fishing and crabbing trips in the outer banks of North Carolina. Carl grew up in Virginia and has called the following states as ‘home’ at some point during his journey to NOAA: Virginia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Maryland, South Carolina, Hawaii, and Colorado.

Janelle is a highly skilled educator, coach, and DEI advocate with expertise in workforce development across various industries. Her background includes extensive experience in university career advising, careers in the construction industry, and talent development in the blue economy. As a strengths-based International Coaching Federation (ICF) PCC certified coach, Janelle believes in prioritizing relationship building and team cohesion as the foundation of all successful partnerships. She is passionate about utilizing strategy to align talent with company mission, values, and strategic planning initiatives, ensuring an exceptional experience for candidates. Janelle's expertise extends to change management consulting, as a PROSCI certified consultant who prioritizes a growth mindset when implementing and customizing new talent frameworks. Her Certified Scrum Master (CSM) and Project Management Professional (PMP) designations enable her to expertly orchestrate individual and cross-functional facets of workplace project management from implementation to deliverables, with metrics at the core of planning and execution. Additionally, her PGCE (Oxford Brookes) and M. Ed (St. Petersburg) provide her with a solid foundation for creating engaging learning tools and platforms for learners of all ages. Janelle's passion for purpose-based career alignment stems from the career philosophy of "ikigai" (from the Japanese "reason for being"). Her curiosity surrounding what makes people feel fulfilled and engaged has led her to various positions, including a Research Chair position in Goalsetting and Motivation Theory at Crofton House school, where she studied the impacts of community support in achieving career aspirations for young females. As a Career Education Department Head and Work Placement Facilitator, Janelle successfully launched over 200 students into the broader community to foster experiential learning opportunities, offering students the opportunity to test drive a career.  During her time at Sauder School of Business at the Business Career Centre, Janelle designed strategic plans to align career coaching and advising practice across a team of 40+ career coaches, optimizing career pathways for University of British Columbia students to apply their skills from MBA, PMBA, Specialty Masters, B+MM, and BComm programming. At Broadway Subway Project with the Ministry of Transportation, Janelle was instrumental in the design and implementation of a Learning Hub to highlight key STEM principles and career opportunities in the construction industry, paving the way for K-12 talent in BC. Janelle's diverse experience positions her well as a voice in blue economy workplace development, ranging from youth through adult career placement. At Canada's Ocean Supercluster, Janelle is tasked with developing the Talent Pillar strategy and associated initiatives. She is excited to see the immense opportunity for cross-collaboration and building upon existing programming from a pan-Canadian perspective to create a robust, inclusive, and diverse talent pipeline.

Beverley brings with her a strong and proven record of leadership and experience. She has partnered with outstanding local, regional,national, and international organizations in a variety of industries throughout her career. Her unique background in strategy, finance, operations, business development, and human resources coupled with her warmth, authenticity and enthusiasm create great leadership opportunities for talented individuals and winning strategies for her clients. Her motto is “Let’s get it done but let’s have some fun while we are doing it!” Bev has a decade of experience in executive search and talent solutions and has held various executive and Board roles with public companies and private organizations while working in Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador as well as Massachusetts, Germany and England. Her experience within these organizations allow her to bring a broader business lens to her clients and ensure the best talent solutions are brought forward to optimize their future strategy and operations. Beverley earned the prestigious FCPA designation, awarded to Chartered Professional Accountants who, through their outstanding achievements, including community leadership, bring distinction to the accounting profession and serve as a role model to others. Beverley has served on public, private and NFP Boards throughout her career and served as a Board Member and Audit & Finance Committee Chair, HR, Governance and Compensation Committee Director and Special Independent Committee Director with a TSX listed Mining Company and as Board Member and HR Committee Chair for the 2025 Canada Summer Games Board.  As well, Beverley is a Board Member and Audit Committee Director for the Ocean Supercluster Board and an appointed Audit Committee Member for the Government of NL House of Assembly. She has concluded a four-year Board term with the Janeway Children’s’ Health Foundation Board and also held the position of Chair of the Audit & Finance Committee during that time and was an elected Board Member and HR Committee Director for EnergyNL for a two year term.  Beverley has been invited to speak to numerous organizations on a variety of topics including  Women in Leadership, The Board’s Role In Risk Assessment Strategy and Performance Management, Building Confidence, The Trusted Business Advisor Role, and Building a Resilient Team.  Beverley is a member of the Women Presidents Organization and the International Women’s Federation. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors, Cooperative) from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador and holds her ICD.D designation through the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management.

Mo AlGermozi is the Chief Executive Officer of Graphite Innovation & Technologies. GIT is a leading Canadian materials engineering firm focused on developing green and sustainable solutions for the global shipping industry. Mo has successfully championed innovative operational concepts and solutions. In addition to being the co-founder and CEO of Graphite Innovation & Technologies, Mo has co-invented four different inventions in the coatings field, with patents filed worldwide. These innovations are mainly focused on reducing the fuel consumption of large ships and eliminating toxic materials used in marine coatings. Mo also sits on various boards such as the board of advisors for Dalhousie University's Emera Idea Hub, and other startup bboards to support young entrepreneurs.

Tara joined the Quebec-based SOI (Students on Ice) Foundation in 2016 as the Program Team Lead for the Canada C3 expedition, a 150-day journey on an ice-breaker that travelled the length of Canada’s coastline from the Great Lakes to Victoria via the Northwest Passage exploring Canada's peoples and coastline. Inspired by the journey’s legacy, she spearheaded and now manages Blue Futures Pathways, a program to engage diverse youth and young people in Canada’s emerging Sustainable Blue Economy. As SOI's Director of Programs, she also oversees the Alumni Program. Tara has a background in education, capacity development and international humanitarian aid, and a BA Honours from the University of Leeds, UK.

As a proud Atlantic Canadian and partner of LeeWay Marine, Donald Grant is no stranger to the Atlantic Ocean and ocean-related technology. In early 2020, he took the helm of the Ocean Startup Project to steer various activities designed to grow the quantity and quality of startups contributing to Canada’s ocean economy, beginning with Atlantic Canada. For the Ocean Startup Project, Donald has drawn on his in-depth expertise in business development and law, his collaborative approaches and interpersonal skills, and his experience co-founding a startup, working at a multinational company and managing complex government projects. After completing his articling at BoyneClarke LLP and upon being admitted to the Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society and the Canadian Bar Association, he worked at Boyne Clarke. Donald went on to serve as a Solicitor for Nova Scotia Power, a Lawyer, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Executive Director for the Government of Nova Scotia, and Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs at LeeWay Marine. Outside of his work life, Donald keeps active by playing sports with his family and by serving as a board member and volunteer for not-for-profit organizations.

Emilie de Rosenroll is Group CEO of South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP), Greater Victoria’s economic development agency. SIPP’s branches include the Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST), the Indigenous Prosperity Centre (IPC) and the Rising Economy Colab. With 15+ years of experience in leadership positions, Emilie was the founding CEO of SIPP in 2016. She is tri-lingual and has worked in different sectors in cities in Canada, U.S., France and Mexico. Emilie is passionate about creating a resilient, innovative, sustainable and equitable — or RISE — economy. She is a director on the boards of InnovateBC (Crown Corp), the Victoria Hospital Foundation and COAST. Emilie has received many awards, including the Business in Vancouver Forty Under 40 Award (2020) and Victoria Community Leadership’s Award for Belonging & Engagement (2022). She was also a Woman of Influence Western finalist for the 2022 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards.

Trained as an Economist, Amelie enjoys destroying old decaying structures (while respecting all things vintage) and she always finds opportunities to perform what she calls ‘creative contamination’. Amelie scaled an AI-related tech Startup, SOCAMI, for 8+ years. The startup was a subsidiary of Google and was sold to the Government of Quebec in 2012. Geeky and macro-minded, her fascination for building dynamic innovation ecosystems brought her to San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal and now Rimouski, a costal mid-size city which is renowned for its worldwide expertise in ocean-related science and technology. Amelie holds a BA in Applied Economics from HEC Montreal and a Masters in International Economics from University of Montreal. She worked as a diplomat for Canada’s Global Affairs and the UK’s Foreign & Commonwealth Office where she led climate-related government relations and designed digital diplomacy campaigns around Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Climate. She is leading NOVARIUM, an innovation campus dedicated to the Blue Economy in Quebec and its marine accelerator, FLOTS. Amelie co-founded several social initiatives such as Hub de l’Est, Focus Hub and Petit Métis.

James Kesten, P.Eng., is COVE's Director of Strategic Partnerships. James works directly with COVE tenants, partners, and stakeholders to create, adopt, and implement initiatives and programs that will remove barriers for the commercialization of new products and services. In his role, James enhances COVE’s business network and enables a robust blue economy. He has experience in marine technology innovation, offshore inspections, subsea deployment of technology, strategic planning for international markets, business development, and project management. James has worked around the world in nearly every offshore market and in an onshore capacity in international business development. James is a professional engineer with a degree from Dalhousie University and a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University with a focus on Data Analytics, Project Management and New Ventures.

Rory Francis is a native of Prince Edward Island. He earned a BSc in geology and chemistry from Mount Allison University and an MSc in hydrogeology from the University of Waterloo. Since 2004 he has been CEO of the Prince Edward Island BioAlliance, a not-for-profit partnership of bioscience businesses, academic and research organizations, and government agencies that includes 60 companies earning over $600 million in annual sales, making the bio sector the second largest industry in the Province. He is a founder of the Emergence Bioscience Business Incubator, Natural Products Canada, a national natural products ecosystem and business accelerator, and CASTL, the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences. From 1991 to 2003 Mr. Francis held Deputy Minister positions in several provincial government departments, including Environment; Agriculture and Forestry; Fisheries and Aquaculture; and Health and Social Services. Mr. Francis has served as a Board member with the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce, the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, and is President of the Eastern Canada Oilseeds Development Alliance. He is a Board Member with Canada’s Ocean SuperCluster, chairs the Advisory Board for the Culinary Institute of Canada’s Technology Access Centre and is a member of the National Research Council’s Advisory Board for their Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Program. He is Finance Warden of St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral in Charlottetown. He is married to Ann Francis and father of three grown children.

Jason Goldsworthy, P.Eng. is the Executive Director for the Centre for Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST). With over 20 years of international experience in managing engineering businesses and projects, Jason brings leadership, technical and commercial aptitude to the team.  His experience spans multiple industries including renewable energy, urban development, environmental consulting, mining, and commercial and infrastructure construction. He has worked with large multinational corporations as well as being involved in several startups.  He has acted on several corporate boards in both Canada and Australia. Jason holds a PHD in Engineering from the University of Adelaide, Australia, and is a member of the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia.

Shafiq Manji is the Director of Intellectual Property and Data Management with Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC). He has over 20 years of experience in the field of intellectual property (IP), specializing in patents. Shafiq spent the early part of his career training as a Patent Agent at some of Canada’s leading boutique IP firms where he focused on drafting, filing and prosecuting patent applications for some of Canada’s leading technology firms. Prior to joining the OSC, Shafiq was responsible for overall execution of the corporate IP Strategy as well as managing the patent portfolio for Canada’s leading telecommunications company. Having spent some time as a management consultant at one of the world’s leading IP consulting firms, Shafiq has also gained experience supporting patent licensing campaigns for global technology companies. Today, Shafiq is leveraging his experience and applying his insights at the OSC to deliver upon the organization’s IP and Data Strategies. Shafiq is a registered Canadian Patent Agent in good standing with the College of Patent and Trademark Agents (CPATA).

Sanro Zlobec is a Principal in the Montreal Office of Smart & Biggar LP. He has over 25 years of experience in the field of intellectual property, specializing in technology-based intangibles such as patents and know-how. Sanro spent the early part of his career focused on obtaining patent rights for some of Canada’s most well-known tech companies. Today, he applies his insights into IP and the global IP system to helps clients in various industries achieve better results, such as improved deal outcomes, greater tax efficiency, new revenue opportunities and higher valuations. Sanro is both a registered Canadian and US patent agent and a certified licensing professional.

A senior leader in communications and stakeholder relations, for more than 20 years Nancy has worked with organizations both in the public and private sectors in Eastern Canada to help tell their stories, build brands, and manage stakeholder relationships. Currently the Chief Engagement and Communications Officer at Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, Nancy plays an instrumental role in helping tell Canada’s ocean story to the world and building momentum behind it. This past year Marketing News Canada named Nancy one of Canada’s Top 25 Marketers to Watch on LinkedIn, and she was previously the recipient of the Communicator of the Year Award from IABC-NL. Nancy is a graduate from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador and from Seneca at York University. She currently serves as Chair of the WRDC Board of Directors and lives in St. John’s with her husband Glenn and their sons.

Drew Leyburne is the Assistant Deputy Minister for Energy Efficiency and Technology, at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). Prior to his current position, Mr. Leyburne served as Director General in various roles at NRCan, worked at the Privy Council Office, and was an Associate with McKinsey & Co. Drew holds degrees from Oxford University and Bishop’s University. NRCan’s Energy Efficiency and Technology Sector supports energy efficiency, through programs, regulation and policy, in the fields of housing, buildings, communities, and industry. It also supports the advancement of clean energy technologies through scientific research and program delivery in energy research, development, and demonstration (including CCUS). As part of this, Mr. Leyburne is responsible for a network of national CANMET energy laboratories.

Dr. Niall O’Dea is Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Before assuming this role in April 2021, Dr. O’Dea had been Assistant Deputy Minister and, previously, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister for the Canadian Wildlife Service at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) since March 2018. Prior to his tenure at ECCC, he had served in various roles at Natural Resources Canada since 2011, including Director of Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Minister and Director General of Electricity Resources. Niall joined the Government of Canada in 2006, working first at Environment Canada on policy, legislative and regulatory proposals for reducing industrial greenhouse gas emissions and subsequently at the Privy Council Office providing advice to the Prime Minister, Cabinet and the Clerk of the Privy Council on proposals and policy issues under the responsibility of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister of the Environment.. Dr. O’Dea completed undergraduate degrees in biology and philosophy at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and a masters and doctorate at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.