Sheroes of the Ocean Panel and Ocean Films Screening

Sheroes of the Ocean Panel and Ocean Films Screening

Come join us for an exciting evening celebrating female leaders in marine conservation and exploration! Our panel of sheroes will share their inspiring stories and insights into the world of ocean conservation. Following the panel discussion, we will be screening ocean films, in collaboration with the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival, that showcase the beauty and importance of our oceans. Don't miss this opportunity to be inspired and educated by some incredible women in marine science!

For this fourth edition, we are bringing together an exciting panel to draw attention to the powerful advocacy of women from South Florida, from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, who are making waves in Florida and beyond. The participating speakers are: Lisa Beal, Professor of Oceanography in the Ocean Sciences department at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science; Karlisa Callwood, marine scientist educator, Nat Geo Explorer, fisheries expert; Anya Freeman, Founder and CEO, Kind Designs; Deborah Mitchell, conservation artist and Master Naturalist; Cyan Simmons, Ocean Conservancy Ports & Communities Liaison. The panel will be moderated by Ombretta Agró Andruff, Founder and Executive Director, ARTSail Residency and Research Initiative.

The evening will kick-off with cocktails and bites, generously sponsored by ALB Vodka and DAOU Vineyards, at Salt Restaurant, overlooking the beautiful Biscayne Bay. During the cocktail reception, guests will enjoy Weaving with Water, a magical performance choreographed by Dale Andree, Executive Director of NWD Projects, featuring Mary Spring, Sunyoung Pak, Barbie Freeman, TJ Anderson, Natalie Rodrigues, Ray Robinson, and props designed by Jenny Llewellyn Jones. Photographic sculptures from the Within the Tapestry project, created by artist Deborah Mitchell and inspired by Florida's natural marvels mixed with historical references, along with quilts from the Weaving with Water series, will also be on display.

Cocktails will be followed by the panel discussion and a 75-min film screening.

Location: Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science

Schedule of events:

5-6PM: cocktail reception at Salt restautant (NWD performance will start promptly at 5:30PM)

6:15-7:15PM: Sheroes of the Ocean Panel at Rosenstiel School Auditorium

7:30-8:45PM: Film screenings at Rosenstiel School Auditorium

About the Panelists:

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. She is an expert on the Agulhas System of currents off South Africa and has brought recognition to the key role this System plays in a warming climate through her publications and international leadership.

Beal teaches courses on Physical Oceanography and on Climate Change. She advises graduate students and postdoctoral scientists in both the Ocean Sciences and the Meteorology and Physical Oceanography programs, conducting research using observing and modelling tools.

In addition to her research, Beal is involved in community work to increase the engagement, recruitment, and retention of women and minorities in oceanography. She also works to advance resources and capacity for ocean sciences in southern Africa, where she teaches periodically in the Honors program at the University of Cape Town and has formed local partnerships to develop sustained observations of the Agulhas System.

More info at: https://beal-agulhas.earth.miami.edu/people/index.html

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. 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.

More info at: https://www.karlisacallwood.com/

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. 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!

More info at: https://www.kinddesigns.com/

Deborah Mitchell: 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.

More info at: www.debmitchellart.com

Cyan Simmons: Cyan 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.

More info at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyan-simmons-6968061a7/

Moderated by Ombretta Agró Andruff, Founder and Executive Director, ARTSail Residency and Research Initiative: An Italian-born, Miami and Turin based freelance curator and ocean warrior, Ombretta brings more than twenty-five years of curatorial expertise with an international practice across non-profit institutions, commercial galleries, and art advisory pursuits with private clients.

An avid swimmer, diver and kiteboarder, since moving to Miami in 2013, Ombretta's passion for the Florida waterways inspired ARTSail, a nomadic residency and research initiative that instigate creative and climate change inquiry. Since founding ARTSail in 2016, Ombretta’s interest and focus has shifted towards investigating how arts and culture can promote resilience and sustainability and move communities from climate awareness to climate action.

She has completed a certification with the Cleo Climate Speakers Network, is a FL Rights of Nature Ambassador, and sits on the advisory board of visionary undertaking, Earth 300.

Ombretta holds a BFA from the Universita` di Siena, Siena, Italy; and a degree in International Cultural Management from the Fitzcarraldo Foundation, Torino, Italy and the International Center for Cultural Management, Salzburg, Austria.

More info at: www.artsail.info

This evening was made possible by the generous support of:

Ocean Bank

Norwegian Cruise Line

The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners