Founder & Executive Director (U.S. Chapter)

Overview

I established the U.S. chapter of AquaMeridian, an international marine conservation initiative, to expand outreach, education, and direct-action environmental projects. I designed and ran programs that combined community engagement with measurable conservation outcomes, from speaker panels in schools and libraries to large-scale beach cleanups. I also built the organization's funding infrastructure from scratch, developing a sponsorship strategy that secured $8,500+ from corporate and individual partners including Apple East Bay.

Responsibilities

• Directed strategic planning, fundraising, and operational management for U.S. chapter.
• Organized 10 large-scale beach cleanups with 150+ volunteers.
• Hosted environmental education panels reaching 200+ students.
• Managed volunteer recruitment, training, and retention.
• Recruited and mentored a 12-member student leadership team.

Achievements

• Raised $8,500+ from corporate partners (including Apple East Bay) and individual donors.
• Collected 2,000+ lbs of marine debris, submitted to global ocean health databases.
• Built a sustainable organizational structure with student leadership succession planning.
• Built a student leadership pipeline with 12 members who continued operations independently.
• Formed partnerships with local schools, libraries, and organizations to support marine education and habitat restoration.