Oceana Announces James Simon as New CEO
April 19 2024 - 9:24AM
Oceana’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce it has appointed
James (Jim) Simon as the next Chief Executive Officer of Oceana.
This announcement follows an extensive eight-month global search
and the upcoming retirement of Andrew Sharpless, Oceana’s longtime
CEO.
“With the choice of Jim Simon as the organization’s new CEO,
Oceana continues in its role as the ocean advocate that ‘gets stuff
done,’ expanding our impact as the most effective international
advocacy organization dedicated solely to the restoration of ocean
abundance,” said Sam Waterston, Oceana’s Board Chair.
“I’m thrilled and honored to continue working with Oceana’s
talented staff and generous supporters in my new role as CEO,” said
Jim Simon, Oceana’s longtime President and newly appointed CEO.
“Oceana will continue to lift up the voices of coastal communities
to protect the resources that sustain them and their families.
Together with our allies and partners, we will have global impact
on the ocean’s ability to feed people and to provide solutions for
addressing climate change, habitat destruction, plastic pollution,
and overfishing.”
As Oceana’s President, Simon’s responsibilities included
overseeing fundraising, which grew tenfold under his leadership. He
also supervised Oceana’s campaigns in multiple countries, as well
as the global finance, human relations, IT, and law departments.
Since joining the organization in 2003, he has been an integral
part of all aspects of Oceana, including its continued growth and
expansion into new countries like Brazil, Canada, Peru, and the
Philippines.
“The Board undertook an inclusive and fair search process that
helped us affirm that Jim Simon is the best person positioned to
lead Oceana into the future,” said Oceana Board Member Sara Lowell,
who led the CEO search committee. “We feel confident that the
search process strongly incorporated Board and staff feedback and
is the best decision for Oceana’s values and culture, as well as
the global circumstances that we could be facing in the coming
years.”
Simon’s previous experience includes working as a business
management consultant at McKinsey & Company, attorney for the
New York City Law Department, senior attorney and head of the
Enforcement Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and
Deputy Assistant District Attorney General in the Environment and
Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. He is a
graduate of Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the
Harvard Law Review, and Yale College.
Simon will lead Oceana’s campaigns in nine countries and the
European Union and oversee more than 250 staff members. Simon is
based in Washington, DC, and will take over the position on July 1,
2024, for Andrew Sharpless, Oceana’s previous CEO who led the
organization for more than 20 years. Sharpless was instrumental in
Oceana’s growth and success, leading the organization to achieve
more than 300 policy victories that protect and restore the oceans
around the world.
About Oceana: Oceana is the largest
international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean
conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans
by winning science-based policies in countries that control
one-quarter of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 300
victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and
plastic pollution, and the killing of threatened species like
turtles, whales, and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering
results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a
healthy seafood meal every day, forever. Together, we can save the
oceans and help feed the world.
Visit Oceana.org to learn more.
Media Contacts:Dustin Cranor |
dcranor@oceana.org Gillian Spolarich |
gspolarich@oceana.org