Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz has dedicated her career to serving South Floridians and advancing justice, equality, and opportunity. First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005, she previously served in the Florida House and Senate and is Florida’s first Jewish Congresswoman.

Known for her strong advocacy and ability to work across the aisle, Wasserman Schultz has authored and advanced landmark legislation focused on public safety, health care access, and the protection of children and families. Her work includes the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act, the PROTECT Our Children Act, the EARLY Act to expand breast cancer education and awareness, and the Rape Survivor Child Custody Act. She also co-authored the bipartisan resolution establishing May as Jewish American Heritage Month.

Currently serving as Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, she previously made history as the first woman to chair the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee and remains a leading advocate for veterans, Everglades restoration, climate action, and clean water.

A proud South Floridian, Wasserman Schultz represents Florida’s 25th Congressional District. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from the University of Florida and lives in Weston with her husband and three children.

Xavier Cortada is a Cuban-American artist and member of the Florida Artists Hall of Fame whose work bridges art, science, and activism. A former lawyer, he began his career working with marginalized communities before expanding his impact globally through collaborative mural projects with U.S. embassies and USAID.

He is the only artist to have created work at both of Earth’s poles, an achievement that launched major environmental justice initiatives, including , a community-led sea level rise campaign recognized by the White House’s National Climate Assessment. Over the past three decades, Cortada has created more than 150 public artworks that have mobilized thousands of people and helped restore over 25 acres of Miami’s coastal wetlands.

Known as Miami’s pioneer eco-artist and the county’s first artist-in-residence, his work has been featured by TED, the New York Times, CNN, NPR, and the BBC, and commissioned by institutions including the White House, World Bank, and CERN. His numerous honors reflect his powerful ability to use art to inspire community action and environmental change.

Royal C. Gardner, the Hugh F. Culverhouse Professor of Law and Director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson University College of Law, is an internationally recognized expert in wetland law and policy. His most recent book is Waters of the United States: POTUS, SCOTUS, WOTUS, and the Politics of a National Resource, published by Island Press. He served two terms as Chair of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, having been nominated by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Domestically, he has been lead counsel on amicus briefs on behalf of aquatic scientists and scientific societies in Clean Water Act cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. His recognitions include a National Wetlands Award for Education and Outreach, and his institute is the recipient of the American Bar Association’s Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy. He is a member of the Board of Directors and the Policy and Science Committee of Friends of the Everglades

Cara Capp has been working to protect and restore the Everglades for over fifteen years, including two terms as national co-chair of the Everglades Coalition. As Greater Everglades Associate Director at the National Parks Conservation Association, she advocates for projects, policies, and funding to safeguard the public lands and waters of South Florida with a special focus on Everglades and Biscayne National Parks, Big Cypress National Preserve, and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. She is a double alumna of Florida Atlantic University and former member of the Palm Beach County Planning Commission.

McKee Gray is the Senior Manager for Everglades Policy with Audubon Florida, McKee oversees Audubon's Everglades work by coordinating efforts in public policy, advocacy, and science in the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Prior to joining Audubon Florida, McKee was the Chief of the Natural Resources Division for Miami-Dade County's Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources where she oversaw and implemented several regulatory programs involving work in tidal waters, coastal and freshwater wetlands, and upland tree resources as well as stormwater management. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia and the University of Miami.

The Honorable Shannon Estenoz rejoined the leadership team of The Everglades Foundation after serving as the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks at the U.S. Department of the Interior under President Joe Biden from 2021 to 2025. In that role, Shannon led the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the Office of Everglades Restoration Initiatives. Shannon chaired the Federal Interagency Panel for World Heritage, and the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. President Biden also appointed Shannon to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and in 2024, nominated her to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Interior. Shannon’s career in landscape-scale conservation, restoration, public policy, and management spans 27 years, including more than seven years as the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Director of Everglades Restoration Initiatives and the Executive Director of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force. She also has held leadership roles with The Everglades Foundation, the National Parks Conservation Association, the World Wildlife Fund, the Environmental and Land Use Law Center, and three terms as the National Co-Chair of the Everglades Coalition.

Council Member Raymond Christman was elected to Naples City Council in a special election in April 2019 and re-elected to a full term in February 2022. He brings to his work on Council decades of relevant professional experience and a passion for building a better community and protecting Naples’ environment. He is a graduate of Florida State University had an illustrious career working on urban redevelopment and serving as Pennsylvania Secretary of Commerce before moving to Florida. Prior to his election to City Council, Ray served as Executive Director of Ethics Naples, a non-profit that led a successful referendum initiative to create a new ethics code and independent Ethics Commission for the City of Naples.

Ansley Samson is the General Counsel of Everglades Law Center. Over almost 30 years of practicing environmental law, Ansley also worked with Earthjustice, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and the Natural Resources Defense Council, and has taught environmental litigation as an adjunct at Florida State College of Law and Duke University Law School. Ansley graduated with honors from Yale College in 1990, with a B.A. in Literature and Studies in the Environment, and received a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1996, also with honors.

Audra Locicero is a Staff Attorney for the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, where she provides legal counsel to the Tribe’s elected leaders, administration, and commercial enterprises on various issues of importance to the Tribe, including Everglades Restoration, healthcare programming, Indian gaming, employment law, and more. Professionally, she is interested in tribal sovereignty and tribal self-determination, landback, tribal co-stewardship of public lands, the use of Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge in conservation, and land and wildlife conservation. She graduated from Stetson University College of Law with a Concentration in Environmental Law. Her article, A Case for Tribal Co-Management of Federal Public Lands, was published in the Spring 2024 issue of the Stetson Law Review. She lives with her husband, son, and dog in Sarasota, FL, where they grow rare tropical fruits, including 30-plus varieties of specialty mangos.

Professor Jaclyn Lopez established and directs the Jacobs Public Interest Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson’s College of Law. She also teaches civil procedure, professional responsibility, advanced legal research and writing, and topics in environmental law. She comes to Stetson Law from the Center for Biological Diversity, where she served as the environmental nonprofit’s Florida Director and senior attorney for over a decade. She holds a master of laws in environmental and land-use law from the University of Florida, a J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Arizona. She writes and lectures on access to courts and decisionmakers, corporate interference in democracy, climate change, water and air quality, environmental injustice, and the extinction crisis.

Doug Ruley is the Director of the Environmental Justice Clinic at University of Miami School of Law. He has litigated environmental cases for many years, including as a staff attorney with Earthjustice in Alaska, as managing attorney for the Asheville office of the Southern Environmental Law Center, and as Chief Counsel of ClientEarth. He also has directed the Environment and Natural Resources Law Clinic at Vermont Law School and taught at the University of Ljubljana Law School in Slovenia.

Alisa Coe is the Deputy Managing Attorney for the Florida office of Earthjustice, located in Tallahassee, FL. Ms. Coe received her law degree with honors in 2002 from Tulane University Law School. She earned a Master of Studies in Environmental Law with highest honors from Vermont Law School. She began her legal practice in New Orleans, uncovering air pollution violations at oil refineries and founding a general litigation firm. In 2004, she joined the Florida office of Earthjustice as a litigator. She serves as lead counsel for conservation groups in the long-running Everglades consent decree litigation. Her work includes cases to stop sewage and agricultural pollution, to protect land and species, and to ensure a cleaner energy future.

Richard Grosso is a widely recognized environmental public interest lawyer and advocate, with 39 years of experience as a litigator, appellate lawyer, advocate and counselor in the areas of federal and Florida environmental, land use, constitutional, property rights and related governmental and administrative law. Richard grew up in Miami-Dade County and has lived in Florida since moving here as a young child in 1968. He has both an undergraduate degree in Political Science and a Juris Doctor degree from the Florida State University.

Mr. Grosso has served as a Law Professor at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Executive Director and General Counsel of the Everglades Law Center, Inc., Legal Director for 1000 Friends of Florida, and attorney for the Florida departments of Community Affairs and Environmental Regulation.

Mr. Grosso has successfully litigated many significant and precedent setting cases in the areas of federal and state environmental permitting, land use planning and development, and property rights. He has also authored numerous publications on, and speaks and lectures extensively about, these and related legal and policy issues. In recent years, Mr. Grosso’s work has focused on climate and ecosystem sustainability legal and policy issues.

Richard lives with his wife in Plantation Florida (Broward County) and the couple also maintain a part – time residence in Washington DC. They are the parents of two grown children.

Marisa Carrozzo is Senior Program Manager at the National Parks Conservation Association. an environmental policy professional with a proven track record in leadership and coalition-building across diverse stakeholder groups, Marisa works collaboratively to protect and enhance the treasured coastal and wildlife resources in and around national parks in Florida, Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She has over a decade of experience in natural resources policy, including Everglades restoration, environmentally-sensitive lands preservation, and water quality regulations and restoration plans. Prior to her role with National Parks Conservation Association, she was the Everglades & Water Policy Manager at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, a regional environmental non-profit based in Naples, Florida.

Maria Angelino is a student at Florida Gulf Coast University. Her focus is environmental science.

Alia Jones is a student at Florida International University. Her focus is earth system science.

Noah Peretz is a law student at Stetson University. Their focus is environmental law.

Eve Samples is executive director of Friends of the Everglades, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1969 by Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Prior to joining Friends of the Everglades, Eve worked as a journalist for 20 years, including roles as the statewide opinion editor for the USA TODAY Network-Florida, as a local news columnist for Treasure Coast Newspapers/TCPalm, and as a reporter for The Palm Beach Post and Pittsburgh-Post Gazette.

She is a native of Miami and a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she received her B.A. in Journalism with an outside concentration in Comparative Literature. Eve joined Friends of the Everglades in early 2020, recognizing an opportunity to meld her passion for environmental journalism with Friends’ legacy of grassroots advocacy and education.

Elise Bennett is the Florida and Caribbean director and a senior attorney for the public-interest nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity. At the Center, she advocates for endangered species and wild places in Florida and the Caribbean using science, law, and creative media. Born and raised in Florida, she holds a law degree and a certificate of concentration in environmental law from Stetson University College of Law and a bachelor's degree in environmental science and policy from the University of South Florida. Before joining the Center’s Florida and Caribbean program, Elise focused on protecting rare amphibians and reptiles in the eastern United States.

Curtis Esteban Osceola currently serves as the Senior Policy Advisor for the Miccosukee Tribe’s Office of the Chairman, and is the managing partner of Osceola Law. This spring, Mr. Osceola also began teaching as an adjunct professor of law at Florida International University. Prior to this work, Mr. Osceola served as Chief of Staff to the Chairman of the Tribal Council of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida where he managed the Tribe’s legislative affairs and oversaw administrative operations. Before working in Tribal government, Mr. Osceola served as an Assistant Public Defender in Miami Dade County’s Felony Division and as an Associate Attorney at the Moskowitz Law Firm, where he successfully litigated an opioid mass torts case on behalf of his Tribe against the third largest opioid distributor in the United States. He holds a BBA in Finance and JD from the University of Miami.

Will Larkins is a student at Florida International University. Their focus is sustainability.

Scott Hiaasen is a partner at the law firm of Coffey Burlington in Miami. With his partner, Paul Schwiep, Scott represents Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity in their lawsuit against the state and federal governments over the environmental impacts of the immigration detention center erected in the Big Cypress National Preserve. Before he became a lawyer, Scott worked as a journalist at the Miami Herald and the Palm Beach Post.

Tania Galloni is Managing Attorney of the Earthjustice Florida Regional Office where she oversees litigation to enforce state and federal environmental laws. She is currently litigating cases involving the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Clean Water Act. In 2025, Tania and her colleagues received the Everglades Coalition Conservationist of the Year Award for their successful defense of federal protections for Florida wetlands. Prior to joining Earthjustice in 2016, Tania served as managing attorney at Southern Poverty Law Center’s Florida office, senior attorney with the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, an attorney with Florida Legal Services, and a judicial law clerk in the federal courts. Tania graduated summa cum laude from Bryn Mawr College with a B.A. in Sociology and earned her J.D. at Yale Law School.

Beth Alvi is Audubon Florida’s Senior Director of Policy, leading Audubon’s policy development and legislative efforts in water and Everglades, wildlife, habitat, and climate. She has more than two decades of experience in policy development, implementation, conservation, and resource management and has worked in leadership roles in both the private and public sectors. Prior to Audubon, she served as Director of External Affairs in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of the Deputy Secretary for Ecosystem Restoration (water restoration, water policy, Everglades, coastal and managed areas, and restoration funding).

Tabitha Biehl is the Director of Polk County Parks & Natural Resources, where she oversees conservation lands, stormwater, water quality programs, mosquito control, parks and public recreation across the county. She has more than 20 years of experience working in government and nonprofit settings and has led the delivery of complex, science-based programs through strong partnerships and practical problem solving. Tabitha is known for connecting technical work with community outcomes and for building teams that get things done.

Mark D. Perry Executive Director & CEO . Florida Oceanographic Society Growing up in Martin County, Florida since 1957, Mark was greatly influenced by his life in the coastal waters fishing, diving, surfing and boating. This was, and still is, his inspiration to protect, preserve and restore Florida’s coastal ecosystems. After graduating from college and spending four years at sea in the Merchant Marine, Mark returned to the area in 1978, joining Florida Oceanographic as the Executive Director where he began a passionate pursuit to protect and restore the waterways of Florida and the Treasure Coast. His work has included serving as a member of the Water Resources Advisory Commission of the South Florida Water Management District; providing testimony before the Senate Agriculture Committee in Washington, DC, on Sugar Reform and its impact on the Everglades,Lake Okeechobee, and the St. Lucie River and Caloosahatchee River estuaries; and authoring scientific publications and giving lectures on ocean and coastal issues.

As Executive Director of the Florida Oceanographic Society, Mark manages education and research projects, programs, and operations, makes presentations to the community, professional groups, and government entities, and advocates on behalf of water resources both statewide and nationally. He also directs a staff that includes researchers and education specialists and works alongside volunteers who energetically support Florida Oceanographic with time, commitment, and funds. Under his leadership, Florida Oceanographic built their new Headquarters, the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center on Hutchinson Island, Florida starting in 1985. Since 1998 Mark Perry also serves as president and founder of The Rivers Coalition, a group of 100+ regional businesses, groups and environmental organizations fighting for the health of the St. Lucie River Estuary and Indian River Lagoon. Mark also serves as on the Board and as Co-Chair of the Everglades Coalition, a group of 60 local, state and national organization fighting to restore America’s Everglades.

Matt DePaolis is the Environmental Policy Director for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation. He trained as a field biologist working across Florida, the Bahamas and Guyana before pursuing his master’s in marine biology and a Juris Doctorate with a focus on environmental, ocean, and coastal law from the University of Oregon. DePaolis first partnered with SCCF while working as the Coastal Policy Analyst Fellow at the University of Florida’s Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS), and leapt at the chance to join the organization as their Environmental Policy director.

Laura Reynolds is a biologist with 25 years of experience protecting Florida’s ecosystems. She is a Science Director at Friends of Biscayne Bay and the Hold the Line Coalition and a longtime member of the Everglades Coalition, working on bridging the gap between policy and science. Laura is a Founder of Conservation Concepts and conducts research at Florida International University on seagrass change and pollution dynamics in Biscayne Bay.

Adam Carr is a Senior Analyst at Urban3, where he has worked on over 50 projects nationwide analyzing the economic productivity of land-use decisions for communities ranging from small towns to major metros. A third-generation Floridian, he brings an environmentally grounded perspective to evaluating whether development choices are fiscally sustainable.

Dr. Paul Hindsley is Chief Economist at The Everglades Foundation, specializing in environmental and natural resource economics and the valuation of coastal and marine ecosystems. His research examines how changes in environmental quality affect property markets, recreation, and tourism, and has been supported by NOAA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Juan Mullerat is a renowned city planner/urban designer and the founder of Miami-based Plusurbia Design. With over 25 years of experience, he has led award-winning projects worldwide, including Wynwood Master Plan, and recently led development of Miami Beach’s Resiliency Zoning Code; Juan is also an Adjunct Professor at the School of Architecture at the University of Miami.

Irela Bagué is the Director of Governments & Water Resilience for Florida and the Caribbean at Black & Veatch, advancing resilient water infrastructure solutions. She previously served as Miami-Dade County’s first Chief Bay Officer, leading Biscayne Bay restoration efforts and securing state & federal funding; she is also a former Vice-Chair of the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board.

Elizabeth Fata Carpenter is Executive Director of the Everglades Law Center, where her practice focuses on Everglades restoration, water quality, climate resilience, land use, and environmental protection. A native Floridian, she holds a law degree from the University of Miami, and has prior experience in commercial litigation, environmental justice work and environmental education.

Julie Morris has over 25 years of experience in the Florida conservation field and has a wide range of experience—from working as a research wildlife biologist and land manager to implementing landscape-level land protection projects. Julie founded the Florida Conservation Group (FCG) in 2015 with fellow ranchers and scientists. Through FCG, she has represented private landowners in the conservation of over 120,000 acres of land in southwest-southcentral Florida and has represented government entities in the conservation of many thousands of additional acres.

Julie has worked with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC), Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to develop and implement incentives-based conservation efforts, including a payments-for-ecosystem services pilot project for gopher tortoises and Florida panther habitat and corridor protection planning. She held leadership roles in the Southwest Florida Conservation Blueprint pilot project for FWC, the protection of the USFWS Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, the development of the Southwest Florida Landscape Conservation Design for the USFWS and the establishment of the USFWS Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area. Julie holds a Master’s degree in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida.

Jaime Cook has worked for Collier County since March 2019 and is currently the Director of the Development Review Division within the Growth Management Community Development Department. Jaime oversees a variety of programs, including engineering, planning, environmental, right-of-way permitting and infrastructure improvements, as well as engineering inspections, for all residential and commercial development within Collier County. Additionally, Jaime oversees the Conservation Collier program, including land acquisition purchases and maintenance activities.

Prior to becoming the Director in June 2021, she was the Principal Environmental Specialist within the Division; she reviewed land use petitions and site development permits for compliance with the environmental regulations of Collier County Land Development Code.

Jaime earned a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from Clemson University and a Master of Science in Environmental Science from Florida Gulf Coast University.

Meredith is the Deputy Director at the Live Wildly Foundation. Live Wildly Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization that applies an entrepreneurial approach to conservation while seeking to balance smart growth, a robust economy and connected, resilient landscape. As the organization’s senior strategist, Meredith engages with federal, state and local governments, institutions, and the non-profit and private sectors to build and maintain strategic relationships and identify opportunities to deepen Live Wildly’s impact.

Meredith holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Science from University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and a Master’s degree in Marine and Environmental Affairs from the University of Washington. She has over a decade of experience in the environmental field with expertise in imperiled species policy, habitat conservation planning, and wildlife conflict resolution.

Meredith is a graduate of both the Leadership Collier Foundation’s Associate Leadership Collier (2016) and Leadership Collier programs (2021) as well as a graduate of the 2023 Leadership Florida Connect Class. Meredith is the President of the board for the Friends of the Florida Panther Refuge as well as the President of the board for Audubon Western Everglades. In her free time, Meredith enjoys traveling with her husband and spending time in local Conservation Collier preserves and other public lands with her dogs, Miss Luci and Mr. Pickles.

Parker Hall was raised on his family Ranch, Tiger Bay Ranch, in DeSoto County, Florida and is now responsible for its day-to-day operation. He is a 4th generation Rancher. The Ranch received the Florida Fish and Wildlife Habitat Recognition Award in 2024 and the This Farm CARES Designation from the Florida Farm Bureau in 2019. You can usually find Parker in his free time out on the Ranch with family and friends.

Parker is a graduate of Florida State University. In 2018, he was awarded his Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law. He is currently an Attorney with the Law Firm of Silverio & Hall, P.A.

Parker is passionate about his involvement in his community and currently serves as President of the DeSoto County Chamber of Commerce, Foundation Board President for the South Florida State College and General Counsel for the Arcadia Rodeo Association.

Zoe McKenzie - Zoe McKenzie is an enthusiastic, servant-style leader with over 20 years of experience driving impactful growth and philanthropic initiatives across sectors. She excels in corporate engagement, strategic partnerships, and civic leadership, having advanced corporate social responsibility efforts at organizations such as City Year, Feeding America, and Baptist Healthcare by aligning business goals with meaningful community impact. A proud first-generation immigrant, Zoe brings a unique, inclusive perspective to her work and is deeply committed to transparency, innovation, and social equity. Her mission is to leverage her expertise and network to empower communities, with a particular passion for the arts, education, and expanding access to the environment.

Anthony Sleiman - Anthony Sleiman is a Miami-based photographer and videographer creating cinematic stories from Florida’s wild places and the disappearing night skies above them. For more than eight years, he has documented the Everglades, blending adventure and human connection to inspire people to look closer, slow down, and rediscover the magic that still exists after dark. Through his work, he hopes to reconnect people with nature and remind them that some of the most powerful moments happen when the world finally goes quiet.

Kim Heise - I'm a watercolor artist who paints Florida native plants and animals and scientific illustration. I enjoy painting common local native species that we see everyday but often know nothing about. I hope my work inspires people to know, love, and protect our local nature. I grew up in South Florida, and earned my BFA degree in painting from FAU in 2016. I have been painting local wildlife for the past 9 years. I also work with and volunteer with many local conservation organizations. I've helped create coloring books, trail signs, maps, logos, zines, trail guides, public murals and other resources, and have exhibited my work throughout South Florida.

Grant Livingston - Grant Livingston has been writing songs about Florida for a long time. Some favorite topics include armadillos, barnacles, Melaleuca trees, pythons, and how to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile. The New Times named Grant one of the "Ten Greatest South Florida Folksingers of All Time" and has called him "a cross between Jimmy Buffett and Sesame Street.". Grant was Artist in Residence at Everglades National Park (AIRIE) in 2019, and appears nationwide with Ranger Gary Bremen as half of "Songs and Stories of Our National Parks".

Benita Whalen, P.E., is the President of Dispersed Water, LLC and the Water and Environmental Manager for the Florida Cattlemen’s Association, where she focuses on integrating sustainable water management with the needs of Florida’s ranching community. In these roles, she works to promote practices that enhance water storage, improve water quality, and support resilient working landscapes while aligning agricultural interests with broader environmental goals.

Paul Julian, Ph.D. is a Biogeochemist and Restoration Planning Lead at The Everglades Foundation, where he contributes scientific expertise to efforts including the Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSOM). His research centers on nutrient biogeochemistry and the restoration of large aquatic systems, with multiple studies directly relevant to Lake Okeechobee. Recent publications include analyses of phosphorus dynamics, sediment–water interactions, long‑term spatial patterns of total phosphorus, and hydrologic restoration applications for Lake Okeechobee.

Mallory Dimmitt is the Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. Mallory brings knowledge and experience in landscape-scale and working lands conservation, environmental policy, water allocation, and non-profit management. Mallory has been a participant in all seven Florida Wildlife Corridor Expeditions and films 2012 – present. She was formerly VP of Strategic Development for Lykes Bros. Inc., a fifth-generation family-owned agribusiness based in Florida. Previously, Mallory led The Nature Conservancy’s Colorado Plateau Initiative from Telluride, Colorado. Mallory was awarded a Doris Duke Conservation Fellowship at Duke University’s Nicholas School of Environment, where she earned a Masters of Environmental Management (MEM) in Environmental Economics and Policy. Mallory is an alumnus of Class IX of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources and of Cornerstone Class 39 of Leadership Florida.

Dr. Hilary Swain served as Executive Director of Archbold Biological Station from 1995 to 2025, providing visionary leadership for Archbold’s science, conservation, and education programs. During her tenure, she oversaw the stewardship of the 8,800-acre Archbold Biological Station on the Lake Wales Ridge and the 10,500-acre Buck Island Ranch, building partnerships that amplified Archbold’s impact regionally, statewide, and globally.

A leader in collaborative science, Dr. Swain played key roles in national and international research networks, including USDA LTAR and GLEON, and served as a vital liaison with local, state, and federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private landowners to advance the understanding and protection of Florida’s ecosystems. She was responsible for Archbold’s programs, data and technology, budget, facilities, and support operations, while managing a team of 60–70 staff members along with graduate students, interns, and visiting scientists.

Dr. Swain’s research interests include conservation biology, agroecology, and limnology. She has conducted research for state and federal agencies on sustainable ecosystems, the survival of listed species, Lake Annie, large-landscape conservation, and the Florida Wildlife Corridor. She has also played a long-standing public leadership role in the protection of conservation lands in Florida, most recently supporting the implementation of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

John Maehl serves as the Environmental Resources Administrator for Martin County, Florida, where he oversees programs focused on water resources, ecosystem restoration, and environmental protection. His work includes coordinating with state and federal agencies, scientists, and local stakeholders on issues related to estuary health, Everglades restoration, and sustainable water management.