Board of Advisors

Board of Advisors

William Brennan

Chairman of the Board

William “Bill” Brennan serves as the Chairman of the Board for Ocean Exchange, and is recognized as one of the leading water investors globally with experience in equities, project finance, venture capital & private equity.

Profile

Vikram Agrawal

Managing Director, Personal Family Office of Trammell S. Crow

Vikram Agrawal is a Managing Director in Trammell S. Crow’s personal family office, the CEO and Co-Founder of American Resilience Partners, and the Director of EarthxCapital.

Profile

Ann Carpenter

Co-founder & CEO, Braid Theory

Ann Lee Carpenter brings more than 30 years of experience in strategic planning, marketing, business development, and community outreach in private industry, nonprofit organizations, and as an entrepreneur.

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Jud Hill

Operating Director at I Squared Capital, LLC

Jud Hill recently co founded and is a managing partner at an investment fund entitled Ecological Service Partners. The fund invests in sustainable land and water assets with a specific focus on wetland and stream mitigation banking assets.

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Charles Hinnant

Chairman & Owner, Optima Chemical LLC

Charles (Charlie) A. Hinnant is the Chairman & owner of Optima Chemical LLC, a custom manufacturing concern in Douglas, GA.

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Vittorio Lacagnina

Partner, Apollo Global Management, Inc.

Vittorio Lacagnina is a Partner in the Institutional Client & Product Solutions group at Apollo where he leads capital formation for Infrastructure.

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Angus Littlejohn, Jr.

Chairman of Littlejohn & Co., LLC

Angus C. Littlejohn, Jr. is Chairman of Littlejohn & Co., LLC, a merchant bank based in Greenwich, CT.

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Bill Malarkey

Partner, Water Practice Group at Roland Berger

Bill Malarkey is a Partner in the global Water practice group of Roland Berger, the only strategy consultancy of European origin with a strong international presence.

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Bill Merz

Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy (retired)

Bill Merz is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, serves in several defense advisory and board positions. Recently retired from the Navy and accepted a position with Entergy in Houston. 

Profile

Phil Purcell

CEO/President, Marine Industries Association of South Florida

Phill is the CEO/President of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF). Phil brings a unique perspective to the marine industry, having traveled extensively around the globe.

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Cathy J. Sakas

Co-Founder, Ocean Exchange

As Co-Founder of Ocean Exchange, Cathy stays happily engaged in the global community by promoting solutions to all global issues connected by our planet’s greatest resource, Our Ocean.

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Irene Reynolds Schier

Geographer

Irene became engaged with the The Ocean Exchange™ through her longtime trusteeship with the Sapelo Foundation. This Georgia based foundation has a long history and affinity for water-related issues.

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Dave Sobeck

Executive Vice President with Carollo Engineers, Inc

Dave Sobeck is an Executive Vice President with Carollo Engineers, Inc. and has more than 20 years of experience specializing in the planning, design and construction management of water, wastewater and reuse infrastructure projects.

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Brian Sorensen

Senior Vice President, Royal Caribbean Group

Here Mr. Sorensen, together with his team, is responsible for the technical operations of the fleet of cruise ships across the five different brands in the Royal Caribbean Group.

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Board Emeritus

Cort Atkinson, Ocean Exchange Co-Founder
Conrad Lautenbaucher
Joe Lombardo

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Contact Us

Ocean Exchange invites you to learn more about Awards Program, our ecosystem and success of our award winners and participants. Together, we can chart a powerful course to help ensure the future of our oceans and the Blue Economy.

Testimonials

The Guy Harvey Foundation has been a proud partner with Ocean Exchange for the past few years as it provides a wonderful platform for innovations to be shared, meaningful networking to take place and overall supports the growth of the ocean economy and conservation efforts. We’ve been fortunate to provide awards for both collegiate and high school categories, participated on the judging panel and are inspired by the problem solving solutions presented by each candidate. If you want a good dose of inspiration, definitely look to supporting, attending or participating in the events!

 
Jessica Harvey
Chief Executive Officer, Guy Harvey Foundation

At Carollo Engineers, water is all we do—so we’re passionate about protecting our oceans. Attending the Ocean Exchange connected us with innovators advancing the blue economy, including those driving reuse and improving wastewater treatment and water quality. Events like this highlight how essential cross-sector collaboration is to solving global water challenges and creating a more sustainable future.

 
Dave Sobeck
Executive Vice President, Carollo Engineers

Ocean Exchange consistently brings together some of the most promising innovators in sustainability, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to support their work through the Solutions Review Team. Each year after attending the annual conference, I leave energized by the quality of ideas presented, the mission‑driven entrepreneurs involved, and the collaborative environment that drives meaningful progress for our oceans and The Blue Economy.

 
Rick Claar
Partner/President, The Martec Group

Participating in Ocean Exchange as an AUV subject matter expert was a meaningful way to share Anduril’s perspective on operational autonomy and AUV deployment. The event brought together diverse stakeholders focused on advancing practical, impact-driven maritime technologies, and provided a valuable platform for meaningful and inspiring discussions that delved into the complexities and opportunities spanning the full spectrum of ocean innovation.

 
Jessie Gray
Engineering Project Manager, Anduril

Being a voting delegate at Ocean Exchange reminded me why I do this work—watching students and industry leaders alike push the boundaries of what’s possible for ocean health and the blue economy. Deep thanks to Moffatt & Nichol for supporting our time and commitment.

 
Lynette Cardoch
Vice President Director, Resilience and Adaptation, Moffatt & Nichol