Join global leaders, innovators, and Duke experts for a dynamic half‑day program bridging science, business, and policy to accelerate a regenerative blue economy.
The Blue Economy Summit is the flagship convening of Oceans Week at Duke University, uniting global thought leaders, practitioners, and students across science, business, law, and policy. The Summit will explore how can we move from marine science discovery to scalable solutions with enterprises that protect and restore ocean ecosystems?
With this year’s theme, we aim to bridge academic insight with entrepreneurial drive and highlight pathways where innovation meets impact. This summit will call attention to emerging ideas from labs, fieldwork, and classrooms in efforts to support their evolution into ventures that reshape markets, finance biodiversity, and advance environmental justice.
For philanthropists, foundations, and mission‑driven investors, the Blue Economy Summit is more than a forum—it’s a launchpad for real‑world collaboration and impact. Duke brings together partners who are ready to accelerate systems‑level change: from regenerative aquaculture and blue carbon markets to nature‑positive financing and inclusive coastal development.
Agenda
All times ET
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Registration and Networking
Begin the afternoon networking with Duke students, faculty, and partners.
1:00 – 1:15
Kick‑off with remarks from John Bohorquez, Ph.D., and an overview of why Oceans Week is important for everyone, not just marine scientists.
1:45 – 2:45
Panel I: From Discovery to Design
Scientists, entrepreneurs, and designers reveal how breakthroughs in marine research are becoming market‑ready solutions improving ocean health.
Panelists: Mark Huang | Shannon Parker, Duke ’91 | Nelly Ramírez-Moncada, Ph.D. | Ty Roach, Ph.D.
Moderators: Douglas Nowacek, Ph.D. & Rebecca Vidra, Ph.D., Nicholas School of the Environment
2:45 – 3:00
Short Break
Coffee, tea, snacks
3:00 – 4:00
Experts explore how finance and policy drive scalable conservation and equitable growth in the blue economy. Sponsored by Builders Vision.
Panelists: Laura Deaton, Duke ’89 | Charlotte Hudson, Duke ’99 | Suzanne Johnson, Duke ’90 | Alexandra Leeper, Ph.D.
Moderator: Xiao Recio-Blanco, S.J.D., Duke ’15, Program Officer, Builders Vision
4:00 – 4:30
Students have the opportunity to engage directly with panelists and contributors.
4:30 – 5:00
Seaside Chat
(the ocean version of a fireside chat)
Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, CEO of World Ocean Council & Co-Founder, Okhtapus and Dan Vermeer, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment and Associate Professor of the Practice, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University
For Partners and Sponsors
The Blue Economy Summit offers an unparalleled opportunity for philanthropists, corporations, and foundations to engage directly with Duke’s leading experts and rising changemakers. Sponsorship underwrites student access, speaker travel, and innovation programming—ensuring that participation remains free and inclusive. Your support signals commitment to a regenerative ocean economy built on science, equity, and innovation.
To discuss custom partnership opportunities or support the Summit directly, please contact dukeoceans_info@duke.edu.
Or:
About the Organizers
The Blue Economy Summit is hosted by Oceans@Duke, a multidisciplinary community of Duke’s scholars working on challenges to sustainable use of the oceans and deriving from across Duke—the Duke University School of Law, Fuqua School of Business, Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Nicholas School of the Environment, and Sanford School of Public Policy. This community of scholars aims to help train the next generation of ocean sustainability leaders, foster interdisciplinary thinking for more sustainable ocean use, and connect Duke’s scholarship to society.
Speaker Information
Keynote, Opening, and Closing Speakers
Kristin Rechberger
CEO, Dynamic Planet
Kristin Rechberger is CEO of Dynamic Planet, which builds conservation economies that restore nature rather than deplete it. Founded in 2012, Dynamic Planet advances markets to restore nature through innovative business models, fit-for-purpose finance, and cross-sector partnerships focused on ocean and coastal regeneration aligned with 30×30 goals. She serves as trustee of The King Charles III Charitable Fund and on the boards of National Geographic Pristine Seas, Mongabay, The Environmental Investigation Agency, and Ocean Exploration Trust. Previously, Rechberger was senior vice president of Global Programs and Partnerships at the National Geographic Society, where she held leadership positions over 14 years. She is a 1995 Luce Scholar, 2009 Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and GSTC member. Rechberger holds degrees in public policy and film from Duke University.
John Bohorquez, Ph.D.
Founder, Blue Economy Solutions Lab & Adjunct Professor, Duke University
John Bohorquez, Ph.D., is an interdisciplinary marine conservation scientist working at the intersection of ocean science, policy, and finance. His research focuses on marine protected areas, novel tools and approaches for ocean finance, sustainable fisheries, coral reef conservation, and climate change resilience. In parallel with his academic work, he provides applied research and advisory support to UN agencies, governments, foundations, and NGOs on the design and implementation of conservation and financial solutions to support ocean health. Bohorquez is the founding director of the Blue Economy Solutions Lab and holds appointments as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Stony Brook University’s School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. from Stony Brook University.
Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy
CEO (a.i.), World Ocean Council & Co-founder, Okhtapus
Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy is co-founder of Okhtapus Ltd and its nonprofit affiliate O Lab, and CEO (a.i.) of the World Ocean Council. An Ocean Fellow at the Center for Ocean Policy and Economics at Northeast Maritime Institute, he is also an advisory committee member and BlueSwell mentor for SeaAhead, and founded Four Bands Community Fund on the Cheyenne River Lakota Indian Reservation in 2000. Previously global director of policy and investments at the Resilient Cities Network, he co-created the Urban Ocean Program and co-founded the Racial Equity through Resilience Community of Practice. Through Precovery Labs, he serves clients including RISE, Ocean Conservancy, and NDN Fund, working at the intersection of ocean resilience and urban, island, Indigenous, and coastal contexts. He is WEDG-certified, a former Capitol Hill Ocean Week advisory board member, and an active documentary and fine art photographer.
Panel I Speakers
Mark Huang
Co-founder and General Partner, Longleaf Studios
Mark Huang is the founder of Seahead and Longleaf Studios. He has more than 15 years of cleantech venture experience having co-founded Novus Energy Partners in 2008, a US-European cleantech venture capital fund. Prior to Novus, Huang was with GE for 10 years. As a senior vice president of GE Energy Financial Services, Huang led the effort to start GE’s cleantech corporate venture capital efforts. In the maritime sector, Huang has worked in shipbuilding and as a naval architect. In the public service sector, Huang served for 13 years as an officer in the US Army Reserves and was mobilized in 2003 to Baghdad where he focused on nation-building. Huang also served a term as the economic development director for Providence, RI where he focused on the innovation ecosystem while developing and executing an urban food strategy. Finally, Huang is a US director of Alfanar, the only venture philanthropy non-profit focused on the Arab world, and Tern, a Taiwan-based urban mobility company. Huang holds an M.B.A. and master’s of international affairs from Columbia University and a B.S. in naval architecture and marine engineering from Webb Institute.
Shannon Parker
Founder of ReefCycle & Executive in Residence, Duke University
Shannon Parker specializes in building sustainable operations, supply chains, and circular business models. Recognized as an Exceptional Performer and Rising Star in NC Tech’s 2024 NEXT Tech Awards, she combines expertise in operations and sustainability to create businesses that balance profitability with planetary well-being. Previously, Parker led commercial supply and sustainability strategy at Circ, a textile-to-textile recycling startup backed by Inditex and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, overseeing regulatory engagement and circular pathway development with industry partners. She founded and sold Carbon Insights, a fintech startup specializing in environmental analytics. Formerly certified in production and inventory management (CPIM) and Lean Six Sigma, Parker holds a B.A. in Psychology & Behavioral Biology from Johns Hopkins University, a Master of Environmental Management from Duke’s Nicholas School, and an M.B.A. from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.
Nelly Ramírez-Moncada, Ph.D.
Co-Lead, CIFAR Alliance Secretariat
Nelly Ramírez-Moncada, Ph.D., brings 20 years of experience supporting small businesses and startups advancing inclusive finance, gender-intentional approaches, and climate innovation across Latin America and Africa. She co-leads the Secretariat of the CIFAR Alliance, a global network of over 70 organizations advancing inclusive climate finance and adaptation solutions in emerging markets. Her work leverages data and technology to build financial resilience and climate adaptation strategies through multi-country partnerships, strategic programs, and policy dialogue with finance and development institutions. A World Economic Forum Global Shaper alumni, she mentors startups at LATAM Irrazonable and MassChallenge, serves on The EarthShot Prize Expert Advisory Panel, and is a LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Certified Facilitator. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Management, M.A. in Political Science, and B.A. in Law, Diplomacy, and International Relations. Originally from Nicaragua and Mexico, she currently lives in Washington, D.C.
Ty Roach, Ph.D.
CEO of Coral Arks; Assistant Professor, Duke University Marine Lab
Dr. Ty Roach is a marine scientist whose research integrates multi-omic molecular techniques, biophysical assays, and spatial modeling to advance ecological and restoration science. His work examines how bacteria and viruses mediate organismal responses to environmental stressors, from local host-associated microbial communities to global ocean warming impacts on coral, algal, and oyster systems. He develops probiotic and phage-based therapies to enhance thermal tolerance in corals and shellfish, translating holobiont science into restoration tools. Prior to Duke, Roach earned his Ph.D. at San Diego State University as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, studying coral-algal interactions, and worked at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology developing intervention strategies for reef conservation. He graduated valedictorian from North Carolina State University with three majors and competed as an NCAA Division I wrestler. Outside science, Roach is a professional surfer, combat sports coach, poet, and freestyle rapper.
Panel II Speakers
Laura Deaton, J.D.
Executive Director, Multiplier
Laura Deaton is executive director of Multiplier, a nonprofit accelerator that helps mission-driven initiatives launch and scale. She oversees a diverse portfolio including ocean health, blue economy, and sustainable seafood work. Since 2019, Multiplier has partnered with philanthropic collaborators to pilot and evolve Sustainable Seafood Loan Funds, providing patient, partially forgivable loans to seafood supply chain actors investing in sustainability improvements. Loan forgiveness is tied to mutually agreed sustainability metrics, reflecting an iterative approach to aligning capital with real-world outcomes. Deaton is a Duke Law J.D. alumna.
Charlotte Hudson
Executive Director, Blue Convergence Fund
Charlotte Hudson is executive director of the Blue Convergence Fund, an organization providing actionable science to guide sustainable decisions about oceans and coasts. Before founding BCF, she led the Lenfest Ocean Program at The Pew Charitable Trusts for two decades, evolving grantmaking toward transparent, equitable methods incorporating co-design and co-production. Her career began at the Ocean Law Project at Earthjustice and Oceana, deepening her understanding of how science informs law, policy, and practice. Her publications address philanthropy’s role in engaged science, methods to increase use-driven research, and research impact. Hudson co-chairs the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and serves on North Carolina’s Office of Sponsored Programs Advisory Body. She holds a bachelor’s in biology from Davidson College and a master’s in environmental management from Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment.
Suzanne Johnson
Senior Advisor, United Nations Global Compact
Suzanne Johnson is senior advisor to the UN Global Compact advancing a sustainable ocean economy and heads Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s Sustainability Program. She sits on the Lloyd’s Register Advisory Board and brings wide-ranging energy sector experience from government and regulatory affairs, investor relations, and finance roles at energy and water companies. Her experience includes investment management at Schroder Investment Management, where she was responsible for utilities debt. She served as special assistant to Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, former US permanent representative to the United Nations, at the American Enterprise Institute. Johnson is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Governor of the Ditchley Foundation, member of the William Pitt circle at Chatham House, and Trustee for UK Associates of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Science.
Alexandra Leeper, Ph.D.
Managing Director, Iceland Ocean Cluster
Dr. Alexandra Leeper leads the Iceland Ocean Cluster, a blue economy hub where companies, innovators, and investors collaborate to redesign value creation in seafood and ocean-linked sectors. The cluster’s #100PercentFish initiative has become a global reference for full-value utilization in seafood and cross-sector circular systems. She co-founded Hringvarmi, a startup capturing excess industrial heat in retrofitted shipping containers for plug-and-play local food production—the first company to use Icelandic data center heat for agriculture. Her work spans blue economy, industrial innovation, and global collaboration with companies, governments, and investors to unlock resilience and new value from existing resources. Recently recognized by IntraFish as one of the women shaping the future of seafood, Alexandra bridges science, business, and systems transformation.
Xiao Recio-Blanco
Program Officer, Builders Vision
Xiao Recio-Blanco develops partnerships focused on a thriving blue economy, specializing in fostering entrepreneurship and innovative fisheries management to create financial stability for fisheries-dependent communities worldwide. Previously, he was director of the Ocean Program at the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), leading ocean law and policy efforts on sustainable fisheries, marine protected areas enforcement, the High Seas Treaty, and coastal ecosystem restoration. His research focused on securing equitable legal treatment for small-scale fisheries communities and regulatory design of marine protected areas through legal reform and marine spatial planning. Originally from Galicia, Spain, Recio-Blanco holds a J.D. from Complutense University of Madrid and an S.J.D. from Duke University.
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