Julie Packard is founding executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Based on a lifelong passion for science and nature, she and her family founded the Aquarium over 30 years ago to expand awareness and understanding of Monterey Bay and the ocean beyond. Today, the Aquarium is a major provider of environmental education programs for California teachers, students and teens, as well as a growing player in ocean conservation worldwide. Julie chairs the board of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, a leader in deep ocean science and technology and she’s deeply engaged in ocean conservation through her work as a trustee of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Julie served as a member of the Pew Oceans Commission which published a blueprint for improving governance of America’s ocean waters, and more recently served on the California Parks Forward Commission to develop a sustainable path for California’s state parks. Julie holds a master’s degree in biology from U.C. Santa Cruz with a focus in marine algal ecology. When not at the Aquarium you can find Julie on, in or around water, enjoying the natural wonders of California, her native state.