We are the Ocean
Sewage Alliance

Jasmine is the Executive Director of Ocean Sewage Alliance, where she works to eliminate sewage and wastewater pollution in our oceans. She has over 15 years of experience in the public sector, conducting mixed methods research, evaluation, and policy analysis on topics such as climate resilience, environmental justice, HIV prevention, health equity, and disaster resilience. She has a strong track record of fundraising and coalition building, securing grants and contracts from federal, state, and local agencies, as well as collaborating with community partners, stakeholders, and policymakers.  

She did her undergraduate work at the University of Pennsylvania and graduate work in Microbiology and Immunology as well as Epidemiology at Tulane University. Outside of her work she has been looking for more opportunities to employ her unique skill set in protecting our coast and oceans and ensuring that we can confront climate related stressors with science and action. She serves as the Vice Board Chair for Healthy Gulf and lives in New Orleans, LA. She generally enjoys spending her spare time near or on the water.

Larissa Balzer, Director of Communications and Marketing, for the Ocean Sewage Alliance, is a passionate conservationist, leveraging her science communication and marketing expertise to illuminate the interconnectedness of our world through water. She has spent a decade crafting stories that bridge conservation efforts and society. From her years at Keep Oklahoma Beautiful to her tenure at The Nature Conservancy, Larissa's dedication to environmental stewardship shines through her writing. Recent articles like "Breaking Taboos: The Intersection of Menstrual Hygiene and Sewage Pollution" and "The Ocean is Not a Landfill" exemplify her commitment to fostering awareness. 

Throughout her time at The Nature Conservancy, Larissa authored pieces such as "Respecting Fire: Where Conservation Science and Indigenous Wisdom Meet" and "An Osage Historian on the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve," demonstrating her commitment to amplifying diverse voices in conservation. Larissa lives and works in sunny San Diego, where she enjoys biking around Mission Bay, hoping to see monarch butterflies, and trying to identify the wildflowers. As an experienced digital marketing specialist, Larissa brings a multifaceted skill set to her work, amplifying the voices of those dedicated to preserving our blue planet.

Helen is a coral reef ecologist by training; she has more than 20 years’ of experience working at the boundary of science and conservation. As the Conservation Science Director for the Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) she works to protect networks of reefs that are diverse—both genetically and ecologically—to provide reefs with the best chance to survive climate change. Previous positions include leading Field Engagement for the Allen Coral Atlas at the National Geographic Society, Senior Director of Research and Monitoring at Rare, and Director of Marine Science at WWF-US, where she co-founded a research initiative to examine links between marine protected area (MPA) management and governance, ecological impacts, and human well-being in Indonesia and globally. Helen received her Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley in 2002, investigating coral reef recovery and rehabilitation from blast fishing in Indonesia. She has received numerous grants and awards, authored more than 40 scientific publications, logged more than 1,000 dives, and once lived underwater for 10 days in the Aquarius habitat.

Kim Falinski leads strategic planning around land-based pollution that connects into the ocean for the Hawaii and Palmyra Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. An environmental engineer and soil scientist by training, she works to make the case for projects that can reduce wastewater and sedimentation impacts to nearshore ecosystems. When possible, Kim works to include nature-based and indigenous-knowledge solutions into her work, including considering the role of wetlands, taro fields and bioswales to capture nutrients and soils. She has been a technical advisor for a Maui based community water quality program since 2015, and helped to use that data to advocate for watershed management actions. Kim has provided guidance to the Cesspool Working Group for the State of Hawaii to prioritize upgrades, and has focused on finding better ways to choose the right tech solutions for the right communities in the right places to make the most difference for nearshore reef systems. Most recently she has been involved in coordinating the environmental response and planning by community, academia and government to the Lāhaina wildfires. Kim holds a PhD from University of Hawai’i at Mānoa in Tropical Plant and Soil Science (mapping sediment transport across the archipelago), a MSc from Cornell in Biological and Environmental Engineering and a BS in Electrical Engineering from MIT. She is a Professional Engineer for the state of Hawai’i.

Jos Hill is a marine and coastal conservation leader with 20 years of international experience across the U.S., Australia, the Indo-Pacific, and Latin America. She enjoys applying systems thinking and a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to addressing complex conservation challenges. At The Pew Charitable Trusts, Jos led policy reform initiatives to protect marine and coastal habitats, and coastal watersheds along the Pacific Coast, achieving ambitious nature-based solutions climate targets for California's coastal wetlands.

While at the Coral Reef Alliance, she designed and led water quality research and improvement programs across the Main Hawaiian Islands. In Australia, she founded Reef Check Australia, a pioneering citizen science nonprofit. Jos holds a Master of Applied Science from James Cook University and an MBA in Sustainable Business from Presidio Graduate School.

She chairs the Conservation Finance Alliance Marine and Coastal Finance Working Group and sits on the Steering Committee of the Ocean Sewage Alliance which she co-founded.

Fidan Karimova is the Senior Director of Circular Water Economy at the Water Environment Federation, where she focuses on scaling circular solutions, fostering innovation, and aligning cross-sector collaboration to address global water challenges. A lifelong ocean enthusiast and certified scuba diver, Fidan brings a deep personal commitment to protecting marine environments. She champions the critical connection between water resource recovery facilities and ocean health, recognizing that what happens upstream directly impacts coastal and marine ecosystems. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business and a Master’s degree in Environmental Management.

Stewart is the founder of Precovery Labs, where creativity and community drive impact and awareness. He has taught as a guest lecturer and adjunct professor at the International University of Catalunya and the Cheyenne River Tribal College/Si Tanka University. Stewart has a long history of work with Indigenous communities, particularly in the areas of community finance and economic sovereignty.

Prior to his role at the Resilient Cities Network, he oversaw the Resilient Community Impact Funds and facilitated the Resilience 21 Coalition, Stewart served on President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force and was Director of the Office for International and Philanthropic Innovation at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. He participated as an Ocean Fellow for the Northeast Maritime Institute’s Center for Ocean Policy and Economics, Senior Advisor for the Global Island Partnership, member of the advisory committee for SeaAhead, and member of the board of directors for Four Bands Community Fund.

Jennifer is a Gulf Coast-based strategist and fundraiser committed to building power in communities most impacted by environmental racism, climate injustice, and extractive economies. With over a decade of experience advancing racial and reproductive justice, Jennifer brings a deep understanding of how environmental and social issues intersect across the Gulf South.

As a consultant and development professional, she has helped grassroots organizations secure transformative funding and grow toward long-term sustainability. Jennifer is excited to bring that perspective to the work of the Ocean Sewage Alliance and to stand alongside others fighting for a more just and livable region.

L.J. Sinsley is a pioneering and award-winning communications and marketing leader focused on spotlighting the need to address the planetary crisis and promoting projects, policies and partnerships to show what works. Her work since 2006 has focused on raising awareness, building brands, and telling climate and nature-based stories to win hearts and minds and drive change. 

At Conservation International, she was the Nature Finance Division’s first Communications and Marketing Director. Her work to unlock nature investments at scale included launching a partnership with Silvania and The Nature Conservancy to mobilize billions of dollars of private finance for protecting forests. Previously, she was Everland’s first Communications Director creating storytelling content for carbon projects by Wildlife Works and Wildlife Conservation Society and promoted Julian Marley and Julian Lennon advocating for the need to protect nature. LJ was the California Energy Commission’s first Deputy Executive Director of Strategic Planning & Media, and, before that, Environmental Defense Fund’s California Media Director focused on climate and clean energy. 

L.J. holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Jose State University. She lives in the Bay Area with her family and enjoys traveling, cooking, cycling and being a yogi.

Ann Thomas leads UNICEF’s global portfolio on sanitation, hygiene, and WASH in institutional settings, supporting programs in over 100 countries. A passionate advocate for climate-resilient and safely managed WASH systems, she also co-chairs the UN-Water Expert Group on WASH and leads the Climate Resilient Sanitation Coalition, a group which advocates for sanitation as a catalyst for climate action across multiple sectors.

Ann has worked with UNICEF since 2007, with past roles in Indonesia and across East and Southern Africa. Before that, she held positions with Oxfam, PAHO/WHO, IDRC, and the World Bank. A Yale World Fellow and certified life coach, Ann brings both deep technical expertise and a strong focus on human-centered leadership to her work.She’s originally from Canada and currently lives in New York with her family.

Dr. Stephanie Wear, Senior Vice President of the Betty and Gordon Moore Center for Science at Conservation International, brings over two decades of experience in marine science and conservation leadership. Formerly with The Nature Conservancy, she spearheaded strategic initiatives across oceans, human health, and climate change. As a visiting scientist at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (UCLA) and the Duke University Marine Lab, Dr. Wear's research has consistently focused on mitigating threats to ocean ecosystems, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the environment and humanity.

In her diverse conservation career, Dr. Wear co-founded an organization addressing sewage pollution, facilitated the establishment of marine protected areas in collaboration with local communities, and led a global learning network for conservation practitioners. Recognized as a "Clean and Green Pioneer" by Women’s Health Magazine and one of "Moms Who are Changing the World" by Babble.com, she is also a prominent spokesperson, having appeared in various media outlets, "The Martha Stewart Show," Disney's "Oceans," and the BBC series "The Power of Nature." Additionally, Dr. Wear is a member of the inaugural class of NatureNet Science Fellows, contributing innovative solutions to global challenges in sustainable food, energy, and water provision.

Amy is a water quality scientist by training with over a decade working at the intersection of water quality and human health. Her work focuses on translating science into actionable strategies to inform policy, planning, and investment. She has expertise in tracking pollution sources in coastal environments, developing and testing innovative water quality monitoring methods, and evaluating mitigation solutions.

Amy currently serves as Associate Director of the Oceans Program at The Nature Conservancy California chapter, where she leads the organization’s work on plastics and microplastics. Previously, she was a research scientist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and she also led the Wastewater program for the The Nature Conservancy’s Pacific Division.

Amy holds a PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering and MS in Environmental Health Sciences, both from UCLA. Outside of work, you'll likely find her on, in, or near the water, exploring and learning, usually with a treat in hand.