Women in the Blue Economy Webinar
Join WHOI’s Office for Technology Transfer and WHOI’s WoGeMS (Women and Gender Minorities) Group on Tuesday, September 17th at 1 pm for our virtual panel discussion, Pioneering Minds: Women in the Blue Economy. OTT Director, Allison Markova, will be joined by four incredible women making a splash in bluetech: Melanie Nadeau - Chief Executive Officer for COVE; Alissa Peterson - Co-founder and CEO of SeaAhead, Millicent Pitts - Executive Director of OceanExchange, and Abigail Carroll- entrepreneur, investor, and producer/host of the podcast Happy Planet.
These women have set a remarkable example for the next generation of blue entrepreneurs, who have built careers focused on finding and scaling sustainable solutions to pressing challenges plaguing our oceans. Through our panel discussion, we’ll explore pathways to building a career in bluetech and also how cultivating innovation, supporting entrepreneurship, enabling strategic investment, and communicating impact all play critical roles in accelerating the advancement of ocean/climate solutions.
In case you missed it, check out the recorded webinar below:
Meet the Panelists:
Abigail Carroll is an entrepreneur, investor, producer, and host of the podcast Happy Planet, which discusses the impact of the economy. Carroll has experience as an aquaculture startup founder and is on the board of BlueTrace, a seafood traceability solution. In addition, she has her own angel fund, Happy Planet, and currently serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at SeaAhead.
Melanie Nadeau is the Chief Executive Officer for COVE, Centre for Oceans Ventures & Entrepreneurship, an industry-led commercialization center and maritime tech hub. She is responsible for leading strategic direction and managing operations. She is also a noted expert for the International Energy Agency, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the International Electrotechnical Commission.
Alissa Peterson is the Co-founder and CEO of SeaAhead, a bluetech startup platform bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, industry leaders, and stakeholders for new technologies and ventures focused on ocean innovation and sustainability. Prior to SeaAhead, Peterson worked in business development and strategy for several organizations including serving roles in two venture-backed startups, NanoSteel and Primus Power.
Millicent Pitts is the Executive Director of the international non-profit OceanExchange.com, whose mission is to help advance innovative solutions supporting healthy and sustainable oceans and coastal systems. She has served as a mentor at Cleantech Open Northeast and at Creative Destruction Labs Halifax, as a steering committee member of OceanVisions.org, and as a judge at the DOE/NREL Marine Energy Collegiate Competition. Ocean Exchange is part of the UPWELL group that is a Phase 1 grantee in the new NOAA Ocean-Based Climate Accelerator.