Staff & Contributors

STAFF
 

Peter Neill, Director

Peter is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory and serves as host of World Ocean Radio, a weekly podcast about the health of the ocean. In 2016 he received an appointment with the Climate Change Institute and represents the W2O as a Research Associate; he previously served 20 years as President of the South Street Seaport Museum, New York; is co-founder of The Sound School and The Harbor School; and has dedicated his career to marine affairs. He is the author of many non-fiction books related to ocean issues,  available wherever books are sold. He lives in downeast Maine with his partner Mary, a visual artist.
 

Trisha Badger, Managing Director

Trisha serves as the Managing Director for the World Ocean Observatory. She is Project Manager for World Ocean Explorer, Associate Editor of World Ocean Observer and World Ocean Journal, and is Producer of World Ocean Radio. Trisha majored in Creative Writing and 19th century British Literature at Hunter College in New York City; she brings years of maritime, experiential education and administrative experience to W2O, as well as board administration and relations, graphic design, book design and independent book publishing. For many years Trisha served as Director of Communications for The Apprenticeshop, a school for traditional wooden boat building in Rockland, Maine. In her free time she is a private chef, enjoys baking, gardening, rowing, paddleboarding, winter sports and anything else that gets her outdoors with friends family and dogs. She lives in midcoast Maine with her husband Kevin, an educator and builder of traditional wooden boats.

Melissa York, Marketing & Outreach Coordinator

With a background in biology and education, Melissa York brings experience in the non-profit sector and community outreach. Melissa is based in northern Maine where she lives with her husband and two children. While she does not currently live near the sea, Melissa has a lifelong personal connection to the ocean, having grown up sailing on her father's sailboat, exploring coastal waters from Long Island Sound to Maine. Melissa will spearhead outreach for World Ocean Radio, the World Ocean Explorer virtual aquarium, and other W2O programs and special projects.
 

Bjorn Grigholm, PhD, Platform & Educational Developer

Owner/Creative Director: Visual Solutions Lab

Bjorn serves as content and platform developer and creative consultant for the World Ocean Observatory, creating an educational gaming experience (World Ocean Explorer) for students ages 10 and beyond. Bjorn is a research assistant professor at the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, focusing on reconstructing past climate and environmental variability from ice core records stored in glaciers from around the world. As such, he actively works to introduce climate science and share climate data with the public in an approachable way via educational websites, applications, brochures, blogging, animations and short films. His interests also include resilience and vulnerability assessments, working with organizations such as the Union of Concerned Scientists, to help inform national-to-local scale climate adaptation and mitigation policy. He lives in Orono, Maine with his wife and their twin daughters.

John Smith

Web Developer, Technical Advisor

John is proprietor of Whitelancer Web Development. He serves as World Ocean Observatory's Technical Advisor and Webmaster. John has been a programmer since the age of 14, and continues to expand his knowledge after having graduated with a degree in computer science in 2002. In 2007, he transformed Whitelancer Web Development into a full-time business, serving many midcoast Maine businesses and non-profit organizations.