Learning from the experts

Dr. Grace Lozinski is the Chief Quality Officer at Hoag Hospital in California. She has an interest in the effects of plastics on humans and animals. Dr. Lozinski holds degrees in Biochemistry and Cell Biology from the University of California, San Diego, and a graduate from the New York Medical College with Alpha Omega Alpha Society honors. She has held multiple leadership roles across departments and medical committees, and in 2014 received her Certificate for Leadership for Healthcare Transformation from the UCI Paul Merage School of business.

Danni Washington is a TV host and science communicator who is also the first African-American woman to host her own science television series. Currently, Danni is featured as a correspondent on a weekly nationally syndicated CBS series called Mission Unstoppable with host Miranda Cosgrove. In 2017, Danni was selected as one of the 10 young rising innovators who was profiled in CA Technologies #STEM10 initiative alongside artist Jaden Smith and other rising stars in the field. Danni also served as the 2018 spokesperson of the nation’s largest celebration of STEM at the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington D.C. She is a graduate of the University of Miami with a B.S. degree in Marine Science & Biology. She is also the co-founder of Big Blue & You, a scuba diver, and the co-creator of Sea Youth Rise Up.

Ian McKeown is an entrepreneur and conservationist. He currently leads sustainability efforts at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where his corporate social responsibility program has received global recognition. He also founded a sustainability program at the University of Miami, served on multiple government boards, and helped pass pioneering sustainability legislation in the City of Manhattan Beach. Ian is a member of the exclusive change-making communities Summit and ACTAI Global.

Jesoni Vitusagavulu is a Fijian businessman and diplomat who was appointed Fiji’s fifth Ambassador to the United States. He also served as an ambassador to Mexico, and High Commissioner to Canada. Now he serves as associate director of Christian Embassy in Washington DC. Prior to becoming a diplomat he worked as chief executive of the Fiji Trade and Investment Board, general manager commercial of Fiji’s international airline, and manager of special projects for the Fijian development bank. He played a major role in the establishment of Fiji Water in the country. Through this role, he watched the small islands of Fiji become one of the largest exporters of water but has also seen the immediate repercussions of the plastic bottles on the ocean.

Lee Clapp is the current director of Market Development and Innovation for technical polymer applications at Omya Inc. Dr. Clapp studied chemistry at Furman University and then received his Ph.D. in Physical/Analytical chemistry from UNC Chapel Hill. Lee applies his extensive scientific background to easing the public adoption of new sustainable products and technologies.

A champion of the whales and dolphins of the South Pacific, Dr. Poole has spent most of his career studying and protecting these aquatic mammals in French Polynesia. After receiving his B.S. in Biology from the University of Miami and Masters in Biology from the California State University, Dr. Poole went on to earn his Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1995. Since then he has made discoveries about whale breeding stocks and migration routes, and published scholarly articles about the animals he studies, advocating for conservation programs in the South Pacific. As a result of Dr. Poole’s rigorous efforts, all of French Polynesia was declared a protected sanctuary for whales and dolphins. This accomplishment earned him a medal from the Ministry of environment and Tahiti Tourism. Dr. Poole has continued to advocate for education and awareness campaigns near his home on the French Polynesian island of Mo’orea.