Support Our Work

Right now the oceans are under assault from an unprecedented number of forces, and robust, practical, and impactful policies are needed more than ever. The Center for the Blue Economy relies on your support. 

What does the Center for the Blue Economy offer students?

A rigorous and relevant academic program coupled with hands-on experience

To make a difference on the international stage today, global ocean and coastal resource professionals must be educated to navigate an extremely complex web of marine laws and treaties, economic trends and incentives, and political dynamics. They must know cutting-edge science, but they must also understand economics, law, politics, and business, which is the focus of the Center for the Blue Economy-supported Ocean and Coastal Resource Management specialization. The center-funded Summer Fellowships give students the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice working with top marine organizations.

What does the Center for the Blue Economy offer the world?

Solutions to environmental and economic problems

The Center for the Blue Economy is a “think-and-do tank” seeking to demonstrate the value of ocean and coastal resources and ensure that these valuations are incorporated into policy and business decisions. The Center for the Blue Economy research arm, the National Ocean Economics Program, studies critical ocean problems and supports research to improve ocean health, improve human welfare and long-term economic prosperity, and help the world prepare for and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

“The timing for the Center for the Blue Economy is perfect,” says Professor Scorse, “because the most powerful currency in current policy discussions is economics and jobs. In order to use our resources in a truly sustainable fashion we must value our ocean and coastal natural capital and look at the long-run impacts of our decisions.”

Every Reason to Give

“There is nothing quite like the Center for the Blue Economy in California, the country, or the world. Unlike traditional marine policy programs, the Center for the Blue Economy’s central focus is on the economics, management, and human dimensions that are key to addressing our most pressing ocean and coastal resource management challenges.”

-Dr. Jason Scorse, Center for the Blue Economy Director

A Generous Ocean Leads to a Generous Gift

The Center for the Blue Economy thanks Robin and Deborah Loker Hicks, trustees of the Loker Foundation, whose generous gift of $1 million launched the center in 2011.

Deborah’s grandfather, Martin Joseph Bodganovich, was founder of the French Sardine Company in Monterey, which became the StarKist Foods Company.

“The ocean has played a significant role in my family’s history,” said Deborah. She remembers the times as a little girl that she joined the fishermen heading out of the Port of Los Angeles in the purse seiners that fished local waters in the 1950s. “We see this gift as an investment that will not only generate awareness about the issues that threaten our oceans, but also prepare professionals who can advance sound policy decisions to address these issues.”

Support for the Center for the Blue Economy

“I believe deeply in the mission of the Center for the Blue Economy, and I’m especially proud that my own alma mater, the Monterey Institute (now Middlebury Institute), is leading the way in conducting innovative research on our most pressing ocean and coastal resource management challenges.”

Linda Childs Hothem (BAPS ’85)

Many Donors, Much Work

We would like to thank our many donors who support the important work of the Center for the Blue Economy.

Individual Donors

Ms. Maureen Anda

Ambassador and Mrs. John Bohn

Mr. James Boyd

Mr. Steven R. and Ms. Masako Brauneis

Mr. Kenley J. Butler

Mr. Jim Chan

Ms. Sarah Chasis

Ms. Madeleine Delman Cohen and Mr. Jerome Cohen

Ms. Shirley Coly

Mr. Michael Conathan

Mr. William Davis

Mr. Ryan Donlon

Mr. William G. Doolittle and Mrs. Nancy Doolittle

Mr. Peter B. Fippinger

Mr. and Mrs. Frederick M. Fritz

Ms. Alexandra G. Goelet

Ms. Deborah L. Hicks and Mr. Robin J. Hicks

Ms. Linda C. Hothem and Dr. Giuseppe Esposito

Ms. Carol G. Johnson

Dr. Judith Kildow

Dr. Geraldine Knatz

Mr. David G. Leathers and Mrs. Susan M. Leathers

Ms. Jennifer L. Levey

The Honorable Susan A. McCloud

Mr. Brett Melone

Ms. Maureen A. Minnes

Mrs. Patricia J. Palmer and Mr. Charles C. Palmer

Dr. Pawan Patil

Ms. Margaret M. Crotty and Mr. Rory B. Riggs

Dr. Jason Scorse

Dr. and Mrs. William Sharpe

Mr. Andrew Silberman

Mr. Lee F. Spivak

Ms. Sarah E. Springer

Ms. Mary Porter Wright and Mr. John P. Wright

Anonymous Donors

Foundation and Institutional Donors

The Ainsley-Hicks Family Foundation

The Loker Foundation

The Ocean Foundation

The Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation

Nancy Eccles & Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation

The Gant Family Foundation

Middlebury College

The Korean Maritime Institute

The Chinese National Marine Data Center

Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia