Pew Experts Attending Our Ocean Conference 2026

Focus areas for staff at Mombasa event include marine protected areas, conservation finance, and safeguarding coastal habitat

Article June 8, 2026

World leaders and policymakers are among the hundreds of attendees expected at 11th Our Ocean Conference 16-18 June in Mombasa, Kenya. The Pew Charitable Trusts, which has a long history of working on ocean conservation, is sending the following staff members, each with specific policy expertise, to the conference. To schedule time with any of these experts in Mombasa, please email Leah Weiser at [email protected].

Tom Dillon

Senior Vice President Environment and Crosscutting Initiatives

Tom Dillon oversees Pew’s environment portfolio and also works across Pew’s program areas to advance shared priorities and new initiatives. The environment portfolio focuses on conserving ecosystems in the United States and around the world, and on addressing critical threats to people and nature such as climate change, plastic pollution, and illegal overfishing.

Matt Rand

Director

Matt Rand dirige le projet Héritage des océans de Pew et Bertarelli. Il travaille en collaboration avec des citoyens, des gouvernements et des scientifiques du monde entier pour protéger et conserver certains des plus grands milieux marins préservés de la planète.

Shubash Lohani

Senior Director

Shubash Lohani directs global conservation initiatives for Pew, including the Blue Nature Alliance and Enduring Earth.

Johnny Briggs

Senior Officer

Johnny Briggs est chargé de mission pour le projet Héritage des océans de Pew et Bertarelli et soutient la création de vastes réserves marines hautement protégées dans les eaux des territoires d'outre-mer du Royaume-Uni.

Simon Reddy

Director

Thomas Hickey

Project Director

Thomas Hickey oversees The Pew Charitable Trusts’ work to preserve coastal wetlands, including country partnerships across the Latin American, Caribbean, and Western Indian Ocean regions, and leads engagement with policy stakeholders.

Donatien Tanret

Senior Officer

Donatien Tanret dirige le projet Héritage des océans de Pew et Bertarelli en Polynésie française. Il collabore avec les institutions, les élus et les communautés locales afin de soutenir la protection des eaux de la Polynésie française et la création de rāhui, une référence à la pratique traditionnelle polynésienne consistant à restreindre l'accès à une zone ou à une ressource afin de la conserver.

Masha Kalinina

Chargée de Mission

Masha Kalinina coordonne les efforts à travers l'ensemble des campagnes menées par Pew avec la Convention des Nations Unies sur la diversité biologique (CBD) et est également chargée du projet de protection de la vie océanique en haute mer.

Megan Jungwiwattanaporn

Officer

Megan Jungwiwattanaporn supports Pew’s crosscutting environmental policy team, providing expertise and coordination to advance Pew’s engagement in multilateral forums, including the United Nations, World Trade Organization, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and International Seabed Authority.

Lauren Swaddell

Principal Associate

Lauren Swaddell works across The Pew Charitable Trusts’ environment portfolio to secure conservation outcomes that provide long-term benefits for nature and people. She advances Pew’s work in supporting Indigenous Pacific Islander-led marine conservation as well as policy and stakeholder engagement in international ocean conservation forums.