Blue Bonds and Biodiversity Financing

Dr Deborah Brosnan Ph.D.

President and Founder of Deborah Brosnan & Associates, marine scientist, environmental entrepreneur and climate-risk expert

Dr. Deborah Brosnan is a globally recognized marine scientist, environmental entrepreneur and climate-risk expert. She works worldwide to create innovative solutions to environmental and climate risks, that support ecosystems, business, communities, and governments. She is highly sought after, and at the highest-levels, for her expertise and ability to deliver win-win solutions. In addition to her international work, she has a strong interest in advancing the needs of Small Island Developing States having worked in the Caribbean for over 25 years. She is President and Founder of Deborah Brosnan & Associates - a group that works at the intersection of risk, cutting-edge science, and real-world decision-making. Motivated by the recognition that all sectors have a role in solutions that sustain planet and people, the group’s work ranges from risk assessments to designing and implementing large scale ecosystem restoration for resilience and biodiversity, policy development, and, investing and business advising on the environment. She is currently working with John Paul DeJoria on OceanShot - a first-of-its-kind, to-scale coral reef restoration - and on other environmental initiatives. Dr. Brosnan has an extensive academic background currently as an adjunct professor of biology at Virginia Tech University and has held several positions and fellowships at institutions, including Stanford University; the University of California, Davis; the Smithsonian Institution; and the University of Washington She is regularly featured as a subject matter expert on major media including CNN, BBC, and others. She has been a featured speaker at SXSW, TEDx, Economist Ocean Summit, WebSummit, The Doha Forum among others. She has published Opinion Pieces including the Washington Post, The Hill, GreenBiz and Fair Observer, written several scholarly papers and edited two books. She has testified before the U.S. Congress on the integration of science and policy and represented Governments including Antigua and Barbuda at the U.N. General Assembly and professional entities at U.N. treaty meetings. Dr. Brosnan is President and Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Ireland America Science Forum, past Board Chair of the University of California SeaDoc Program, and sits on the Board of several non-profit organizations, including PADI AWARE, and as a fund advisor to Dollar Donation Investments. She is an elected fellow of the Explorer’s Club. She is recipient of the Ireland 50 Achievement Award for her lifetime work in Life Science and was inducted into the Irish 100 for her services to higher education. She received a Red Cross Humanitarian award for saving lives when the 747 plane she was traveling in crashed during a typhoon.