About us

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Malaika serves as our Board Chair and  is a general otolaryngologist and executive partner in private practice at ENT of Georgia. Along with her husband and their 2 children, earned their scuba certification several years ago and advocate for wildlife conservation. She has spent much of her childhood and received her formative education in Jamaica, and her husband was born and raised in Barbados. They celebrate their Caribbean heritage and find it imperative to protect this region from the implications of

climate change and industrial development.

After serving as president of the Georgia Society of Otolaryngology /

Head and Neck Surgery, Malaika took her leadership and advocacy work from

the state level to the American Academy of Otolaryngology and Head and

Neck Surgery. She is now a committee chair for the Socioeconomics

and Grass Roots Committee on the Academy’s Board of Governors.

Now that her children are off to college, she enjoys doing volunteer and

advocacy work and serving on a few non-profit executive boards,

traveling, playing the keyboard and scuba diving.

"The Earth is 70% water. Our oceans sustain all life on our beautiful planet, including ecosystems on land. The beautiful "Blue Marble" seen from outer space is the only one that has ever been seen in our universe, and we as an advanced species have a responsibility to prevent its destruction.  I am an islander, a swimmer and a diver. I am drawn to the ocean's beauty, mystery and marine life. I studied zoology and medicine, and I hope to use my knowledge and skills to advocate for sustainable practices and raise awareness about fragile marine ecosystems, pollution, and climate change."

Shawn serves as our Board Secretary and Treasurer.  She is a business leader and advocate for practical, science-based solutions to some of today’s most pressing environmental challenges. With a career spanning global markets, regulatory strategy, and industry leadership, she brings a pragmatic perspective on how policy, innovation, and responsible business practices can work together to drive meaningful impact.

Shawn’s commitment to environmental conservation is deeply personal. As an avid hiker and scuba diver, she has explored ecosystems around the world alongside her sons and has witnessed firsthand the visible effects of climate change on forests, coral reefs, coastal environments, and even glacial systems that influence ocean health. These experiences have shaped her belief that awareness must translate into action.

As a board member of Discover70 Foundation, Shawn is passionate about advancing the organization’s mission to help people understand our fundamental dependence on healthy oceans—and to inspire informed, practical efforts to protect them. She is particularly focused on bridging the gap between awareness and action, encouraging solutions that are both environmentally impactful and economically viable.

Shawn believes that lasting change happens when individuals, industries, and policymakers work together—and that protecting our oceans is not just an environmental imperative, but a human one.

Dayne serves as our President and is an experienced marine conservation science and policy professional with over 25 years of experience. This spans over 40 countries covering issues including marine protected areas, ocean policy and governance, invasive species, shipping, tourism, adaptation to climate change and community engagement. He has worked in academia, non-profits, United Nations bodies, private sector and government. Dayne is currently the Regional Project Coordinator for of the USD 48 million GEF/CAF/FAO/CRFM Project entitled, “Promoting National Blue Economy Priorities Through Marine Spatial Planning in the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem Plus Region" (BE-CLME + Project). 

Most recently, he was the Director of Global Ocean Policy, at Georgia Aquarium, USA for 3 years and led the Aquarium’s involvement in state, national and global policies for ocean conservation. Prior to joining Georgia Aquarium, Dr Buddo was the Director of the Bay Academy – Bay Ecotarium, San Francisco CA, USA. Before moving to the United States, he served as a tenured faculty member at the University of the West Indies (Jamaica) in marine sciences for a decade, with responsibility for marine research and teaching at the Discovery Bay Marine Lab. Dr Buddo was also CEO and Research Director for the Alligator Head Foundation and Marine Lab focusing on marine protected areas. He was also the Marine Conservation Adviser for the TBA21-Academy, an Art Foundation in Europe centred on ocean conservation and climate change.

Dayne has published several papers on marine invasive species, shark conservation and fisheries management in the Atlantic region.

He serves as the UNESCO Caribbean Coordinator for Early Career Ocean Professionals (Ocean Decade Program – ECOP) and continues to support several delegations to major United Nations Conferences on climate change and ocean conservation.

Dayne is a certified PADI Master Instructor, Advanced Rebreather Diver, an Emergency First Response® (First Aid/CPR/AED) Instructor, as well as a Hyperbaric (Recompression) Chamber Safety Director. He has conducted over 8,500 scientific dives mainly assessing marine habitats, lionfish research and control as well as habitat restoration.