 John Englander - Chair
- Chair – SeaKeepers Science Advisory Council
- Sr. Advisor – Global Environment & Technology Foundation
- Fellow – Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology
John Englander served as CEO of The International SeaKeepers Society, for five years, from 2004, during which time he led a total restructuring. He now chairs the organizations Science Advisory Council. Founded by yacht owners, this nonprofit group created a patented system for automated ocean monitoring using large private yachts and other “vessels of opportunity” including NOAA vessels, cruise ships, and a USCG icebreaker.
Upon college graduation John moved to Grand Bahama, where he took over a struggling dive operation, UNEXSO – the Underwater Explorers Society. During his two decades of ownership and management, it became the largest resort scuba facility in the world. Englander was directly involved with such innovations as up-close shark-feeding dives; teaching diving medicine to physicians; and many other advanced training courses. In addition to the very successful dive business, he created The Dolphin Experience, enabling tens of thousands to interact annually, including a highly innovative open ocean encounter.
In 1997 the legendary Jacques Cousteau became aware of Englander’s white papers and lectures on the larger marine environmental issues and asked John to take over leadership of The Cousteau Society. His brief tenure as CEO of that pioneering nonprofit ended with Cousteau’s untimely death.
Since 1995 John has served as one of five Directors of the PADI Foundation—a 501c3 (totally independent of PADI dive training). They make diverse grants globally from over 500 technical applications annually, ranging from marine biology, to marine geology, ecology, marine science education, and exploration.
In 2009, John became a Fellow of the Institute of Marine, Engineering, Science, and Technology (IMarEST) based in London; he has been appointed a special advisor on climate to the Global Environment & Technology Foundation, and to the Friends of the United Nations. Englander lectures about the climate crisis, and has particular expertise about the phenomenon of rising sea levels. Combining personal experiences in Antarctica and Greenland with the latest research from his network and scientific conferences, John’s powerful lectures make complex science easy to grasp for any audience. Dual undergraduate majors in Geology and Economics are a foundation for his understanding of climate change in terms of geologic timescale, as well as the societal impacts. He is presently writing a book on the subject scheduled for publication in 2010.
In addition to an estimated 5,000 dives, John is an instrument rated pilot with over 3,000 hours. He has been a member of the prestigious Explorers Club for more than two decades and carried their flag on a diving expedition under the High Arctic ice cap in 1985. He lives in Boca Raton, Florida with his wife and young daughter. |
