Staff

Peter Neill

Peter is Director of the World Ocean Observatory, a project founded in 2004 as a recommendation of the 1998 Independent World Commission on the Future of the Oceans. He has served 20 years (1985-2005) as President of the South Street Seaport Museum, New York; as past Director of Schooner, Inc., an environmental education organization for Long Island Sound (1979-1984); as past Director of the Connecticut Marine Science Consortium (1982-1984); and as past Director for Maritime Preservation for the National Trust for Historic Preservation (1984-1985). He is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Iowa.

Peter is past President of the Council of American Maritime Museums and of the International Congress of Maritime Museums. He is a co-founder of The Sound School, New Haven, CT., and The Harbor School, New York, NY., two innovative public high schools that use maritime history and environment as a context for teaching and learning. He has appeared on numerous television documentaries on PBS, A&E, Discovery and National Geographic Society productions. His publications include three novels, several non-fiction books and anthologies, and numerous articles on maritime subjects.

Dr. Tundi Agardy

Tundi Agardy, Ph.d., serves as Editor of the World Ocean Observer, our quarterly newsletter on global ocean issues. Dr. Agardy is an internationally renowned expert in marine conservation, with extensive field and policy experience in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, North America and the Pacific. She currently heads Sound Seas, an independent policy group based in the Washington, DC area. Formerly the Senior Director for the global Marine Program at Conservation International and a Senior Scientist for the WWF, she assisted local NGOs, government agencies, and multilateral organizations in conservation planning, project implementation, and program evaluation. Her recent clients have included international think tanks, foundations, the World Bank, museums and academic institutions, environmental groups, and consortia with interests in solving local marine conservation problems. In April 2006, she was presented with the prestigious Rosenstiel Award for her outstanding contribution to marine science by the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami.

Tundi specializes in coastal planning and assessment, marine protected areas, and fisheries management, and has published widely in these fields. She received her Ph.D. in biological sciences and Masters in Marine Affairs from University of Rhode Island, was postdoctoral fellow at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Wellesley and Dartmouth Colleges.

David Conover

Executive Producer/Director, Compass Light Productions
and W2O Media Partner

David was born and raised in a New England family with strong ties to the sea and a tradition of active storytelling. Both grandfathers were amateur filmmakers in the 1920's and 30's. Upon graduating with a degree in comparative religious studies from Bowdoin College in Maine, David worked as a professional seaman—he has extensive experience in the Atlantic and Pacific, which includes two transatlantic crossings in small boats. He spent five years designing and teaching sea courses for kids age 14-18 at the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Maine and in Florida. This was followed by a Master's Degree in Education at Harvard, where David studied moral development and then a second year as a Kennedy School teaching fellow in leadership studies. In 1987, he directed and produced his first documentary, OUTWARD BOUND, which aired on National Geographic Explorer.

David's subsequent early film experiences took him to a river in Kamchatka on a project for Channel 4/PBS, and he also worked on a film about measuring Mt. Everest for PBS NOVA. An additional early project for PBS NOVA introduced him to the changing commercial fisheries, an interest he maintains to this day. His relationship with PBS programming continued with a six-show stint as a producer on the outdoor how-to series TRAILSIDE.
COMPASS LIGHT grew out of David's early work mentioned above, and the studios were moved to the seaport of Camden, Maine in 1994 in order to be closer to the ocean and the stories being produced. The company has now produced over 80 films for broadcast and educational clients. Awards include the National Outdoor Production Award, a Blue Ribbon by the National Educational Media Competition, and a nomination for a National Emmy as Outstanding Director. For several years David also taught documentary film courses at the International Film and Television Workshops in Rockport, Maine.

Anne Witty

Anne serves as Curator of Exhibits and editor of The Cultural Ocean for the World Ocean Observatory, developing W2O exhibits by drawing on a range of images and research to present relevant oceans topics.  Exhibits are offered in attractive formats that can be used in museums, libraries, schools, and other venues, as well as on-line.

Anne has academic degrees in history and early American culture focused through the lens of maritime studies, an interdisciplinary progression that led her to the world of museums. She spent a fellowship year exploring European traditional watercraft and maritime heritage. She has been a curator for several maritime museums (including Mystic Seaport, the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon, and Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, Maine), working on exhibitions, collections, research, and museum administration. She has served with several professional organizations, including the International Congress of Maritime Museums. Anne is currently on the staff of The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College in Maine.

Trisha Badger

Trish serves as the Web, Research, and Production Manager for the World Ocean Observatory. She is the Associate Editor of both the World Ocean Observer and World Ocean Journal, is producer of World Ocean Radio, and is responsible for maintaining, expanding and marketing the site, the World Ocean Directory, the Subscription Service, Our Ocean Space, and special projects. Trish studied English literature and creative writing at Hunter College of the CUNY in New York City,  and brings years of maritime education experience to the W20 having served as Director of Communications for the Apprenticeshop from 2001-2007. She is also a freelance graphic and web designer, and runs a small organic vegetable farm at her home in Jefferson, Maine.

John Smith

John is proprietor of Whitelancer Web Development of Rockport, Maine and is the W2O Technical Advisor.