Staff

Peter Neill

Peter Neill 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 anthologiies, and numerous articles on maritime subjects.

Dr. Tundi Agardy

Tundi Agardy, Ph.d., serves as Editor of the W2O OBSERVER, our monthly 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.

Liz Murphy

Liz Murphy is Manager of World Ocean Forum On-Line Events, our monthly educational webcast on ocean issues distributed to secondary schools, museums, and aquaria around the world. She has backpacked and photographed her way through many countries, built a traditional wooden boat with her partner, and lived and brought up her children at sea. She has taught adults and students locally and nationally, most recently as Director of Outreach Education at the South Australia Maritime Museum, and created curriculum and instructional media. She has managed restaurants, catering and event services, an aquatic center, and a national youth athletic team. Liz's most recent work has been to research and innovate mobile programs and integrated publishing techniques for teaching and learning as a means to connect presently inaccessible people, places and communities through effective and efficient technology. Liz's assignment is to maximize ocean education and connection through the Internet.

Anne Witty

Anne Witty 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.

Amelia Poole

Amelia Poole serves as the Web Manager for the World Ocean Observatory. She is the Editor of Breaking Waves,maintains the World Ocean Directory, and researches content for the World Ocean Classroom and special projects. She is also responsible for marketing, promotion and member queries. Amelia is a graduate of the Surrey Institute of Art and Design in Farnham, England, where she studied woven textile design and construction. In addition to her W2O duties, Amelia designs and weaves scarves, shawls and cloth for custom tailoring at her home in Maine.