Aquarium of the Pacific Announces Five New Board Members

LONG BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#SouthernCalifornia–Mark Bertrand, Dan Hopper, Stephanie Leshney, Chanwantha “Sam” Limon, and Dr. Stephanie Wear have joined the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Board of Directors. The new members include the board’s first scientist, first Cambodian American, and experts in business, energy, and finance. “Each of these new members comes with knowledge and perspectives that will help the Aquarium continue to evolve and better serve our diverse audiences,” Aquarium Board Chair Ed Feo said.

Bertrand is vice president of space and defense for Boeing Capital Corporation. He serves on the board of directors for Easter Seals Southern California and the California Chamber of Commerce. He has served on the Aquarium’s Sea Fare Committee since 2012, its Trustees of the Pacific since 2013, and is a charter member.

Hopper is the director of Resource and Environmental Planning and Strategy for Southern California Edison. He leads efforts at SCE on electrical grid decarbonization, efficient electrification, and climate adaptation and resilience, with expertise in economic and electric system analysis, decarbonization strategy and policy development, and customer clean energy program planning and development.

Leshney is the founder and president of Dabble & Dollop, which makes bath products for children with natural ingredients that are meant to be mixed with the aim of turning bath time into a science experiment. Leshney is a member of the Honorary Board of Trustees of the California Science Center and Ronald McDonald House Long Beach.

Limon, the first Cambodian American on the Aquarium’s board, is a human resources branch manager for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services. Limon is on the board of the United Khmer American Coalition and the Los Angeles County Cambodian Employees Association. She co-founded Spirit of Khmer Angkor. Limon is a longtime participant in the Aquarium’s Southeast Asia Day.

Dr. Wear, the first scientist to join the board, is a member of the Ocean Sewage Alliance’s (OSA) steering committee and facilitated the Aquarium’s involvement with OSA. Dr. Wear is a marine ecologist, conservation strategy advisor, and global spokesperson at The Nature Conservancy. She is a visiting scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles and Duke University.

The nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific is a community gathering place where diverse cultures and the arts are celebrated and where important challenges facing our planet are explored.

Contacts

Claire Atkinson, (562) 951-1678

catkinson@lbaop.org