Erin Eastwood is a marine conservation biologist with broad experience connecting science with public policy to advance ocean health. She is the Program Director of the National Ocean Protection Coalition, which brings together over 50 organizations committed to protecting our special ocean places. Together, the coalition advances marine protected areas in the U.S.

Prior to NOPC, Erin served as the Ocean Policy Campaign Manager at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where she advanced science-based policies to support sustainable fisheries management, ocean-based climate solutions, and tackle plastic pollution. In addition, she served as a John A. Knauss Fellow with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, advancing coastal blue carbon initiatives across federal agencies. She received her Master’s in Conservation Biology from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology from Loyola Marymount University.

Erin lives in Monterey, California where she loves to bike along the coast, go hiking in Big Sur, and visit her favorite local marine protected areas. She got her start in marine conservation doing research on the Great Barrier Reef and in the South Pacific, and takes every chance she can to visit a coral reef!