Vicki Nichols Goldstein

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT VICKI NICHOLS GOLDSTEIN

I believe that everyone can be an ocean champion no matter where they live. I founded the Colorado Ocean Coalition (COCO) in 2011 and in 2017, rebranded to form the Inland Ocean Coalition, an inland movement that builds land-to-sea stewardship. With over 25 years of experience in ocean policy, advocacy, community engagement, program development, and environmental negotiation, I felt that it was time to address how inland communities and the ocean are directly connected, and turn those connections into action for greater ocean and water conservation. I earned my Master’s degree in environmental studies and marine policy from Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. While at Yale, I developed education and communication programs at the Peabody Museum of Natural History and conducted research on Alaskan wetlands and Caribbean sea turtle conservation. I joined NOAA\'s National Marine Sanctuary Program where I developed national oil spill contingency plans and co-wrote the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Designation documents. I worked at the marine advocacy organization Save Our Shores (SOS) as Executive Director. For 10 years I managed SOS’s operations and facilitated community dialogue and action on numerous natural resources issues. In addition to running SOS, I served on a number of State, National, and International Councils and working groups. While at SOS, I initiated and organized the first Central California Fishermen’s Forum on Marine Protected Areas (MPA) where 150 representatives from fishing, marine science, government, and environmental organizations convened to work towards a constructive dialogue relative to MPA’s. I am bringing my experience in ocean protection, networking, and conservation to the Inland Ocean Coalition.