Heal the Bay
CEO
Los Angeles, CA, USA
Tracy Quinn serves as President and CEO of Heal the Bay, a nonprofit that uses science, community engagement and education to protect and restore coastal waterways, beaches, and the ocean. As part of her role, Tracy oversees operations of a public aquarium and education facility at the world-famous Santa Monica Pier, where each year her staff educates over 10,000 youth from vulnerable communities about ocean health and environmental stewardship. In addition to her role at Heal the Bay, Tracy serves as an appointee of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on the Board of the Metropolitan Water District - the largest water supplier in the U.S. Prior to joining Heal the Bay, Tracy served as the Director of Urban Water Policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council where she led efforts to pass and implement climate adaption legislation and improve climate resilience and water affordability.
Offer
My theory of change is that we protect what we love and connection is the key to getting things done. I enjoy making connections between people, companies, and decision-makers that can work together to turn small steps into giant leaps. I have worked in California politics for over a decade and therefore have a lot of experience with building political strategies when legislative changes are needed.
NEED
1) The changes we are asking government and business to make to reduce pollution and improve climate resilience for our coastal waters will cost billions of dollars. There isn't sufficient government funding and we can't put that burden on ratepayers. Maybe the answer is public-private partnerships, but what does that look like and how do you ensure equitable outcomes for communities. 2) With the proliferation of electric cars and the move toward renewable energy, the largest growth market for fossil fuel companies is the production of plastic. I've spent my career using laws and regulations to get people/companies to be better actors for the planet, but those tools aren't as effective with the companies making huge profits creating harmful products. I'm interested in discussions about effective strategies for convincing companies to move away from toxic but profitable products.
Call-to-Action
In Los Angeles, some of the greatest threats to our coast & ocean are single-use plastics, climate change, and aging infrastructure. They make our waters unsafe for people and wildlife. My calls to action are: 1) Join Heal the Bay in building a new, world-class, sustainable and ethical aquarium and education facility on top of the Santa Monica Pier to allow members of the community and the millions of people who visit the pier each year to fall in love with the ocean and all the amazing marine life that call it home and then give them to the tools to help protect it. The aquarium will also be home to an aquaculture lab and workforce development program, where students can learn how to ethically grow food and repopulate endangered species. 2) Heal the Bay just filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil for its role in creating the plastic pollution crisis alongside the California Attorney General and a coalition of partner organizations. Help draw attention to the harms of single-use plastics and get ExxonMobil and other fossil fuel companies to change their harmful practices. 3) Los Angeles will be home to the 2028 Olympics and I serve on the LA28 Olympic Sustainability Committee. I'd love ideas for ways to highlight innovation around sustainability, especially through art and culture, while LA is on the world stage.
