Ocean Rescue Alliance - Female Executive of the Year

Company: Ocean Rescue Alliance
Company Description: Ocean Rescue Alliance (ORA) is a marine conservation and restoration non-profit organization that creates innovative and artistic artificial reefs to restore marine environments, enhance habitats, and provide unique diving locations, while engaging the community.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Female Executive of the Year – Government or Non-Profit –10 or Less Employees

Nomination Title: Shelby Thomas

Shelby Thomas is a current Marine Biology Ph.D. student who founded Ocean Rescue Alliance (ORA), a marine conservation and restoration non-profit organization that creates innovative and artistic artificial reefs to restore marine environments. Shelby serves as ORA’s CEO and Director of Research and her leadership has driven the organization to develop novel artificial reef technologies and research contributing to advances in marine restoration. She is passionate about protecting our ecosystems and aims to inspire a generation of environmentalist through her outreach and education efforts. Shelby is making big strides in marine conservation and restoration, and she does this all while leading a non-profit, being a student, and engaging with her community.

Shelby Thomas’s leadership has been pivotal in the success of Ocean Rescue Alliance. She was the driving force behind ORA’s first artificial reef deployment in August 2019 off the coast of Palm Beach County, Florida known as the 1000 Mermaids Project, which has since grown to 85 reef modules. Given the success of the project and major impact on the marine habitat and local economy, other neighboring cities have plans for similar deployments such as Dania Beach (summer of 2021). Currently, Shelby is responsible for the over 200 reef installations deployed by ORA throughout Florida with more planned throughout the Caribbean. She has recruited leading artists to create innovative methods for delivering conservation awareness, started and manages a highly successful ORA internship program, and has been interviewed by local and national media outlets numerous times. Shelby’s leadership has also been the cornerstone of developing industry-leading coral out-planting technologies that increase productivity (such as the Coral Lok System) and has keep ORA involved in critical restoration research. Shelby is a stanch advocate to educating the public directly and through community engagement. For example, ORA developed an innovative citizen science program called Coral Rangers where community members participate in workshops, cleanups, reef monitoring programs, monthly seminars, and more. Most recently, Shelby participated in a Boy Scouts of America camp. Her determination has greatly enhanced at-risk marine habitats while providing creative, economic, and educational opportunities to the benefit and enjoyment of residents, students, and visitors alike.

Unlike other organizations, Shelby was determined to keep ORA’s artificial reefs unique and blend science, art, and innovation to not only restore marine habitats, but also engage the public in a very tangible way. Whether it be through exploring an ORA dive site or commemorating a loved one through a memorial reef, people can not only support marine restoration efforts, but also interact with and play a part in these efforts. Furthermore, it has been under Shelby’s leadership that ORA has put more reef-like structures in the water than almost any other organization, and she shows no signs of slowing down. Shelby is working towards the next deployment of artificial reefs and continues to explore new avenues for growth. Through Shelby’s leadership, ORA re-writes the model on reef restoration by creating a completely unique organization that uses a purely scientific approach and blends best practices with innovative research, artistic inspiration, collaborative techniques, and education and outreach initiatives. The diverse alliance Shelby has created is easily observed thought the impressive list of ORA partnering organizations in academia, state and federal agencies, other non-profits, and industry leaders (see https://www.oceanrescuealliance.org/partners). In less than 3 years, ORA has gone from a relatively unknown organization to a major player in the reef restoration industry currently in major negotiations with federal, state, and private stakeholders interested in starting new, innovative projects designed to protect coastal community infrastructure and economies while restoration habitats and educating the next generation.

Reference any attachments of supporting materials

The link titled Ocean Rescue Alliance Website will lead you to ORA’s website. Here you can learn more about ORA’s mission, history, projects, and learn more about Shelby.

The link titled Ocean Rescue Alliance Overview Video will lead you to a short YouTube video highlighting ORA's work and projects.

The link titled Ocean Rescue Alliance Good Morning America Feature will lead you to a segment Shelby did for Good Morning America, highlighting the great exposure this growing organization is getting.