Tony Gilbert

Chief Programs Officer, SEAKEEPERS

After getting a degree in entertainment and intellectual property law in 2018, Tony Gilbert had no clue that helping out at the Coral Gables-based nonprofit Seakeepers for a couple weeks would lead to a career in ocean conservation that has now lasted five years. Today, Gilbert serves as program director, connecting data analysts and marine scientists with yacht owners and captains who donate their vessels to field research on the high seas. In addition to liaising these trips, Gilbert also takes to the water himself, contributing to the research first-hand. Some of his favorite excursions include swimming with sharks, studying ocean sunfish, and recording the vocalizations of humpback whales.

Latest Achievement

One of the most recent additions to Gilbert’s job is the supervision of a marine education program for students, the Junior Seakeepers, which shows high schoolers what a career in marine science looks like. Through the program, students are able to create their own research projects and gain access to an uncommon but rich educational experience. Seakeepers has also been meeting with tech developers to create gadgets that transform regular boats into research discovery vessels so that even small boat owners can help the cause. These devices attach to the bottom of the vessel to collect data on marine life and the environment as the ship moves through the water.

What He Says

“If you don’t take up the responsibility to keep marine life intact, it will cease to exist, at least as you currently know it,” Gilbert says. “Although our reach is global, we are still grounded and have a lot of love and pride for the Gables, and we hope that the community sees this and gives back as well.”