Marea Hatziolos Grant

Marea Hatziolos Grant is the daughter-in-law of the late James P. Grant. She is a marine ecologist and international development specialist who works at the intersection of marine conservation and sustainable development on solutions to environmental problems that are evidence based, inclusive and just. Marea received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Wellesley College and earned a PhD in Zoology and Ecology from UC, Berkeley. Starting out as a field ecologist in tropical marine ecosystems around the world, she became increasingly interested in the socio-ecological systems that define the relationship between coastal communities and their marine resources, which they depend on for food, livelihoods and economic development. After receiving a AAAS Science, Engineering and Diplomacy Fellowship to work at USAID, she transitioned to a career in international development. This included 20 years at the World Bank, where she advocated for the need to incorporate coastal and marine sustainability concerns into the Bank’s operations and policies. These early efforts helped put ocean issues on the Bank’s development agenda and catalyze a growing portfolio of investments in the Blue Economy, today worth tens of billions of dollars. Following her retirement from the World Bank, Marea continues to be engaged on ocean issues, including mentoring the next generation of ocean leaders. Most of her time, though, is focused on translating global environmental issues into scalable efforts on the ground in and around her native Washington, DC. There she engages with local government, NGOs and residential communities to take on environmental challenges, including sustainable living and climate change.