After spending a month of rest and relaxation at her family’s farm in upstate New York, Johnson was refocused and ready to start her next endeavor: opening her own consulting firm for conservation rooted in social justice.
In 2017 Johnson officially opened Ocean Collectiv, comprised of a “dream team” of experts spanning science, policy, community engagement, design, film, politics, education, technology, and communications. The team works collectively to design, build, and implement creative and practical solutions for a healthy ocean.
Ocean Collectiv just celebrated its first year of business, and Johnson said she is thrilled to see what the future brings. She’s particularly proud of Ocean Collectiv’s recent work with Students Rebuild, a program of the Bezos Family Foundation that mobilizes young people to take action on some of the world's most critical problems, including the health of the ocean.
The S3 event organizers said they invited Johnson to give the keynote speech because they were inspired by her work and commitment to conservation in a socially and economically conscious way.
“Throughout her career as a scientist and at Ocean Collectiv, Ayana has successfully used science to inform sustainable and socially-just business and policy,” said Kelli Mullane, a Scripps graduate student and S3 committee member. “She possesses a tremendous suite of skills and inspiring world view, both of which we believe are worth sharing with the Scripps community and beyond.”
In addition to her work with Ocean Collectiv, Johnson is an adjunct professor at New York University and mentors next generation ocean leaders. In recent years, she has become more involved with political activism, volunteering her time to co-lead the March for Science—an event that drew more than one million people to the streets worldwide in support of science in policymaking.
Johnson also shines a light on important scientific and social issues on social media and through her writing, which has been published in HuffPost, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, and more.
“Many of the reasons that I’ve had doors opened for me—or I've kicked open—happened because of something that I published, so writing turns out to be really important,” she said.
As the symposium drew to a close, Johnson encouraged students to use their voices to speak up about issues that affect them—and to register to vote.
“You are not just scientists; you are also citizens. There are a lot of things to be calling your representatives about right now. Funding for science could be one of them,” said Johnson, leaving the students with one final piece of wisdom. “Your science matters, and so does your voice.”
Whether on social media, through her company, or through her writing, Johnson is actively using her voice and platform to help lift others up too. Following the S3 presentation, Johnson participated in the “Growing up in Science” discussion and Q&A on campus, where she dug deeper into the personal and professional hurdles she’s experienced throughout her career. After the discussion concluded, Johnson reflected on the significance of her visit.
“There aren’t that many people who do what I do, so I want to be an example to younger folks,” she said. “As a woman and person of color, I understand many of their challenges. I hope that by sharing my experience, they are inspired to be braver and take more risks, because the ocean is a mess and we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
– Brittany Hook
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