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You can also contact the team directly:

Jessie Turner Executive Director  

  • Jessie Turner is the Executive Director of the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance).

    A voluntary initiative of national and subnational governments, the OA Alliance works to raise ambition for climate action and transform the global response to climate-ocean change.

    As Executive Director, Jessie sets the strategic direction of the OA Alliance and develops and carries out annual programming, including contributions to international convenings. She also establishes partnerships across a variety of disciplines and coalitions, deploys communications strategies across multiple scales, and supports members in the development of practicable ocean acidification adaptation and resilience strategies.

    Jessie served as lead facilitator to the Pacific Coast Collaborative (PCC)’s Ocean Acidification and Hypoxia Working Group between 2014 and 2023. The PCC is a collaboration between the U.S. states of California, Oregon, Washington, and the Canadian Province of British Columbia working together on climate issues that impact the North American West Coast region.

    Jessie has 15 years of experience working in public policy development, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement at local to international scales. She has worked on wide-ranging issues, including affordable homeownership, healthcare, energy efficiency, food waste, climate, and marine policy.

Juliana Corrales Communications Lead & Creative Consultant

  • Juliana (Jula) is the Communications Lead and creative consultant for the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance).

    Her work has focused on providing creative direction including a complete brand revamp, the creation of an effective communications strategy and building on their science communications efforts. She also focuses on building stronger relationships with the Alliance’s Affiliate members with the aim to showcase their work through innovative collaborations.These days she’s finding new and more creative ways of ‘making the invisible visible’, bringing the ocean-climate subject to the public eye.

    With 10+ years of experience in creative communications and a MA in Sustainable Natural Resource Management, Juliana elevates the branding and communications of NGOs and initiatives to better reflect the impact of their work. Her multidisciplinary experience at an international level, gives a unique perspective that allows her to better engage with all stakeholders to create innovative communications products. Juliana is a Costa Rican ocean advocate that focuses on uniting creativity with ocean conservation.

Annika Frosch
OA Action Plan Lead &
International Policy Consultant   

  • Annika Frosch is the OA Action Plan Lead and international policy consultant at the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance).

    In this role, she is assisting members with the creation of their OA Action plans. In addition, she provides insights on policy, specifically EU directives and Regional Seas Conventions.

    Primarily Annika works as a research assistant at the Shipping Group of the Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources at UCL. Here, she is working on governance and policy within shipping and specifically the International Maritime Organization (IMO). She is interested in the interplay between the international level and the national level, including national action of member states of specific country groups such as the Caribbean. In addition, Annika is exploring the role of the shipping industry for ocean health and in particular ocean acidification. Currently she is also finishing her PhD at the European University Institute funded by the German Academic Exchange Service. Her thesis focuses on the governance of ocean acidification and specifically on finding governance solutions which can deal with the scientific reality of this complex problem.

    Previously, she has been a visiting scholar at the Asia-Pacific Center for Environmental Law at the National University of Singapore, the UCL Energy Institute Shipping Research Group, and the UC Davis Center for Environmental Policy & Behavior and the Bodega Marine Laboratory. Annika holds LL.M.s from the EUI, the University of Oslo and a Maîtrise from Aix Marseille University. In addition, she has gathered teaching experience at the School of Transnational Governance, the University of Tübingen, and Wageningen University. She is also an assistant editor at Transnational Environmental Law. Annika is interested more broadly in environmental law and the law of the sea and has recently co-authored a peer-reviewed paper on investment environmental jurisprudence.

Inken Dressler
European Project Lead, Policy & Legal Research Fellow

  • Inken Dressler is the European Project Lead, as well as policy and legal research fellow at the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance).

    As a specialist in European Law (LLB Maastricht University) and Environmental Law (LLM Uppsala University, University of Eastern Finland, UiT The Arctic University of Norway), Inken has successfully completed the Joint Nordic Master Programme in Environmental Law (NOMPEL). She has been awarded a joint degree named: Master of Legal Science (Uppsala University), Master of International and Comparative Law (University of Eastern Finland), Master of Laws (UiT The Arctic University of Norway).

    During her Bachelor studies in European Law, Inken also completed a Minor in Psychology and in Business and Law.

    In her role at the OA Alliance, she is advising on topics related to the incorporation of ocean acidification information and responses into the legal and regulatory frameworks of the European Union. The particular focus is here on EU Directives and regional seas conventions. Simultaneously, Inken is commencing a second bachelor in Biology (Universität Hamburg) to deepen her knowledge of the natural sciences.

Dr Reuben Makomere
Africa Programme Lead, Policy & Legal Research Fellow

  • Dr. Reuben Makomere, is the Africa Programme Lead as well as policy and legal research fellow at the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance).

    In his role, Dr. Makomere is contributing to, amongst other initiatives, better understanding and linking the governance of climate-ocean change to institutional changes that will be required to enable Africa to navigate the complex challenges posed by ocean acidification, climate change, and development across global, regional, and national scales. With a focus on policy design, law, and governance broadly conceived, his expertise encompasses multiple pivotal domains, including ocean acidification (OA), climate change, and developmental governance. Dr. Makomere’s academic foundation lies in the field of law, holding Ph.D. in Law from the University of Tasmania Faculty of Law. He also has a Master of Science degree, awarded with distinction, from the Tongji University in Shanghai, China. His research spans a wide spectrum, delving into the application of existing legal and policy structures to catalyse responses to critical issues such as ocean acidification, existential risk, and climate change. Dr. Makomere's contributions encompass authored book chapters and peer-reviewed publications. He has co-authored the ground-breaking book 'Africa's Right to Development in a Climate Constrained World.' This work critically dissects the intricate complexities involved in navigating the intersection of development and climate governance policies within the African context. Currently, Dr. Makomere is engaged in pioneering research, "Mapping Policy for Supporting OA Monitoring and Research in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO)", in collaboration with the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association. This pioneering initiative is dedicated to curating and developing a policy blueprint for ocean acidification monitoring and research across 10 countries in the Western Indian Ocean region. He is also a guest editor contributing to a landmark special issue titled "Just Transition in the Global South." This special issue transcends continents by including scholars from universities and research institutions across Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America. Dr. Makomere is also a University Associate at the University of Tasmania, Faculty of Law with experience in research, international diplomacy, law and policy design in several countries including Kenya, Australia, and China.’

Edith Mari
UN Decade of Ocean Science Programme Lead & U.S. Policy Consultant   

  • Edith Mari is the UN Decade of Ocean Science Programme Lead and U.S. policy consultant at the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance).

    Edith Mari specializes in synthesizing research to make climate-ocean science accessible and captivating. Edith initially joined forces with the OA Alliance as the project lead for Exploring Our Changing Ocean: Impacts and Response to Ocean Acidification in the U.S. In her current role as the UN Decade of Ocean Science project lead, Edith champions OARS outcomes #2 and #7, and supports the OA Alliance in achieving its OARS Commitment for Change. In addition to her role at the OA Alliance, Edith currently serves as a policy fellow at the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network, where she works with State agencies to advance domestic OA action toward achieving climate-ocean mitigation, adaptation, and resilience goals.

    Edith first gained experience in communicating climate science with the Alaska Ocean Acidification Network. She holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Sustainability and Indigenous Knowledge from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and an MSc. in Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management from Arkansas State University. She is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in Land Resources and Environmental Sciences from Montana State University. Edith is serious about challenging narratives that perpetuate systemic harm, and she prioritizes developing relationships with others who are practicing community accountability and cultivating emergent strategy.