Meet the Alliance Team

Throughout 2023, we are sitting down with members of the team to learn about their background and work for the Blue Nature Alliance. This June, we hear from our teammate Grace Reville, Regional Lead of United States and High Seas Engagements.  

Tell us about your educational and professional background. What drew you to the field of ocean conservation?

I grew up on the coast of New England and many of my childhood memories involve playing in tide pools, attempting to surf, and catching small crabs with my sisters by casting twine and clothespins from the dock. It wasn’t until I was in college though that I started to think seriously about a career in ocean conservation. I took a fields studies course in Belize that gave me the opportunity to snorkel for the first time and my mind was blown by the explosion of life in those tropical waters. I knew then that I wanted to pursue understanding this environment more deeply. I spent the following semester as a student in residence at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Science in Boothbay, Maine and later spent a semester abroad in Zanzibar, Tanzania where I learned about resource management in a coastal community very different from the one in which I grew up. 

When I graduated from college, I knew I had a lot to still learn and was eager to broaden my understanding of other cultures and coastal communities. I joined the Peace Corps and served for two years in a small fishing community in the Philippines. The fisherfolk there introduced me to marine protected areas and taught me so much about what it means to steward your resources. I’m so grateful for their willingness to teach me and their lessons continue to guide my personal approach to ocean conservation.    

What is your role in the Blue Nature Alliance and what are you currently working on?

As a Regional Officer for the Blue Nature Alliance, I am focused primarily on supporting partnerships to advance ocean conservation in areas within the United States and high seas regions. I’m currently focused on supporting active engagements in the Pacific, the northeast Atlantic, and other active and potential engagements all over the globe. 

In March, the world saw governments align on a historic agreement for the high seas. Can you tell us a bit about the High Seas Treaty?

The high seas treaty is one of the most exciting and important milestones for ocean conservation that I’ve been able to witness in my career. A high seas treaty unlocks the potential for holistic area-based conservation in nearly 50% of the planet and I talk more about this in a recent blog post here. Before joining the Alliance, I was fortunate to be a part of a team at Pew Charitable Trusts that works to support the high seas treaty negotiations. I learned so much from that team and the broader conservation community that has dedicated so much time over the last decade to these efforts and I will never forget the feeling of awe while joining the negotiations at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

What are you looking forward to in the year ahead?

With so much global momentum for ocean conservation, I’m excited for all that is in store in the year ahead and beyond. I’m particularly excited to continue working closely with the many wonderful partners we support and I'm also very happy to see community-driven processes be the focus for governments as they seek to fulfill international environmental and sustainability commitments.