The Vision
The Institute is led by an Advisory Committee of leading national experts chosen for their diverse backgrounds and expertise. This committee helps to set the Institute's priorities and guide its activities.

The Advisory Committee Chairman is Dr. Michael Orbach, professor of Marine Affairs and Policy and Director of the Coastal Environmental Management Program in the School of the Environment at Duke University.

The Institute's Director, Barbara Lausche, J.D., has extensive experience in national and international environmental law, especially as it relates to marine issues.

Dr. Frank Alcock is the Marine Policy Institute's immediate past Director and he continues to serve as a senior fellow. Alcock is a former Belfer Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

In addition to this excellent staff and Advisory Committee, the Marine Policy Institute strives to create additional partnerships with other organizations, especially focused on the Gulf of Mexico region.

As stated in the 2010-2014 strategic plan, the long-term vision for the Institute is "to be recognized as an organization that focuses on both opportunities and problems in the marine and coastal environment with the view of promoting better integration of the natural and social sciences and improved knowledge for decision-makers and stakeholder groups on issues that require public policy attention." 

Policy Areas

• Sea Level Rise
• Red Tide
• Oil Drilling in the Gulf
• Land-Sea Interactions Symposium
• Marine Protected Areas
• Marine Connectivity
• The Caribbean and Biodiversity Law