Dear Deeply Readers,

Welcome to the archives of Oceans Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on September 1, 2018, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on ocean health and economy. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors and contributors.

We continue to produce events and special projects while we explore where the on-site journalism goes next. If you’d like to reach us with feedback or ideas for collaboration you can do so at [email protected].

About Oceans Deeply

Oceans Deeply is an independent digital media project dedicated to covering ocean health. Our team, a mix of journalists and technologists, aims to build a better experience of the story by providing news and analysis in an easily accessible platform. Our hope is to add greater clarity, deeper understanding and more sustained public engagement at a critical moment in ocean policy.

Oceans Deeply is a part of News Deeply, a new media startup and social enterprise based in New York. We are registered as a B Corp, or Benefit Corporation, with the stated mission of advancing policy literacy through public service journalism. We receive no government funding, instead earning our revenues through a mix of foundation grants and digital-design services. Our client partners include the World Economic Forum, Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and the Baker Institute at Rice University.

We want anyone who comes to Oceans Deeply to walk away smarter and better informed about what’s happening in our world. We are fielding your feedback and story ideas through [email protected]


Todd Woody, Executive Editor, Environment

Todd oversees Oceans Deeply and News Deeply’s other environmental news platforms. A veteran environmental journalist, he previously was the editorial director for environment at TakePart, a digital magazine owned by Participant Media. Todd has also served as a reporter and editor at Fortune, Forbes, Business 2.0 and other national magazines and was the business editor of the San Jose Mercury News. He was a frequent contributor to the New York Times, The Atlantic and Quartz, covering green technology and other environmental issues. Todd is based in California, where he is an avid surfer and hiker. A former resident of Australia, he’s one of the few people to have seen the critically endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat in the wild. Todd can be reached at [email protected].

Jessica Leber, Deputy Managing Editor, Oceans Deeply

Jessica Leber is a New York City-based journalist, writer and editor who has covered environment, science, tech, and health topics for a decade. Prior to joining Oceans Deeply as deputy managing editor, she held staff positions at Fast Company, MIT Technology Review, ClimateWire, Vocativ and Change.org. She graduated from Columbia University’s Earth and Environmental Science Journalism dual-degree master’s program in 2008. Before going into journalism, she majored in environmental chemistry and worked as a geologist helping to assess and remediate some very polluted properties in New York City. After a few years, she decided she’d rather write about the fumes than breathe them in it. She can be reached at [email protected].

Ian Evans, Community Editor, Environment

Ian is the Community Editor, Environment. Before joining News Deeply, he was a freelance science journalist in Boston with a focus on environmental law and policy. He has been published in Undark Magazine, FiveThirtyEight, Nautilus, and more. Ian grew up in California, and before getting into journalism he planned on becoming an ecologist. Instead, he pursued science writing and in 2016 he earned an MS in science journalism from Boston University. When he has spare time, Ian likes to get out and go hiking, backpacking and birding. Ian can be reached at [email protected].

Created by the team at News Deeply.

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Lara Setrakian

CEO, Co-Founder and Executive Editor

Lara is an award-winning journalist, strategist and entrepreneur. She spent five years in the Middle East reporting via television, radio and digital platforms for ABC News, Bloomberg Television, the International Herald Tribune, Business Insider and Monocle magazine. Her 2009 coverage of Iran’s election protests and the Arab Awakening of 2011 garnered industry praise. Lara is a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum and a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, with a degree in government. Lara enjoys a strong yoga practice, reading poetry and cooking vegetarian meals.

Daniel Beaulieu

Chief Content Officer

Dan is responsible for content strategy and operations on all News Deeply platforms. He previously led the World Economic Forum’s Knowledge Lab, the incubation arm of the Global Agenda Councils Network. He was a founding editor of the award-winning national newspaper of the United Arab Emirates, the National, and an editor at both the Middle East and Asia headquarters of Agence France-Presse. As a regional correspondent, he took on multiple assignments in Iraq, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jerusalem, Thailand and Hong Kong. Dan also worked as a journalist for Reuters in Tokyo and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. He holds a master’s in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Samir Sheth

Chief Business Officer

Samir is responsible for business growth, strategy and operations at News Deeply. He brings with him experiences ranging from a stint as a consultant at McKinsey, to leadership positions at Sony Music and Bertelsmann, to investing in consumer and media start-ups. He holds a degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to being a passionate consumer of News Deeply content and an overall news and policy junkie, Samir enjoys playing and composing music, design and architecture, and working with his wife on a social enterprise focused on maternal health in the developing world.

Matt Unger

Chief Product Officer

Matt is the Chief Product officer of News Deeply, where he oversees digital product strategy as well as community development initiatives. Matt has decades of experience building useful and usable digital products for B2B, mobile application development, media, and retail organizations. As the Chief Digital Officer of K2 Intelligence, an investigative consultancy, he led the development of an innovative data analytics practice as well as software tools for case management, information gathering, and data visualization. At Gerson Lehrman Group, he led software initiatives to help recruit, manage, and scale the global expert network at the heart of GLG’s business. Prior to his work at GLG, he held leadership and creative technology roles at media and publishing companies like Conde Nast, iVillage, Zagat Survey, and Time Inc. He graduated from Tufts University. When he’s not at News Deeply’s New York office, he’s probably on a bicycle.

Arindam Biswas

Development Operations

Arindam is a backend developer, startup mentor and serial entrepreneur. He’s also a founder at CollectiveZen, an award-winning technology services and solutions provider with clients in India and North America. He bootstrapped his first startup in 2000 and went on to merge operations with Mixercast, where his roles included product design and management. His passions include the convergence of commoditized infrastructure, multi-gestural interfaces, the emerging ubiquity of the mobile Internet and location-based services. His daily pursuit of happiness ends with a smile when he makes a difference in the lives of the next generation.

Kim Bode

Manager, Community and Product Operations

Kim Bode is the manager of community and product operations at News Deeply, working at the intersection of community and product. Prior to joining News Deeply, she graduated from New York University’s Studio 20 program, which focuses on innovation in journalism, completing a research project with Facebook’s Journalism Partnerships team. Born and raised in Berlin, she came to New York in 2011 as Wall Street correspondent for the Financial Times Deutschland and NZZ am Sonntag, and later also reported for Die Zeit. When she manages to get offline, Kim enjoys a steady yoga practice and contemplating where to travel to next.

Arpiné Grigoryan

Director of Operations

Arpine Grigoryan is a new media professional, project manager and trainer with 15+ years of experience. Arpine is the Director of Operations at News Deeply and is the head of the Yerevan office. Arpine is actively engaged in co-organizing popular TEDx events in Armenia and the biggest Armenian tech conference BarCamp Yerevan for the past 6 years. Prior to joining News Deeply, Arpine acted as the Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications at PanARMENIAN.Net – the first Armenian online media platform. For the past decade, Arpine has led workshops and training sessions for various organizations and provided communication and marketing support for several local startups. Arpine received her Master’s degree in Management Information Systems from the State Engineering University of Armenia and has studied Information Security and Computer Science for her Bachelor’s. Her free time Arpine likes to spend reading and sewing. She has established the “Sewing Club in Armenia” with a few thousand members online.

Laura Mandel

Director, Partnerships & Business Development

Laura is responsible for sales and business development at News Deeply. Prior to joining the team, she worked in syndication and licensing for The New York Times, as well as in fundraising for a social justice philanthropy. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in History and French and is passionate about human rights, women's rights and foreign languages. Currently based in New York, Laura has lived and worked in both Paris and Jerusalem.

JC Medina

Senior Product Manager

JC is a product manager and digital producer responsible for shipping dozens of software projects since 2001. Prior to joining News Deeply, he was a senior manager at LookSmart Ltd., leading strategic initiatives in adtech, ecommerce, and social media marketing platforms. Before he moved to New York, JC managed the corporate development and mentoring program of G2VC, a venture capital firm based in Manila, Philippines. With years of entrepreneurial and corporate experience, JC has advised a handful of startups on product strategy and customer acquisition. A passionate runner, JC has completed multiple half and full marathons in the past eight years.

Ali Moore

Chief Copy Editor

Ali Moore is the chief copy editor for News Deeply. She has an extensive catalog of experience, spanning a full range of roles, from commissioning editor to project manager, and working with a number of high-profile organizations, including Microsoft, the Consumers’ Association, Reader’s Digest, Time Magazine, the Glasgow Herald, McGraw-Hill, Bertelsmann, Bloomsbury and the Institute of Education, as well as being an occasional seller of vintage clothing. When not at her desk or running a busy household, she enjoys Glasgow’s vibrant music scene.

Tania Karas

Managing Editor, Refugees Deeply

Tania Karas is managing editor of Refugees Deeply. She has reported on refugees and global migration from the US, Turkey, Lebanon, Greece and elsewhere in Europe. She was a 2015-16 Fulbright Fellow in Greece covering the country’s refugee crisis at the time of its financial crisis. Previously, she was a reporter for the New York Law Journal, a small daily newspaper, where she covered New York courts and immigration. She has degrees in journalism and political science from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

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