Chris Kellems is a retired sustainable building advisor from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. She is the owner of a company named Sustainable Building Concepts. Kellems has a deep understanding of the history and current issues of her hometown, particularly those related to the waterfront. She is well-versed in the historical significance of Sturgeon Bay as a harbor town with a working waterfront, which was once a hub for shipbuilding, yacht building, and agricultural product port.

Chris Petersen, a professor of biology and ecology at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, ME.  He has worked with undergraduates on Mount Desert Island, at multiple locations in the Caribbean, and the Pacific Northwest, and is currently collaborating with researchers with several groups in Maine including the Penobscot East, the University of Maine, and Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory.

Chellie Pingree, a United States congresswoman from North Haven, ME, whose work focuses on fisheries policy issues, speaks about her work speaking to local lobstermen and how this year’s conversations have focused on concerns about the future of the fisheries with warming temperatures. She describes her own concerns for the future of her island community and the values and necessities of island life.

Cormac Hondros-McCarthy, from Lowell, MA, is part of a team of engineers at LobsterLift LLC developing ropeless lobster traps to reduce the risk of whale entanglement.

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Dan Harriman is a fisherman who operates the state’s last mackerel weir in Cape Elizabeth, ME. His family came to the US from Denmark in the 1980s. He speaks about his experience fishing and discusses the issues he sees in the fishing industry such as unsustainability and lack of access. He believes these challenges stem from knowledge not being passed between generations and suggests that change needs to come from the bottom up.

Dana Morse, from Walpole, ME, is a seasoned professional in the field of aquaculture and marine resource management. With over two decades of experience as a member of the Maine Sea Grant Program, he has dedicated his career to education, research, and technology transfer in the industry. As a co-founder of the Nice Oyster Company, Morse is also an oyster farmer, bringing practical hands-on knowledge to his work and bridging the gap between academia and industry.

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Daniel Devereaux, from Brunswick, ME, is harbor master, clam warden, and cofounder of Mere Point Oyster Company in Maquoit Bay.

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Dave Alexander is the Executive Director of Downtown Muskegon Now, in Muskegon, Michigan. His work is deeply rooted in the community, which is located on the shores of Lake Michigan and is the largest deep water port on their side of the lake in the state of Michigan. Alexander's community is also the largest urban community along that waterfront and the second largest county along that waterfront. His work is influenced by the unique geographical features of Muskegon, including Muskegon Lake, which he describes as defining the community.

Dave Cousens is a veteran lobster fisherman from Waterman's Beach, South Thomaston, Maine. He played a crucial role in fostering cooperation between American and Canadian lobster fishermen. Dave's dedication to sustainable fishing practices and his efforts to educate younger generations about the industry have made him a respected leader in the lobster community.

Dave Lemberg is a professor of Geography at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. His work and research have been primarily focused on water trails in Michigan for the past twenty years. Lemberg's interest in outdoor recreation initially revolved around underground caves, but upon moving to Michigan for his university job, he shifted his focus to water due to the state's extensive navigable waterways. He has been instrumental in developing a Heritage Water Trail program for the state of Michigan and a linear coastal trail on Lake Michigan from Indiana to Wisconsin.