Mobilizing students to fight for coral in Miami and the surrounding areas
Meet the Leadership Team
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Kai Lingswiler
President
Kai Lingswiler, a junior at MAST Academy, has spent his entire life on the water, fostering a deep-seated bond with the ocean and its supporting ecosystems. From a young age, his proximity to coral reefs sparked a profound appreciation for their ecological importance, leading him to become Open Water Certified to better explore and advocate for these underwater wonders. Kai translates this passion into action as both a professional and volunteer sailing instructor, where he introduces children to the sport while educating them on the vital diversity of marine life. His leadership extends well beyond the docks; he has served as the SGA Class Vice President for the last two years and is the President of the Best Buddies at his school, championing inclusion and community. By blending his love for sailing with a commitment to education, Kai works to raise awareness about climate change, hoping to inspire others to help preserve Miami’s astonishing ecosystem for future generations.
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Ava Pelt
Student Engagement
Ava Pelt is a sophomore at MAST Academy who completed her first scuba dive at age 12 and has not looked back since. Now 16, she is a rescue-certified diver with over 100 dives and is working toward her Junior Divemaster certification. Sailing is another way she stays connected to the ocean and deepens her appreciation for the marine environment. Her love for coral reef ecosystems has inspired a strong interest in reef conservation and restoration. Ava advocates for ethical diving practices and encourages others to get certified, believing that experiencing reefs firsthand is essential to appreciating their beauty and understanding the challenges they face. As a member of Students for Coral Preservation, she is committed to protecting Miami's reefs and inspiring others to safeguard the ocean for future generations.
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Mario Wood
Academic Program Director
Mario Wood is a Marine Science Teacher and sponsor of the Green Champions Club at MAST Academy on Virginia Key. As an Educational Advisor to Youth Lead Change, Mario empowers students to lead community-based environmental initiatives. A keen diver, sailor, naturalist, and former island keeper, he promotes citizen science and experiential learning to help students build stewardship, curiosity, and meaningful connections to their coastal environment. A former Program Manager with Shake-A-Leg Miami and Alumni/Facilities Coordinator at the University of Miami-RSMAS Research Station at Broad Key, he has developed and led marine education and conservation programs since 2010.
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Matilde Gomez
Media & Press Manager
Matilde Gomez is a junior at MAST Academy. Growing up Matilde has always loved animals and nature. She has spent many years of her life living in Miami were she enjoys going to the beach several times a week. From a young age she has been very passionate about nature conservation. As a vegetarian and animal lover she also grew an interest in coral and ocean preservation. Through her passion in photography Matilde strives to capture and document the SCP’s efforts to reduce coral bleaching.
Advisory Board
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Patricia Woodson
Patricia Woodson has created and facilitated programs to teach high school skills for positive environmental impact for 15 years.
An early “dot.com'“ entrepreneur, executive coach and former elected official, she provides students with interdisciplinary and experiential, project based learning through courses and workshops by experts.
Her non-profit, Youth Lead Change strives to prepare young people to be powerful leaders, teammates and advocates for a better future.
She also serves as President and Board Chair of Green Champions, LLC, a student-teacher eco-service organization at MAST Academy in Miami.
Patricia is also a member of the board of Outward Bound, a wilderness based leadership organization with schools in 36 countries.
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Andrei Steyn
Founder
Andrei Steyn is a Senior at Miami Country Day School. However, first and foremost he is an advocate and an environmentalist. When he first moved to Miami at age fourteen, he promptly fell in love with SCUBA diving. Through first-hand experience diving and cleaning reefs from around Miami-Dade County to Belize, he learned about the importance of coral reefs, marine ecosystems, and the problems presented by climate change. He was deeply moved by seeing firsthand the disastrous effects of rising sea temperatures.
Andrei is passionate about spreading awareness about the impacts of climate change, and promoting access to experiences of ecological advocacy for his school and larger community. As he’s worked on Students for Coral Preservation, he’s realized the importance of students’ voices and meaningful education about environmental issues.
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Julia Steyn
Julia Steyn is a senior executive and investor with a distinguished career spanning the automotive, industrial, and financial sectors. She currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer of VectoIQ, where she focuses on strategic investments, partnerships, and growth initiatives in next-generation mobility and technology. Previously, Julia held senior leadership roles at General Motors, Alcoa, and Goldman Sachs, building deep expertise in strategy, operations, and corporate development. She serves on the Board of Directors of Garrett Motion and Oxa, and is a Trustee of Oberlin College & Conservatory. Alongside her professional work, Julia is actively engaged in environmental and youth-focused initiatives
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Colin Foord
Colin Foord is a marine biologist, aquaculturist, artist, and filmmaker dedicated to bridging the gap between art and science to promote global reef conservation. Educated at the University of Miami and James Cook University, he co-founded the marine biological art duo Coral Morphologic, establishing the world's first multimedia coral aquaculture studio. His innovative public projects include spearheading the award-winning Coral City Camera—a 24/7 underwater live-stream that has generated millions of hours of citizen-science engagement—and serving as the Director of Science for The ReefLine, an ambitious seven-mile underwater sculpture park and artificial reef off Miami Beach.
With over 25 years of aquaculture experience, Colin has built coral labs and nurseries across the Caribbean and Florida. Through Coral Morphologic, he maintains one of the largest arks of coral biodiversity in South Florida, housing over 1,000 species from around the world. Through the Coral City Foundation he operates the Miami Native Coral Lab growing corals for restoration projects in South Florida. Beyond Miami, Colin has dived the reefs of Indonesia, Jamaica, Australia, Fiji, the Cook Islands, the Bahamas, Hawaii, the Arabian Gulf, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and the Solomon Islands. His unique approach to making marine biology accessible and visually engaging has been featured by major media outlets, including the BBC, National Geographic, The New York Times, and NPR.
