Dr. Will Heyman is a multi-disciplinary marine scientist, educator, and conservationist with over 20 years of experience. He has been employed in the private sector, the non‑government non‑profit sector, as an Associate Professor at Texas A&M University. Much of his professional career has been focused on tropical marine conservation with emphasis on developing science-based, and community-based solutions to complex problems of sustainable use of marine resources. Dr. Heyman has raised over $10 million in grant and private contract funding, supervised up to four employees at a time, and lead multi-national conservation programs. He has produced over 40 peer‑reviewed publications, myriad abstracts, technical reports, and talks at various international conferences. He has supervised three PhDs and two MS students (as chair) and also served on the board of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute and the Sanctuary Advisory Council for the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Dr. Heyman has served as editor and reviewer for several federal and non‑government granting institutions and reviewed papers for journals in many fields including marine ecology, hydrology, fisheries, and oceanography. He is an avid SCUBA diver and underwater scientist, and has shot and published underwater photographs and digital video in several venues and my work has been highlighted in the New York Times, National Geographic among others.

Philosophically, Dr. Heyman holds the highest ethical standards and works toward sustainable, resilient coastal communities and ecosystems. He believes that these solutions can be arrived at by consensus through broadly inclusive and robust multi-disciplinary science and effective communication between stakeholders that include policy makers, scientists, and the private sector.