Letter from Julie Packard

We know today that thriving ocean ecosystems are essential for sustaining life on Earth, and that our own survival ultimately relies on them.

Since opening 40 years ago, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has helped people experience and appreciate the sea, deepening their understanding of its complex and fragile nature, and taking action to protect its future. We know now that healthy ocean ecosystems are critical to enabling life on Earth to exist, and that our very survival depends on them. There’s much to celebrate in the progress we’ve made over the past 40 years, but we’re losing time. Slowing the pace of climate change and human impact on the ocean demands more of us. We must step up to the challenge. Using the trusted voice and strong brand we’ve built over time, the Aquarium will now harness our momentum to transform public understanding and action.

Our new strategic plan is anchored in an updated set of values that recommit us to the core beliefs that have underpinned this great institution from the beginning. It frames a new vision that centers human well-being as both a critical goal and a central driver in achieving our mission. It builds on our strengths as a beloved place to visit, a vast virtual community of ocean lovers and learners, a trusted source of science-based information, a powerful voice in ocean conservation, and a place of joy and renewed hope for humanity and nature.

The plan puts forward new directions for our work through four strategic commitments, with accompanying objectives. Through our first commitment, we’ll invest in our core strength as an aquarium—creating innovative experiences that inspire, connect, and promote action. Key objectives include investment in digital engagement, exhibit innovation, early learners and youth leadership, and long-term facilities maintenance. We’re committing to cultivating an equitable and thriving organization with people at the center, guided by our new equity roadmap that was developed by a broad team over the past year. Our strategic commitment to catalyze financial growth to advance our mission recognizes that revenue growth is imperative to sustain our mission, and we need to look beyond visitation for new sources of earned revenue, manage our assets wisely, and evolve our technology systems. Our fourth strategic commitment calls for us to activate our communities around climate resilience and approach conservation through the lens of environmental justice—advocating for both a healthy ocean and healthy communities worldwide.

Our plan highlights and elevates our commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in all areas of our work. As in the past, the talent, creativity, and conviction of our teams will drive our success, and in the next phase of our history we’re aiming for a new level of collaboration across workgroups to become a fully integrated aquarium and conservation organization.

This plan reflects insights, ideas, and advice from hundreds of people. The team who drafted it involved staff from all levels and every work group, as well as community stakeholders, thought leaders, and experts from beyond our walls, with guidance from our Board of Trustees all along the way. The final product benefited immensely from the deep knowledge and diverse perspectives contributed by those who shared their time with us, and by the staff who spent many hours crafting the plan. We’re excited to move forward with this new framework to guide and bring focus to our work in the next five years, and we look forward to sharing our progress toward creating a future where the ocean flourishes and people thrive.

–Julie Packard
Executive Director