Jojo Howard
Joanne "Jojo" Howard is a small-business owner in Hawaii, who also serves on the Board of Directors for the non-profit organization Peace by Piece, which aids children in developing countries. Jojo was raised on Oahu, and like many local kids, developed her love of surfing at a young age. While tackling her Bachelor’s of Science in Business, a well-timed business and culture course took her overseas for the first time, sparking a desire to travel and meet new people. She has since traveled around the world, working in Europe, teaching in South America, and volunteering in Africa. Her love for the ocean brought her back home to Hawaii where she lives with her wife and runs her business, Gone Surfing Hawaii, established in 2010.
Michael Scott moore
Michael Scott Moore is the author of a novel called Too Much of Nothing, along with a travel book about surfing called Sweetness and Blood, which was named a best book of 2010 by both The Economist and Popmatters. He covered the 2011 trial of ten Somali pirates in Europe for Spiegel Online, then traveled to Somalia in early 2012 to research a book. He was kidnapped and held hostage for two and a half years. His memoir about the ordeal, The Desert and the Sea, came out from Harper Collins in July 2018, and he was recently interviewed on Fresh Air by Terry Gross, Joe Rogan, and many others, as the book launched.
Aaron McCall
Aaron McCall is a young grassroots activist who led the fight to spotlight the bad actions of Congressman Dana Rohrabacher as the lead community organizer and chairman of Indivisible OC 48. Under Aaron's leadership Indivisible OC 48 has grown to be a leader in the wave of resistance activism in Orange County, whether it was leading the 80 consecutive weekly demonstrations at Rorhabacher's Office, or collaborating with local groups for larger actions such as the 600+ people Coastline Protection Rally in Laguna Beach. Since taking part in the landmark victories of the 2018 Congressional Races for CA-48, Aaron has been recognized by the Orange County League of Conservation Voters as environmental Activist of the Year, and among the Orange County Register's top 100 most influential people of 2018. Aaron finds time in between fighting for climate justice to attend as many surf competitions as he can.
Robert Caughlan
Robert "Birdlegs" Caughlan started surfing in l959. He won the North Coast Surfers championship in l963, surfed in three state championships, amateur trophies in four additional decades. He wrote the first of many articles on ocean policy for Surfer Magazine in l970. He served as President of the Surfrider Foundation from l984-1992. Today, he has been leading the charge for the Surfrider Foundation's battle in The California Supreme Court for access at Martins Beach. In addition to surfing, he has worked on environmental policy for the California State Assembly, the US Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency and in the Carter White House.
Justin Housman
Justin Housman writes for Surfer Magazine, Adventure Journal, and is the editor for the Encyclopedia of Surfing. He's passionate about hiking, surfing, fishing, land rights, the environment, adventure, strange characters, and he most recently picked up engaging in electoral warfare with Russia's very own Dana Rauhbacher. Justin is married and lives in San Francisco, California. His passion for the ocean stoked his excitement to join Blue Uprising to galvinize ocean voters.
Jaimal Yogis
Writer, teacher and outdoorsman, Jaimal Yogis is the author of multiple reflective, ocean-inspired books including All Our Waves Are Water, Saltwater Buddha and The Fear Project. He is a graduate of Columbia Journalism school, and his writing has won several journalism awards, along with appearing in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, ESPN Magazine and many others. Jaimal is a compelling speaker, frequently presenting to Silicon Valley companies, advertising agencies, and univerities like UCSF and UC Berkeley. He lives in San Francisco with his family, and can be often found meditatively riding the humbling waves at Ocean Beach.
Colin Roussil
Colin currently serves as Senior Director of Investor Relations at Activision Blizzard. Previously, Colin worked in Bain & Company’s Chicago office from 2011 to 2016. During his time with Bain, Colin worked in the private equity group and with consumer and retail clients on strategy and growth cases. In addition to casework, Colin worked with the Chicago office’s Inspire non-profit consulting group and was active in Bain’s MBA recruiting efforts. His close friendship with Blue Uprising founder, Billy Rinehart, and is love for the Ocean compelled him to join this great organization. Colin’s ocean related life revolves around surfing, swimming, and the occasional scuba.
Diondra Musgrave
Diondra has worked in increasingly more senior organizing, outreach, and management roles supporting candidates in local, state-wide, and national political campaigns. Her passion for politics led her to complete the Women's Campaign School at Yale University (now The Campaign School at Yale), a non-partisan, issue-neutral leadership program designed to increase the number and influence of women in elected and appointed office in the United States and around the globe. Diondra was a featured speaker at the 2019 National Black Caucus of State Legislators Annual Legislative Conference. She spoke to state legislators from across the nation on best fundraising tips and practices.
In 2018 she worked for Virginia's Joint Democratic Caucus supervising and coordinating with senators, delegates, and staff to fundraise in the off-year election. She later served as the Interim Director for Virginia Legislative Black Caucus (VLBC) for the 2019 legislative session. She helped expand state-wide engagement and government relations. Diondra understood the need to create a cohesive policy agenda among the members for the upcoming legislative session. Her agenda united our legislative goals, explained each bill, and described the legislation's impact on the Commonwealth's most vulnerable communities. She later served as chief of staff and legislative assistant for a member of Virginia's House of Delegates, working to pass common-sense legislation that works for all Virginians.
Diondra earned her Bachelor of Arts from George Mason University in Global Affairs, with a concentration in Global Governance and is now earning her Master's of Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.
Diondra always loved the ocean but fell in love with surfing after taking a backpacking trip across Europe. On the shores of Portugal, she caught her first wave and now take every opportunity to surf.
Stephanie Lee
Currently, Stephanie is the CEO of SELFMADE, majority female and person of color led startup creating everyday personal care and digital products to institute rituals of mental health. She began her journey as a field organizer on the Obama presidential campaign and then joined the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee. From working within the Administration serving under the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, she was quickly tapped to work at the White House on the staff of the First Lady Michelle Obama. In 2014, Stephanie moved to NYC and transitioned into the prestige beauty industry as a product developer at the global brand, MAC Cosmetics. Simultaneously reckoning with depression and anxiety, Stephanie left the corporate world to travel the globe solo where she's a wanna-be who has taken lessons and attempted surfing all over Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Spain and more. There she recognized the gravity of human's environmental impact and the importance of changing our behavior for humanity.
Salim Zymet
Salim Zymet is a digital strategist with nearly 10 years of experience who has helped manage multi-million dollar ad buys and raised millions of dollars online for progressive candidates and causes. He most recently worked at Crowdpac as the Director of Engagement and Marketing, a startup that helps political candidates raise money online.
In 2016, as Digital Director for Hillary Clinton in Ohio, he managed a team of 9 staff and 5 full-time fellows that amassed millions of social media views, nearly 100,000 social media followers, 52,000 online volunteer shifts and 175,000 online event RSVPs within the 6 months of the coordinated campaign. Before that, Salim was the Digital Engagement Director at AirbnbNYC, managing a team of 6. Prior to AirbnbNYC, Salim managed a team of consultants and 3 staff that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and engaged hundreds of thousands of Iowans online for Bruce Braley’s senate race in 2014.
In 2013, Salim was a Digital Advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) during the Affordable Care Act’s first period of open enrollment, where he managed a $750,000 online ads budget. Salim got his start in politics on the Obama 2012 campaign, where he served as a digital organizer in Southern California and Chicago in 2011. In 2012, he served as the deputy digital director in Ohio.
Salim is a UCLA alumnus with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Civic Engagement, and in his free time loves learning how to play the guitar, seeking out the best Mac and Cheese around town, and exploring nature through skiing, rafting, and hiking.
JAMIE LYNN MANISCALCO
Jamie Lynn is the Director of Blue Uprising Virginia specializing in fundraising, candidates training and launching political operations. Jamie has spent the better part of a decade raising money for democratic entities and campaigns including: President Obama’s PAC, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Governor Terry McAuliffe’s PAC, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Emerge America, and the Democratic Party of Virginia to name a few. Jamie started out as a field organizer for President Obama’s re-election campaign and served the Presidential Inaugural Committee in 2012. Since then – Jamie has raised millions for democrats, launched a company, trained over 600 women how to raise money for their campaigns. Jaimie is a devout yogini, loves her dog Khaleesi and lives to paint while blasting music. Jamie studied Political Science & Philosophy at East Carolina University. With her knowledge of history, politics, and personal guiding principal that “all is one” – Jamie believes climate change is the greatest challenge mankind will face. It is a test for humanity where it will be imperative for us to collectively drop the ego and work towards the greater good fo us all to pass.