‘Aulani Wilhelm 

Trustee

‘Aulani Wilhelm is the Chief Strategy and External Affairs Officer at Nia Tero, an organization dedicated to working in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples to strengthen guardianship of Earth and all beings. She joined Nia Tero in October 2023 after serving as the Assistant Director for Ocean Conservation, Climate and Equity at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Previously she served as the Senior Vice President for Oceans at Conservation International where she co-led the Blue Nature Alliance, a global partnership to catalyze the conservation of 18 million km² of ocean. Her work bridges culture, community, and science to drive innovations in ocean policy and conservation. ‘Aulani has played a pivotal role in shaping the emerging field of large-scale ocean conservation, leading the establishment of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and World Heritage Site in Hawaiʻi. Ms. Wilhelm is also the founder of Big Ocean, a network of the world’s largest marine managed areas. Prior, she was director of ocean initiatives for NOAA’s Office of Marine Sanctuaries, and a social innovation fellow at Stanford University. ʻAulani is a Mellon Distinguished Scholar at Arizona State University’s Center for Imagination at the Borderlands. She holds a MS degree from Stanford University and a BA degree from the University of Southern California.