Our team
We’re spread across the globe, supported by specialist experts and advisors, and united by our belief that real change is possible.
Leadership
Dean Fischer
Co-Founder & Head of Solutions
Geographer turned tech-entrepreneur, Dean’s always looking for new ways to help the planet. When not building Only One, he’ll be writing music, renovating, or getting lost in the woods.
Inverness, Scotland
Jeremiah Kittredge
Co-Founder & CEO
With a background in education and politics, Jeremiah is a lifelong ocean lover — though watching him surf, you’d never know! He lives with his wife, children, and two dogs.
New York, New York, USA
Maïssa Rababy
Head of Campaigns
With a background in tech and a passion for the ocean, Maïssa grew up between the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains. Most of the year, you’ll find her on a surfboard or a pair of skis.
Paris, France
Zoë Sanders
Chief of Staff
An arts writer who later fell under the ocean’s spell and never looked back, Zoë loves cold water swimming in the sea near her home city on the southeast coast of England.
Brighton & Hove, England
John Studer
Senior Finance Director
As a drummer with a background in business and accounting, John enjoys collaborating in groups to serve a greater purpose. He grew up in Rhode Island and often returns to the beaches to build sandcastles with his family.
New York, New York, USA
Conservation Storytellers
Shawn Heinrichs
Marine Conservationist, Filmmaker & Co-Founder
Fueled by his passion for the ocean, Shawn fuses dramatic imagery with intimate, thought-provoking storytelling to connect a global audience with threatened marine species and habitats.
Boulder, Colorado, USA
shawnheinrichs.com
John Weller
Photographer, Writer, Filmmaker & Senior Fellow
An acclaimed photographer, filmmaker, and writer, John has spent nearly 20 years defending the ocean. He helped lead the global campaign to secure the world’s largest marine protected area in the Ross Sea, Antarctica.
Boulder, Colorado, USA
johnbweller.comCampaigns
Carrie Chau Hellinger
Senior Project Manager
A former culinary and hospitality publicist, Carrie is always dreaming of her next adventure. She feels most alive exploring a new destination or out in nature, especially near water.
Washington, DC, USA
Sam Collins
Senior Campaign Manager
Having dabbled in genetics and field biology before being swept into ocean policy and activism, Sam is endlessly fascinated by how the natural world works. A proud Scot at heart, he’s often found in, under, or floating on top of the ocean.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Zach Head
Campaign Manager
Trekking from the plains of Texas to the coasts of California, Zach champions stewardship of our planet as a writer, filmmaker, and — of course — campaigner.
Los Angeles, California, USA
Katie Lin
Senior Campaign Manager
When she’s not unpacking creative briefs, Katie can be found on a beach or forest trail with her daughter and dog — or tuning out all the noise with a true crime podcast.
Qualicum Beach, BC, Canada
Alexandros Nikolaidis
Government Affairs Director
Alexandros (“Alex”) has a background in government affairs, developing and executing campaigns across the EU. Originally from the Greek island of Andros, the ocean has shaped his life since birth. When he isn’t diving into policy, Alex can be found scuba diving or skiing.
London, England
Solutions
Paul Farning
Engineering Director
From his roots in the Midwest, Paul followed a path of skateboarding, snowboarding, and rock 'n' roll. He first experienced the ocean on the Pacific Northwest coast.
Vermont, USA
Kate Insley
Senior Content Manager
A scuba instructor and experienced ocean communicator, Kate spends her days off exploring shipwrecks, finding the best burritos in town, or planning her next dive trip.
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Rosanna Littooij
Marketing Director
With a marketing career spanning retail, brand, and climate, Rosanna (“Rose”) is driven by stories that move people — and the planet — forward. She finds her zen in yoga flows, forest walks, and open-water diving.
Berlin, Germany
Danny Mallas Pereira
Senior Director, Product Management
Made breathless by the power and beauty of the ocean, Danny is driven by the joy of solving problems while leading people and products to their best versions. In her free time, she’s often out in nature — surfing, sailing, or cooking with loved ones.
Biarritz, France
Joanna Marcus
Senior Creative Manager
Joanna is a designer and illustrator whose love for wildlife, climate justice, and art found a way to collide.
Brighton & Hove, England
Metro
Senior Director, Product Design
Passionate about doing the most good for the world, Metro is driven to design products that tackle the world’s most complex problems. She feels most at ease at the top of a mountain or under the water.
Barcelona, Spain
Rossouw Oosthuizen
Designer
With the environment as his core driver, Rossouw designs experiences that make complex issues understandable and actionable. When he’s not designing, he tends his farm in Portugal, climbs rocks, or plays at the beach with his baby and dog.
Ericeira, Portugal
Chad Richmond
Post-Production Director
An artist with an education in biology, Chad dedicates his filmmaking career to inspiring people to take action. His favorite pastime is surfing and exploring beautiful coastlines.
Carlsbad, California, USA
Bastien Roll
Senior Marketing Director
Ex-techie turned ocean advocate, Bastien spends most of his free time in the water, chasing waves, wind, and depths.
Paris, France
Alex Sumaila
Senior Front-End Engineer
Alex loves sport and nature, and enjoys watching and playing football, tennis, and video games with friends and family.
Abuja, Nigeria
Dorothy Taal
Co-Founder & Head of Design
An eco-entrepreneur since the age of eight, Dorothy never feels more alive than at the top of a mountain she’s climbed — or designing the next ambitious project.
Inverness, Scotland
Ben Wolman
Senior Editorial Manager
Inspired by his earth science and urban planning background, Ben is awestruck by our planet, and our power to change it. An advocate of sustainable environments both built and natural, he can often be found valiantly attempting to stargaze from his New York apartment.
New York, New York, USA
Omar Zaki
Video Editor
A perpetual adventurer and challenge seeker, Omar is driven by an unending curiosity and shaped by their passions for martial arts, skateboarding, and filmmaking. Living between Cairo and Miami, they have embraced diverse cultures, immersing themselves in thrilling experiences.
Cairo, Egypt
Business Operations
Cameron Beene
Development Director
With a background in human rights advocacy, Cameron enjoys building relationships to tackle global challenges. He grew up running and cycling on the California coast and hiking in the Sierra Nevada, where he fell in love with the outdoors.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Katarina Cucullo
Operations Manager
Katarina (“Kat”) is an organizational researcher and creator who believes impactful storytelling builds community and encourages transformation. When not being instrumental to Only One's world order, Kat can be found capturing stories on the shores or the summits.
New York, New York, USA
Board
Leila Aly El Deen
Director
Leila is the founder of Secure Energy Project, a strategic communications organization dedicated to winning the global transition to clean energy. She is a seasoned expert in campaigns, strategic communications, grantmaking, and community organizing, having built and led programs for Greenpeace, Purpose Climate Lab, C40 Cities, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Global Fund for a New Economy.
Jennifer Howard
Treasurer
A leading international scientist and Vice President for Natural Climate Solutions and Integrity at Conservation International, Jennifer (Jen) focuses on implementing scalable mechanisms to conserve ocean and coastal ecosystems to protect vulnerable communities, combat climate change, and conserve biodiversity.
Robert Kreider
Director
Robert (Rob) is President of Trafigura Trading LLC, a leading commodities group. He lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife, Maria, and their three children. An advocate for ocean conservation, Rob has spent many hours scuba diving and fly fishing in remote locations around the world. He holds a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Allen Penn
Chair
Allen spent more than seven years at Uber in leadership roles, including Vice President of Global Operations for Uber Eats. Most recently, he served as President and COO of Ready, a healthtech startup, and is the founder of Framework, his own bathhouse brand. Allen and his wife, Rachel, are avid scuba divers and live in Nashville, Tennessee, with their children.
Emma Shapiro
Secretary
Emma is a senior strategic communications advisor with more than 15 years of experience supporting organizations and leaders through growth and heightened public visibility. Her work spans narrative development, campaign strategy, and brand positioning across politics, advocacy, entertainment, media, and social impact. She is the founder of Four Dot Communications.
Celina de Sola
Director
Celina is Salvadoran and has spent more than 25 years working in international development. She is the co-founder of Glasswing International, which partners with communities to advance education and mental health initiatives across 12 countries in the Americas. Celina has been passionate about wildlife and conservation for as long as she can remember.
Our ambassadors
We’re fortunate to have a growing community of ocean ambassadors from diverse fields, rallying their networks to do good for the planet.
Our story
Only One was founded on the belief that the ocean and climate crisis is one of the defining challenges we face, and meeting it requires new ways of thinking, creating, and acting to mobilize people and resources at scale.
Filmmaker and marine conservationist Shawn Heinrichs, who founded the Blue Sphere Foundation, helped shape Only One’s mission, strategy, and early direction. He continues to provide visionary leadership while driving storytelling and advocacy.
The founding team included Shawn Heinrichs, Jeremiah Kittredge (CEO), Dean Fischer (Head of Solutions), Dorothy Taal (Head of Design), Aaron Kinnari (former Head of Growth), and Kara McCarthy (former Head of People Operations).
Today, Only One works with partners across sectors to design and run campaigns that shape ocean and climate policy worldwide.
Our core values
We build a culture of teamwork and transparency in everything we do.
Ambition
We focus on helping the ocean and climate movement achieve the scale and impact truly needed, through bold investments in storytelling, base-building, and campaigns. We challenge ourselves and our supporters to think big and long term, look beyond convention, and strive for excellence every day.
Creativity
We innovate, rather than duplicate, leveraging user-oriented technology solutions, world-class content, and an impact-driven team to fill longtime gaps in our movement. We make strategic investments in new and sometimes unproven approaches, yet are clear-eyed in assessing their effectiveness.
Optimism
We work to instill hope, energy, and enthusiasm in our supporters, team members, and wider community. We maintain a growth mindset, breaking down the barriers of apathy and exhaustion, turning challenges into impactful opportunities, and offering everyone the chance to be part of the solution.
Respect
We value inclusivity and believe that everyone has a unique and critical role to play in healing our planet. We support ocean and climate advocates and storytellers with diverse experiences and goals, acting as a bridge of connectivity and an amplification tool for their voices and impact.
Join the crew
We’re serious about restoring ocean health and tackling the climate crisis in this generation. We’re also serious about building a culture that prioritizes well-being at work in a world that’s often stressful. We look for people who will uplift others and be inspired to maximize their impact for the planet.
