Hobart and William Smith Colleges

20 April 2011 Cousteau Continues Legacy

Continuing the long and powerful legacy of marine conservation started by his grandfather Jacques Cousteau, Philippe Cousteau Jr., chief executive officer of EarthEcho International, will bring this years Presidents Forum Series to a close on Tuesday, April 26. Joining the Colleges as they celebrate Earth Week, Cousteau will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the Vandervort Room of the Scandling Campus Center.

In addition to his work with non-profits, Cousteau serves as the chief ocean correspondent for the Animal Planet and Planet Green channels, and has collaborated on several documentaries focused on water and oceans. Recently, he hosted the series Oceans,produced by the Discovery Channel and the BBC. At the Discovery Channel, he serves as the chief spokesperson for environmental education. He has written articles for and been featured in a number of notable publications includingNational Geographic.

Cousteau is also co-founder of Azure Worldwide, a strategic environmental design, development and marketing company, and currently serves on the board of directors of The Ocean Conservancy, Marine Conservation Biology Institute, the National Environmental Education Foundation, and the Advisory Board of Discovery Communications Inc.s Planet Green. He holds a masters degree in history from the University of St. Andrews.

Established in the winter of 2000 by President Mark D. Gearan, the Presidents Forum Series is designed to bring a variety of speakers to campus to share their knowledge and ideas with students, faculty and staff of the Colleges, as well as with interested community members. Before serving as President of HWS, Gearan was the director of the Peace Corps. He also served in the White House as Assistant to the President and Director of Communications, as well as Deputy Chief of Staff during the Clinton administration.

This academic year, forum speakers have included Chief White House Correspondent and Political Director of NBC Chuck Todd, Chair and CEO of Chegg.comDaniel L. Rosensweig 83, 9th Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire of the Episcopal Church V. Gene Robinson, award-winning journalist John Hockenberry, and U. S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Womens Issues Melanne Verveer. Past speakers include author, civil rights activist and Princeton University Professor Cornel West, former Governor of Vermont Howard Dean, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai SC.D.94, P94, P96.