At the age of 19, Daniela V. Fernandez founded Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) as a college dorm room idea at Georgetown University. Since 2014, Daniela has built SOA into a global organization that is cultivating and accelerating innovative solutions to protect and sustain the health of the ocean with a network of 6,000+ Young Ocean Leaders, 80+ International Ocean Hubs, 270+ Ocean Solution Startups and Grassroots Projects, 230+ Mentors, and more.

Today, Daniela is recognized as an international thought leader and has been honored as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, Linkedin's Top Voices in Social Impact, World Economic Forum Global Shaper, and a member of the Friends of Ocean Action.