Team

Executive Director

Ana Blanco
Ana Blanco is our Executive Director, and joined us in 2011 for the 8th Annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival.  Ana brings more than ten years of extensive experience in executive non-profit management and event planning with various organizations in the Bay Area. She has served as a volunteer, board member, staff member and donor.

Most recently she held the role of Development Director with The BizWorld Foundation, an educational entrepreneurship curriculum for young students and prior to that she served as the Donor Relations officer for the San Francisco Foundation. Her passion for the ocean is exemplified in her commitment as a volunteer with The Bluewater Foundation, dedicated to introducing at-risk youth to the joys and challenges of sailing on the San Francisco Bay.

Board of Directors

Maria Brown, President  has lead federal government ocean conservation and management programs in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past nine years. Maria is actively leading efforts to respond to climate change in the marine environment; to restore critical estuarine habitats, seabird colony roosting and breeding sites, and rocky intertidal habitats; to conserve white sharks; to strengthen emergency response preparedness; and to inspire ocean conservation.
Prior to working for the federal government she was a founding member and Executive Director of the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, a non-profit cooperating association dedicated to protecting the Gulf of the Farallones. She also served on President Clinton’s Council on Sustainability’s Environmental Literacy Task Force and staffed the Secretariat of University Presidents for a Sustainable Future. Maria received her bachelor’s of science from the University of California at Berkeley and her master’s from Tufts University.

Charlie Boyd, Treasurer joined the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival leadership in 2008 after being an active supporter of the Festival since inception. He is an ocean lover with favorite trips scuba diving in Australia, windsurfing in Maui, and sailing the Virgin Islands. Closer to home, Charlie regularly windsurfs in the San Francisco Bay and has completed several Escape From Alcatraz triathlons.

Anthony DuComb, Vice-President  joined the Board of Directors in 2011 and brings an extensive background in legal experience, having practiced law for 35 years, specializing in all aspects of employment and labor law litigation. He recently retired as the Managing Counsel, Pacific Area Law Office, of the United States Postal Service, where he advised USPS officers and executives.

Anthony has been involved with the festival since its creation, originally working to help secure financial partners, and as a donor and participant since then.  He is actively involved in Swim Across America, raising funds for cancer research.  He is an active member of the historic Dolphin Swimming and Boating Club serving as Board President and other key leadership roles.  Anthony himself is an avid triathlete and open water swimmer who has completed a six-person relay team swim across the English Channel, competed in the Mt. Washington New Hampshire Bicycle Hill Climb, and raced in numerous Half-Ironman and Ironman triathlons.

Kip Evans is a professional photographer, underwater explorer, and award-winning cinematographer. Throughout his career, Kip has collaborated with many notable organizations and individuals. For over 10 years, he has worked on several National Geographic Society projects including the Sustainable Seas Expeditions, serving as the chief photographer for noted marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle. During this project, Kip traveled in the US, Mexico, American Samoa, and Belize, exploring remote offshore underwater canyons, pinnacles, and reefs, and spending over 300 hours diving submersibles at depths of 1,800 feet.

Kip joined the Sylvia Earle Alliance in 2008, as the Director of Photography and Expeditions. Since then he has lead expeditions to Belize, Cuba, and Mexico, documenting “hope spots”, special areas of the ocean that need critical protection. As a cinematographer, Kip has worked on a number of underwater documentaries, including specials for CNN, BBC, Discovery Channel, and National Geographic, including “Pearl Harbor – Legacy of Attack” with Dr. Robert Ballard, the discoverer of the Titanic. Several of Kip’s films have debuted at the San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival.

Tom Harlan joined the festival in 2011. He is a passionate advocate for the sea. Tom graduated from the California Maritime Academy and is a Ferry Boat Captain on San Francisco Bay where he has worked for over 20 years. Tom and his family live on the coast where nearly all of their time is spent within earshot of the crashing waves of the Pacific. Surfing has been a livelong passion.

Founder

Krist Jake established the Festival in 2003 and, with the help of many others, has overseen its growth. He is the founder of Redwood Capital, a service provider to early stage businesses, and co-founder and former Chairman of Denali Education Center, a non-profit in Alaska. Krist, a Princeton and Stanford grad, and a former officer in the United States Navy, has swum thousands of miles in San Francisco Bay and is one of the “Legends” of the Original Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon. His wife, Laurie, is also a Festival volunteer.

VOLUNTEERS

Screening Committee

Victoria Brims
Diane Brockob
Gretchen Coffman
Sidney J. P. Hollister
Keith Howell
John Owen
Mary Jane Schramm
Maggie Sidell
Richard Spector
Jamie Teiser, Filmmaker Liaison
Pete Winch

Festival Volunteers

Jane Fraser
Teague Henry
Ashley Lamp
Malana Molberg
Andrew Naber
Perry Pickert
Johanna Sanders
Kerry Skemp
Andy Thornley
Riley Westgaard
Elmer Wu