Bios

Staff and Board of Directors

Ana Blanco, Executive Director
Member, Board of Directors
Chair, Traveling Program Committee

Ana joined IOFF as executive director in 2011. Ana brings a passion for the ocean and more than ten years of experience in executive nonprofit management at various organizations in the Bay Area. Most recently, she served as vice president and development director at BizWorld.org, an educational entrepreneurship curriculum for young students, and as donor relations officer for the San Francisco Foundation. Ana also volunteers with Blue Water Foundation, which is dedicated to introducing at-risk youth to the joys and challenges of sailing on the San Francisco Bay. As a certified scuba diver, she always looks for opportunities to explore and discover the beautiful underwater world.

Ana has served as a jury member for several film festivals, including Jackson Wild, CINEMARE International Ocean Film Festival (Kiel, Germany), San Diego Underwater Film Expo, FICMA Film Festival in Barcelona, Spain, and the Brest Surf Film Festival in Brest, France.

Karmen Johnson, Board of Directors, President
Co-Chair Governance Committee
Co-Chair, Off the Reef Annual Benefit

For 25 years, Karmen Johnson has helped companies manage their corporate reputation, build brand affinity, engage employees, and meaningfully connect with all stakeholders. She is a dynamic, visionary leader and advisor who delivers results and builds high-functioning teams. She has worked in various Fortune 500 companies and is currently the CEO of Edible, Inc., a food & beverage communications agency. She is passionate about helping solve big problems, including climate change, equity, and access to sustainable nutrition. Karmen was raised on a family farm in Minnesota and has enjoyed living in Seattle, LA, San Francisco, and Chicago, and currently resides in Sonoma.

Bob Thronson, Board of Directors, Vice-President
Co-Chair Governance Committee
Chair, Advisory Council

Bob is a seasoned climate technology and software executive, focused on marketing and business development. His current company, Vigilent, uses AI and machine learning to optimize data center environments, dramatically reducing carbon emissions and water use.

Bob learned to love the ocean at an early age when body surfing in Southern California. He is an avid diver and has experienced the wonders of the ocean at Cocos, Palau, Fakarava, and Raja Ampat. He has seen first-hand the challenges the oceans face from climate change, overfishing and pollution, and sees film as a powerful way to share the beauty of the ocean while encouraging activism. Bob is a supporter of Environmental Entrepreneurs and was an early advisor to NRDC’s Rewrite the Future initiative, which helps filmmakers integrate climate into their storytelling.

Bob joined the Board in February 2025. He lives with his family in San Mateo, California, and enjoys hiking the Bay Area’s trails with his beloved dog, Topaz.

Janis Parthun, Board of Directors, Treasurer
Chair, Outreach and Education Committee

Janis is a finance and sustainability leader with a risk management skill set, providing thought leadership regarding new regulations or trends and operational best practices. With significant experience in service innovation and consulting services, she has demonstrated success in the development and integration of new services, business development pursuits, and guidance on technical matters.

As a passionate sustainability supporter, she values fair access to natural resources and proactive measures to mitigate climate change. In recent years, she has focused on the critical role of sustainability reporting, and as a carbon emissions accounting leader, she has become more deeply committed to environmental causes, such as the mission of the International Ocean Film Festival.

In her free time, Janis enjoys riding her bike around San Francisco or walking along Ocean Beach with her family and dog, Nico.

Alison Nil, Board of Directors
Chair, Business Development Committee

Alison is a dedicated environmental professional with over a decade of experience in clean technology, sustainability, and climate science. She has worked in renewable energy, water conservation, and sustainability software and was recognized as a Hearst Sustainability Champion for her exemplary contributions to the company’s sustainability efforts. In addition to her career in climate technology, Alison has also contributed research on regenerative aquaculture to the leading climate solutions anthology, Regeneration.

Prior to joining the board, Alison supported the festival through her work on the annual fundraising benefit and volunteering for IOFF events throughout the year.

Alison grew up on the Jersey Shore and spent as much time as possible at the beach and out on the water. The ocean is a place of healing for her personally, and through her work on climate change, Alison has developed a deep sense of reverence for the vital role our oceans have played in stabilizing the climate. She is excited to see how the blue economy continues to develop and is proud to support cinematic storytelling that shares its broader impact with the world.

Ken Wu, Board of Directors
Chair, Volunteer Committee

Ken is an environmentally-minded film aficionado who started as a patron in 2011, when the festival was held at the Aquarium of the Bay, and then began volunteering in 2017.

Ken was born in Taiwan and has lived most of his life in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. He has a background in biological sciences and has been involved with biomedical research in San Francisco. He is very active within the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, contributing his time and skills to many causes with a focus on conservation, social equity, and cycling advocacy.

He is interested in all things outdoors related to conservation and can often be found hiking, exploring, and diving along the California coast. He has a passion for the oceans and sees the IOFF as a valuable platform for raising awareness around important environmental issues. Initially contributing as the Volunteer Coordinator, Ken shared his enthusiasm and passion by managing more than 100 volunteers. He joined the Board in July 2023 and is always looking for ways to increase the IOFF reach and impact in the broader community.

The Programmers

Ana Blanco

Dominique Lawrenz

Dominique Lawrenz has had a deep love for the ocean since childhood, despite growing up in the heart of the United States. She spent her summers in Florida, where she earned scuba, cave diving, deep diving, and seafloor mapping certifications. She volunteered at The Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota and now serves as a Rescue and Response Volunteer at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA, where she has also worked in the Dispatch Office managing calls about marine animals in distress. Dominique holds a unique degree in biology and marine biology from Indiana University, which she helped design. After a 21-year career with Bank of America, including 30 years in project management and leadership in their Employee Volunteer Network, she now works closely with real estate agents and homeowners to remodel homes for sale. In her free time, she enjoys paddle boarding around the Bay Area with her husband, John.

Gretchen C. Coffman, PH.D.

Gretchen is a Senior Lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Geography, Assistant Director of its Environmental Studies Programme, and a National Geographic Explorer.

Her work focuses on ecosystem conservation and restoration; her research includes biogeography and exploring the factors that limit ecosystem recovery, to aid in developing effective conservation strategies. She engages university students and community members in research in Southeast Asia and Indonesia, including Malaysian Borneo, Indonesia, Laos, and Singapore. Film is an integral part of her teaching. Recent projects include 360-degree filmmaking to take students on virtual field trips to Borneo and show Borneo communities the wonder of rivers, mangrove ecosystems, coral reefs, and wildlife where they live.

Gretchen is an avid scuba diver, open-water swimmer, rower, kayaker, paddleboarder, and ocean lover. She has been on the IOFF Screening Committee and a Dolphin Club member for over 15 years.

Laurie Gage

Dr. Laurie Gage recently retired after serving over 20 years as the Field Specialist for Big Cats and Marine Mammals for USDA APHIS Animal Care. She has also assisted the National Marine Fisheries Service with the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program and authored the 2009 Standards for Rehabilitation Facilities. Laurie is a lecturer at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and a consultant for the Veterinary Information Network. Before working for the USDA, Laurie was the Director of Veterinary Services for Six Flags Marine World for 23 years and the Director of Veterinary Services for The Marine Mammal Center in Marin, California, for 14 years. She was also a consulting veterinarian for the Oregon Tiger Sanctuary, Safari World in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Coyote Point Museum. Laurie was a staff veterinarian for the Los Angeles Zoo.

Laurie has edited three books and authored numerous book chapters and scientific papers about marine mammals and other zoological species. She has been a strong advocate for marine mammal welfare. Dr. Gage has treated thousands of marine mammals in her career, and her most prominent and most famous marine mammal patient was Humphrey, the humpback whale who swam up into the Sacramento Delta in 1985 and then stranded and was rescued by a team from the Marine Mammal Center in 1990. Laurie also helped to rescue a pod of killer whales trapped in Barnes Lake, Alaska, in 1994. Laurie grew up surfing and sailing in Newport Beach, California, and loves everything about the ocean and its incredible resident creatures. Laurie joined the IOFF as a Screening Committee member in Fall 2024.

Mary Jane Schramm

MJ is an ocean advocate and activist, journalist and author, who dove deep into conservation during the devastating 1982-83 El Niño, rescuing stranded pinnipeds and cetaceans and becoming The Marine Mammal Center’s Public Relations Director. For Oceanic Society Expeditions she managed vessel-based ecotours and citizen science programs, and was Media Liaison/Outreach specialist with NOAA’s Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, on its Ship Strike Reduction Team, and NOAA’s Large Whale Entanglement Response Team.

MJ has led cruises into Baja California’s whale calving lagoons, the Gulf of California, and to the Farallon Islands. She’s assisted with whale research and shipwreck investigations; intertidal monitoring and elephant seal tagging on the Farallones; photo-identified whales off California and Alaska and dolphins in the Bahamas. Currently, MJ serves on the Marin Audubon Society’s Conservation Committee.

MJ began with the IOFF in 2004, is a Screening Committee member.

Nuria Seriñá

Nuria Seriñá is a devoted cinephile who believes it is a human right for everyone to have access to a clean ocean. She was born and raised in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. She lived there and in Miami, Florida, for the first ten years of her life, going to the beach every weekend with her family, one of the main reasons preserving a clean ocean is so important to her. Then, she moved to Mexico City, Mexico. She studied International Relations and human rights. She worked for ten years for different nonprofit organizations, including one focused on helping migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, some of whom were displaced by climate change.

She moved to San Francisco, California, with her husband in 2015. She worked for five years at the Consulate General of Mexico, holding different positions, including Community AffairsAssociate and Special Projects Adviser for the Consul General, focusing on advancing migrants’ education in the Bay Area and coordinating a STEM for Latina Girls program, among other projects. She was a volunteer member of the San Francisco GreenFilm Festival screening committee in 2019 and 2020. She is a Lead Educator at the Bay AreaDiscovery Museum, a children's museum in Sausalito focused on STEM, as part of the School and Community Programs team.

She joined the IOFF screening committee in September 2024.

Sharon Wong

Sharon Wong joins the IOFF team with over 30 years of distinguished experience as a professional film editor. A native of San Francis, Sharon’s early life was shaped by her love for the ocean, and she spent weekends fishing with her father along the local piers and bays. She graduated from NYU's prestigious Film School and began her career in New York City, editing documentary films for major networks like NBC and ABC News. Her diverse career path includes two years in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where she ran asuccessful sailboat charterbusiness, guiding clients on snorkeling excursions in the vibrant waters of the Caribbean.

After relocating to Los Angeles with her family, Sharon worked on various independent and studio films for Warner Brothers, MGM, and Miramax while raising three children. She has explored the coastlines of California, Mexico, and Hawaii through her passion for surfing and kayaking. Now back in her hometown of San Francisco, Sharon is a dedicated advocate for public access to the Bay and remains politically active in preserving the region’s natural beauty. She rows and kayaks with the Dolphin Club and brings her deep passion for film and environmental conservation to IOFF, encouraging audiences to embrace and protect our oceans.

Stan Teng

Stan joined the IOFF as a member of the Screening Committee in 2012, and by his reckoning has viewed over 800 films for the festival. Stan’s interests and passion for the ocean include kayaking, sailing and photography as well as being a member of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. Presently, Stan is working with “Expedition Amana,” a project that will use the ancient art of traditional reed boat building for long-distance open water navigation.

Professionally, Stan is an architect in San Francisco, having designed a variety of commercial and residential projects including theaters and affordable housing, and has won recognition in public space design competitions. Stan has been a design instructor at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco and is a member of the American Institute of Architects.

Steve Peletz

Steve is a research diver, past dive instructor, videographer, and ocean advocate who manages Deep Blue Monthly, an online magazine that features news on marine science and ocean conservation. He advises ocean research and conservation organizations. He is a board member at MigraMar, an organization of 24 marine scientists that study, track, and advocate for migratory species of sharks, whales, turtles, and rays in the Eastern Pacific (from Mexico to Chile).

Since joining MigraMar as a volunteer research diver in 2015, Steve has added roles as an advisor and is now a board member. Steve began tagging migratory sharks underwater in 2016. He also photographs, films, and documents beautiful ocean settings and the tragedy of the commons in our oceans, where overfishing, plastics, warming, acidification, and deoxygenation decimate marine species and systems.

Steve writes and speaks about diving, citizen science, marine science, and ocean conservation and is currently filming for a documentary, “Shark Finale,” on the formidable economic, political, and physical challenges that marine scientists face in seeking to establish greater protections for migratory sharks, whales and turtles in the Eastern Pacific.

Steve grew up near the ocean and spends as much time as he can diving in Monterey and the Eastern Pacific. He also swims San Francisco's Golden Gate many times per week. He has volunteered at IOFF periodically since 2018, helping with on-site logistics at the festival.