Chad Nelsen

Orange County, California Area United States

CEO at the Surfrider Foundation

I am the Chief Executive Officer of the Surfrider Foundation and lead the world’s largest grassroots network dedicated to the project and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches, through approaches that integrate coastal recreation with conservation. We are dynamic and committed team that defends the coast against damaging projects, promotes ongoing coastal stewardship programs, advances protective ocean and coastal policies at all levels of government, while cultivating and developing community activists and leaders. I also helped to establish the field of “Surfonomics,” which applies natural resource economic approaches to value surfing.