Alumnus/Alumna of the Month

Kristina M. Gjerde (’84)

Read an Interview with Kristina M. Gjerde.

Kristina M. Gjerde currently serves as high seas policy advisor to the Global Marine Program of IUCN-The World Conservation Union. Since graduating from New York University School of Law in 1984, Ms. Gjerde has specialized in admiralty and corporate law at the New York City law firm of Lord, Day & Lord, served as a research fellow at the Marine Policy Center of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and at the Law School of the University of Hull (UK), served as legal advisor to Environmental Investment Partners in Eastern Europe, and as a consultant with a variety of environmental organizations.

Since 1993 she has represented the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in London where she developed the concept of "Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas" as a tool to protect sensitive marine environments from the adverse impacts of shipping activities. In 2003, she was selected for a prestigious three-year Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation to promote comprehensive protection and sustainable use of the oceans beyond national jurisdiction.