Dr. Ana Spalding is the Founding Director of the Adrienne Arsht Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative and Senior Staff Scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama Dr. Spalding holds a BA in economics and international studies from the University of Richmond, a master’s degree in marine affairs and policy from the University of Miami and a master's and doctorate in environmental studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She has published widely on the socio-environmental outcomes of lifestyle migration to Panama; on the linkages between land use and policy, property rights, and development; and, more broadly, on the evolution of marine policy and ocean governance. Current research includes locally-led conservation, adaptation as a pathway to resilience for resource-dependent communities, and the role of ocean governance tools (e.g., Marine Protected Areas) in achieving just and equitable goals for people and nature.