About

WHOI Corporation Members share the trust of those who chartered this Institution on January 6, 1930. Over the course of more than 75 years, exceptional individuals, leaders in a wide range of professions and pursuits, have passed along to their successors a passionate commitment to the good of this remarkable organization.

Together with the Trustees, Members of the Corporation, strive to promote the identity, mission, and standards of excellence of the Institution by sharing time, talent and personal resources according to individual means. Both groups are asked to work as ambassadors and advocate to increase external recognition and forge new connections that help sustain and increase both public and private support for the Institution. The Trustees then provide active fiduciary oversight of finances, physical assets, and long range plans to ensure the abiding vitality of the Institution.

Today, Corporation Members and Trustees have a clearer understanding than our 1930 forebears of just how closely tied is the “public interest” to the well-being of the oceans. Indeed, the well-being of our entire planet is directly tied to the health of the oceans. Service on the WHOI Board and Corporation is a privilege, but it is also an effective means of fulfilling a larger social responsibility.