Bobbi-Jo Dobush

Bobbi-Jo is a strategic advisor at The Ocean Foundation. She provides legal and policy support to all of TOF’s programs and leads its work in support of a moratorium on deep seabed mining. Leveraging long standing relationships with lawyers, scientists, and scholars across a wide spectrum of public and private spheres, she advances policy actions at all levels from local to global. Bobbi-Jo is deeply involved with the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) and is active in its Climate and Minerals Working Groups. She counsels on marine spatial planning and implementation, including for Large Ocean States, and is involved in San Diego’s ocean-climate community. She speaks Spanish professionally and French rather less so. Bobbi-Jo loves art, exploring, ocean sports, books, and salsa (the condiment).

Bobbi-Jo spent ten years as an environmental regulatory attorney at a large law firm where she created a niche practice interpreting and communicating law and science, building unlikely coalitions, and counseling non-profit clients. She advised on climate policy, carbon markets (including for blue carbon), marine ecotourism regimes, conservation finance, compliance with international development guidelines, and sustainability standards. She provided pro bono representation to immigrants individually and in asylum impact litigation. Bobbi-Jo served on the Executive Committee for Surfrider Foundation’s San Diego County Chapter, where she is a longtime volunteer. She previously worked in refugee resettlement and continues to advocate for refugee and asylee rights.