Aquarium announces new additions to Board of Trustees

BOSTON, MASS. (Feb. 5, 2025) – The New England Aquarium is adding seven new members to its Board of Trustees and Ambassador Council this year.

The Board of Trustees recently elected Doug Lober, Sandhya Murali, and Tad O’Donnell to its ranks. Lober has served on the Aquarium’s Ambassador Council since 2016 and brings with him experience in environmental management teaching and research along with institutional investment management. As co-founder and CEO of Solstice, Murali is dedicated to expanding access to clean energy solutions to communities across the U.S. O’Donnell is a private investor with over 20 years of investing experience in the healthcare industry, particularly in healthcare services and information technology.

Additionally, Steven Fox, Dave Leathers, Kris Meyer, and Anna Sommers will be joining the Aquarium’s Ambassador Council, serving as essential links to the community and supporting the New England Aquarium mission.

“As a conservation organization, the New England Aquarium’s work touches everything from scientific research and animal care to policy, advocacy, and community resiliency efforts. We are so pleased that our new Trustees and Ambassadors bring a variety of expertise to the table that will help continue to advance our mission,” said Thomas R. Burton III, a Boston-based Mintz attorney and Chair of the Board of Trustees.

The new members will each serve a term of three years. A full list of the Aquarium’s board members can be found here.

NEW TRUSTEES

Doug Lober (Boston, MA)

Doug Lober has spent his career investing as a portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments, teaching and researching as an assistant professor at Duke University’s School of the Environment, and working in international development as a fisheries extension officer in Kenya with the US Peace Corps. He has a BA, masters, and doctorate from Yale University and an MBA from Columbia University. Lober is most interested in supporting the Aquarium’s conservation mission.

Sandhya Murali (Weston, MA)

Sandhya Murali is Co-Founder and CEO of Solstice, an award-winning social enterprise dedicated to expanding access to clean energy to communities across the U.S. Prior to joining Solstice, she worked at Buen Power Peru, a social enterprise that distributes solar lamps and water heaters to off-grid communities in Peru. She started her career at Barclays’ investment banking division in New York and London, where she advised on and executed public equity transactions for technology, media and telecom companies. Additionally, she was deeply involved in Barclays’ philanthropy work with Endeavor, Women’s World Banking, and Barclays’ Social Innovation Fund, championing initiatives that support economic empowerment and financial access. She holds a BBA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, where she received the Sustainability Certificate.

Tad O’Donnell (Chestnut Hill, MA)

Tad O’Donnell is a private investor who has invested in venture and private equity for more than 20 years with a focus on the health care sector. O’Donnell currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Positive Recovery Solutions and is also an advisor to several search fund and investment managers. Previously, he served as a partner at TT Capital Partners and as a general partner at HLM Venture Partners. Prior to HLM and beginning while in graduate school, O’Donnell served as an associate at General Catalyst during the founding of the firm. He began his investment activities at Greylock, where he was their first associate. Upon graduating from college, O’Donnell was investment banking analyst with the health care group at Smith Barney. He holds a BA from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

NEW AMBASSADORS

Steven Fox (Jamaica Plain, MA)

Steven Fox is a Partner at Propeller, a venture capital firm focused on the ocean climate nexus. Fox focuses on sourcing, investing in, and supporting ocean entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of their ventures. He has been a lifelong supporter and investor in the ocean as an angel investor and philanthropist. Prior to Propeller, he was the CEO of Impact Global Education (IGE) and a Managing Director at Sunizorro Investments. Fox holds a BA from the University of Richmond and an MS from the University of London.

Dave Leathers (Boston, MA)

Dave Leathers is the retired CEO of John Moriarty & Associates, Inc., a construction management firm. With over 45 years of experience in the industry, he has been involved with a significant shift toward more energy- and water-efficient buildings, improved stormwater recharge systems, and the increased use of recyclable materials, reflecting the building sector’s commitment to environmental sustainability.  Leathers has actively participated in various environmental organizations. Leathers holds a degree in Environmental Biology from Middlebury College.

Kris Meyer (Quincy, MA)

Kris Meyer is an Emmy nominated and award-winning producer who has worked for the past 20 years with The Farrelly Brothers under their production banner, Conundrum Entertainment. He is also co-founder and CEO at MuddHouse Media, a diverse podcast network. Meyer is a graduate of Boston College.

Anna Sommers (Boston, MA)

Anna Sommers is involved with the local activist organization Mothers Out Front, which works to ensure a livable climate for all children. She started her career at Bain & Company and has since focused her efforts on education and youth development as a classroom teacher and later in communications at the non-profit Education Recourse Strategies. She is currently an independent college counselor and an active volunteer at Boston Green Academy. Sommers is a graduate of Amherst College (BA) and Harvard Graduate School of Education (MEd).

MEDIA CONTACT: Pam Bechtold Snyder—617-686-5068; psnyder@neaq.org