Brooke Lynn Elzweig

I attribute my success to following my curiosity across disciplines rather than staying confined to one lane. Growing up on the water in South Florida and earning my scuba certification at twelve gave me an early, personal connection to the ocean that never left me. That connection carried me into restoration diving in the Florida Keys, then into a large-scale reef initiative in the Red Sea, where I learned how much untapped potential exists when you bring engineering, science, and systems thinking together. Recognizing the critical role that capital plays in scaling environmental solutions pushed me back into academia to build financial and strategic expertise, and ultimately led me to found Brackish Strategies, where I now help translate promising ideas into investable, scalable ventures.

The best career advice I've ever received came from my father, who always told me that if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. That idea has shaped how I've approached every step of my career, and I feel very passionately about it.

I would tell them not to wait for opportunities to come to them, but to create those opportunities themselves. I also encourage building a career around the problems you want to solve rather than the title you want to hold, since titles and industries are constantly changing, but the questions that genuinely hold your attention tend to be far more durable. Being multidisciplinary is a strength, not something to explain away; it allows you to act as a translator and move fluidly across industries that don't always speak the same language. Above all, I encourage people to follow their passion rather than chasing a title or a salary.

The ocean-climate space is notoriously underfunded, with an estimated $175 billion financing gap standing between promising technologies and real-world deployment. In my view, the greatest challenge isn't a shortage of good ideas, but a shortage of viable pathways to scale them, whether that's due to commercialization hurdles, permitting, project economics, or limited access to the right kind of capital. I see that same gap as one of the field's biggest opportunities: building the financial and commercial infrastructure needed to translate between worlds like science and investment, so that proven solutions can become durable, lasting businesses.

Curiosity is central to how I live and work; I believe in following questions beyond the edges of my existing expertise and sitting with discomfort, because that's where real growth happens. Integrity matters deeply to me, doing what I say I'll do, being intellectually honest, and building trust over time through consistent action. I also place enormous value on relationships and emotional intelligence, connecting with people on a human level rather than just a professional one. Stewardship guides me as well, leaving ecosystems and relationships stronger than I found them, and I hold firmly to the belief that meaningful change rarely happens in silos, but through connection.