Preserving and Restoring Coral Reefs: Our Mission, History, and Team
Our Purpose and Path Forward
At Legacy Reef Foundation, we are driven by a dual mission: to ignite innovation in coral reef preservation and to educate and engage communities in meaningful ways.
Our foundation has evolved to become a platform for both supporting ideas that can impact coral reefs and empowering individuals with the knowledge and tools to make a difference.
Nurturing Innovation through Our Incubator Program
Our vision for the future is to act as an incubator for groundbreaking ideas in coral reef conservation. We believe that by providing support to individuals, groups, or businesses with innovative solutions, we can play a significant role in protecting coral reefs.
Through the incubator, we leverage the expertise of specialists—grant writers, lawyers, volunteers, and other networkers—to help develop and push forward promising ideas. While the incubator is in its early stages, we are committed to building a pipeline of solutions that can scale globally.
Though we haven’t had successful projects come to fruition yet, we’re excited about the future potential and welcome new collaborators eager to tackle one of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Empowering through Education and Public Engagement
We also believe in the power of education. Raising awareness and sharing knowledge are essential to saving coral reefs, and it’s a core pillar of our foundation. By engaging communities and individuals through volunteer-driven initiatives, we aim to inspire action at the local level and connect people with the importance of reef conservation.
This dual focus allows us to both create new solutions through the incubator and actively educate the public, ensuring that our mission remains flexible, open to collaboration, and impactful.
We believe that everyone—from volunteers with big ideas to community members who want to make a difference—can help us move the needle toward a future where coral reefs and our oceans are thriving.
Our History
Our journey has been one of continuous evolution, driven by our passion for coral reef conservation and our commitment to innovation and community engagement.
Phase 1: Founding and Early Work (Coral Nurseries and Tanks)
Legacy Reef Foundation was founded with a clear mission: to protect and restore coral reefs. In our early years, we focused on hands-on coral propagation. We established coral nurseries and coral tanks, creating a controlled environment where we successfully grew and nurtured coral fragments.
Despite limited resources, our dedicated team of volunteers and a marine biologist worked tirelessly to demonstrate that coral propagation could be achieved through small-scale, community-led efforts.
These early projects proved that with the right approach, coral nurseries could thrive even in challenging conditions, serving as a vital step toward larger restoration efforts.
Phase 2: Educational Outreach and Community Engagement
As our work with coral nurseries progressed, we recognized the need to raise awareness about the urgent need for coral reef conservation. This led us to expand our mission beyond coral growth to include educational outreach.
We hosted tours of our facilities, welcomed local schools, and organized beach events where students and community members could learn about the importance of coral reefs and the steps needed to protect them.
Thousands of people participated in these initiatives, gaining hands-on experience and leaving with a deeper understanding of the challenges facing coral reefs. Through these efforts, we inspired the next generation of ocean stewards and built strong ties with our local community.
Phase 3: Evolving Our Mission – The Coral Reef Incubation Initiative
As time passed, it became clear that in order to create long-lasting impact, we needed to shift our approach. Regulatory restrictions prevented us from returning the corals we grew to the ocean, and maintaining the coral tanks became unsustainable. In response, we donated the corals to a university, contributing to valuable research on coral growth and resilience. This decision marked a turning point for Legacy Reef Foundation.
Today, our focus has expanded beyond coral propagation. We are fostering innovation through our Coral Reef Innovation Incubator, helping bring new ideas and solutions to life. We have built a diverse network of volunteers—including grant writers, lawyers, marine biologists, and other experts—who are helping us position Legacy Reef Foundation as a competent and impactful incubator for coral reef preservation.
In addition to the incubator, we remain deeply committed to education and public engagement. We are actively fostering a network of volunteers who are passionate about raising awareness in their communities and inspiring collective action to protect coral reefs.
We are always open to new opportunities for collaboration, whether through innovative ideas, partnerships, or educational initiatives. Through our dual focus on innovation and education, we aim to empower individuals, communities, and future generations to take meaningful steps toward protecting and restoring our oceans.
Meet Our Leadership Team
Susanne Otero
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Susanne, a retired physician and anesthesiologist, is the cofounder of a nonprofit organization dedicated to coral restoration. Her journey into marine conservation began in retirement when she fulfilled a long-held dream of learning to dive in Hawaii. What started as a fulfilling hobby quickly turned into a mission when, after several years and hundreds of dives, Susanne returned to Hawaii to find once-thriving coral reefs reduced to fields of coral rubble due to bleaching events.
A chance encounter with a fellow diver who shared her concern over the disappearing reefs transformed her passion into a purpose. Susanne recognized that, for many coastal communities, the loss of coral reefs wasn’t just an ecological tragedy—it was a food security crisis. Where once fishers had easy access to reef-rich waters, they now risked their lives venturing farther offshore, sometimes with devastating consequences.
Bringing her medical background and public health awareness into this new field, Susanne and her cofounder envisioned a solution that could empower these communities. Recognizing that advanced coral restoration technology was often confined to well-funded labs in developed countries, they set out to create an accessible, community-based protocol for growing coral locally. Today, their nonprofit equips under-resourced coastal communities with the tools and knowledge to restore their reefs, supporting both the environment and the people who depend on it. Susanne’s journey highlights how a lifetime of service and a love for the ocean can merge to create lasting impact.
Bill Coney
Co-Founder
Bill Coney was born and raised in Kailua, Oahu. Bill grew up on the water and enjoyed sailing, surfing, and scuba diving as a young adult. After college in California, Bill returned to Oahu and opened Sensormatic Hawaii LLC, an industrial security firm that designed and built high-level security systems for commercial, state, and federal applications throughout the Pacific Rim. Bill’s firm engineered and installed protective systems for banks, airports, prisons, and missile bases throughout the Pacific Rim.
Before he sold his business in the mid-90s, Sensormatic grew into one of the largest security firms in the Pacific. Bill has since started a number of businesses and high-tech firms over the years. Bill moved to the Big Island in 2002 and has since retired. He now works as a business consultant part-time, runs a helicopter firm in Truckee Tahoe, and is co-founder of Legacy Reef Foundation.
In 2017, Bill, along with Dr. Susanne Otero, founded the Legacy Reef Foundation, a coral preservation and propagation research laboratory at NELHA, in Kona, Hawaii. His commitment to the environment and healthy business practices extends outside Legacy’s work. He is also a board member of the Oyster Recovery Partnership in Maryland, and a past board member of The Sierra Club.
Bill resides in Annapolis and Costa Rica, has three grown children and three grandchildren.
Shelley Otero
Board Member
Shelley Otero brings over 20 years of experience as a project manager, specializing in renewable energy, manufacturing, and climate-focused initiatives. Her expertise supports Legacy Reef Foundation’s mission by ensuring projects are grounded in solid regulatory practices and designed for long-term environmental impact.
With a strong foundation in engineering and law, Shelley has earned industry certifications in project management and agile methodologies, making her a versatile leader in complex, tech-driven projects. Her adaptable approach and knack for agile solutions help her navigate the challenges of climate projects with precision and efficiency.
Shelley’s deep knowledge of regulatory compliance, especially in work with government agencies, enhances her role in driving sustainable energy initiatives. Committed to creating practical, eco-conscious solutions, she combines strategic foresight and technical expertise to support impactful projects that align with both industry standards and Legacy Reef’s climate goals.
Hailey Johnson
Program Coordinator
Hailey Simone Johnson joined Legacy Reef Foundation in 2022 as Social Media Manager, where she worked diligently to elevate the Foundation’s message and expand its outreach. Through her creative approach and passion for storytelling, Hailey brought the mission of reef conservation to a broader audience, helping to inspire greater awareness and engagement with the Foundation’s initiatives.
Now transitioning into her role as Program Coordinator, Hailey is excited to guide new projects and develop strategies that encourage deeper community involvement in reef restoration. Her dedication to coral reef conservation is both professional and personal. Having grown up hearing about the devastating impact of climate change, Hailey felt compelled to use her skills to drive positive ecological change. Her efforts with the Foundation are rooted in a heartfelt commitment to preserving marine ecosystems and inspiring others to take action.
Beyond her work with Legacy Reef Foundation, Hailey is also the founder of her own brand, focused on eco-friendly and fair-trade fashion. For her, sustainability is more than a professional endeavor—it’s a way of life. She brings this same passion and vision to her work with the Foundation, where her creativity, advocacy, and dedication to ocean health continue to raise awareness and foster community engagement. As Program Coordinator, Hailey is eager to deepen her impact by spearheading initiatives that protect marine ecosystems and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
- Our mission is strengthened by the collective effort of people who share our vision for sustainable coral reefs.
- Whether you’re a passionate volunteer, an innovator, or a supporter, there’s a place for you in our journey to create lasting solutions.
- We invite you to contribute to this shared mission and help shape a future where our oceans thrive.
Help Coral Reefs Thrive Again
Support our mission to restore coral reefs and create lasting change.
Together, we can build sustainable communities and protect our oceans for future generations.