The Seasteading Institute

The Seasteading Institute ambassadors are volunteers committed to promoting the seasteading vision and representing the organization.Each ambassador’s efforts are crucial to thet success of The Seasteading Institute’s movement building campaign. Ambassadors take on an important role representing the organization and advocating on behalf of the movement at conferences, schools, other events, online and through other special assignments. We seek to maximize the usefulness of any ambassador’s unique skill set.

Staff

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  Michael Keenan

  President

  Michael Keenan is a software developer and entrepreneur from New Zealand. At First NZ Capital, he helped develop the software that launched the company from New Zealand’s market leader to a world-class financial services platform. Since then, Michael joined The BECC Consulting Group, developing software that has been used by almost all Taiwan’s top multinational companies, and helped consolidate BECC’s position as the premier solution for companies seeking communications consulting in Taiwan. The son of two economic scholars, Michael has been interested in improving governments since he was a youth. Before becoming president of The Seasteading Institute, Michael was a seasteading member and volunteer, traveling all the way from Taiwan to donate months of work to the mission. He had also traveled from the UK to attend the first seasteading conference in California in 2008, and he flew from Taiwan to participate in the seasteading cruise conference out of Florida in 2011.

• 

  Randolph Hencken

  Senior Director

  Randy earned his MA in communication and his BS in business administration from San Diego State University. From 2008 to 2011, he was the Director of Communication and Marketing for the non-profit research organization MAPS, which conducts clinical research investigating combinations of psychotherapy and novel drugs to treat conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder and death anxiety. From 2006 to 2008, while writing a quantitative thesis, he taught communication courses to undergraduates at SDSU. Prior to returning to university, from 2001 to 2004, he was the program director at the Ibogaine Association, an alternative drug-treatment center in Mexico. Randy is excited to focus his activism toward creating new innovative governments, rather than futilely trying to change existing governments.

• 

  George Petrie

  Director of Engineering

  George served as Professor of Naval Architecture at Webb Institute for more than 25 years. With nearly 35 years experience as a consultant in the offshore industry, his specialties include vessel motions, loads, structural analysis, and design. George also has extensive experience as a naval architect for yachts in Asia, and he is currently splitting his time between Hong Kong and Houston.

• 

  Chris Williams

  Director of Development

  Chris is an experienced executive, having run hospitals, a multinational security company, and a boutique consulting firm. He has spent the last 4 years in the nonprofit sector. With his degree in economics and a drive to leave a better world for his three kids he is passionate about the Institute’s mission.

• 

  Eric Jacobus

  Operations Manager

  Eric is the co-founder of The Stunt People, a film production company and stunt crew that has been active since 2001, and he regularly works as director, actor, and stuntman. Before receiving his bachelor’s degree in Cinema from San Francisco State University, Eric spent four years as web and software developer at Shasta Community College. He spends his free time writing screenplays and studying political and economic theory.

• 

  Charlie Deist

  Staff Writer and Administrative Associate

  Charlie earned his B.A. in economics from UC Berkeley in May of 2011, and discovered seasteading while preparing to teach a seminar on free-market economics through the DeCal program (Democratic Education at Cal). The seminar used Milton Friedman’s best-selling book “Free to Choose” as the central text, and also explored the concepts of competitive government and seasteading. In his spare time, Charlie enjoys reading economics blogs and hopes to teach economics in some capacity again in the future

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  Brad Taylor

  Research Associate

  Brad is a research associate at The Seasteading Institute. He has an MA in political science and is currently working on an economics PhD focused on competitive government and institutional evolution.

Board of Trustees

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  Patri Friedman

  Chairman of the Board

  Patri received a BS in math from Harvey Mudd College, an MS in computer science from Stanford University, and an MBA from Cardean University. While in school he experimented with technology startups, ran a small consulting business, and co-founded two intentional communities. In 2004 he joined Google to work as a software engineer. In 2008 he left Google and founded The Seasteading Institute with seed funding from PayPal founder Peter Thiel. Patri is on the board of Humanity+ and co-created Breakthrough Philanthropy. He is also a prolific writer on political theory and philosophy. Patri comes from a line of great revolutionary thinkers, his grandfather Milton Friedman was the 1976 Nobel Laureate in economics, and his father David Friedman is a well-known political theorist and festival founder. Patri lives with his two children Iselle and Tovar in Berkeley, California.

• 

  Jonathan Cain

  President of the Thiel Foundation

  Jonathan is co-founder of the 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship, which identifies and supports the tech visionaries of tomorrow. He also serves as a principal at Clarium and sits on the boards of the SENS Foundation, a nonprofit that works to develop, promote, and ensure widespread access to regenerative medicine solutions to the disabilities and diseases of aging, as well as The Seasteading Institute. Before joining the Thiel Foundation and Clarium, Jonathan served as speechwriter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. He lives with his wife, Robyn, in San Francisco.

  
  

• 

  James O’Neill

  Managing Director, Clarium

  Jim runs the Thiel Foundation, which promotes science and liberty across the globe and opposes violence in all its forms. He co-founded and oversees the 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship, which identifies and supports the tech visionaries of tomorrow in fields as diverse as robotics, biotech, space, communications, energy, and transportation. He also serves as a managing director of Clarium. Previously, he was the principal associate deputy secretary of health and human services. He lives in Mill Valley with his wife, Lien, and their three children.

• 

  John Chisholm

  Serial Software Entrepreneur 

  In 1992, Mr. Chisholm founded and served as CEO & Chairman of Decisive Technology, publisher of the first desktop and client-server software for conducting surveys through email and the web. Decisive Technology became the leading desktop application for online surveys and is now a part of Google. In 1997, he founded CustomerSat, where he served as CEO & Chairman for a decade until its acquisition by MarketTools in early 2008. He also chairs the MIT Club of Northern California (a non-profit organization serving over 10,000 alumni), is a trustee of the Santa Fe Institute, is a member of the MIT Corporation Development Committee, and volunteers with MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service to help young entrepreneurs start their own businesses. Mr. Chisholm received degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

• 

  Joe Lonsdale

  Co-founder and CEO of Addepar 

  In 2004, Joe co-founded Palantir Technologies — a software company among the fastest growing mid-size companies in Silicon Valley. It develops mission-critical analysis systems and is used by government and financial organizations around the world. Joe currently serves as CEO of Addepar, an emerging leader in private wealth management technology, and is the President of Anduin, which specializes in early-stage venture investing. He is also the Chairman of the Board for ONEHope Wine, a national wine brand partnered with the Mondavi family and a leader in cause marketing technology, and is an advisor to several Silicon Valley technology companies. Previously, he worked with the financial arm of PayPal while at university and then joined as an early executive at Clarium Capital, and was a key player in growing Clarium into a $5-billion AUM world-class global macro hedge fund during his five year tenure. Joe has a variety of philanthropic pursuits including sitting on the Board of Strive for College and The Seasteading Institute. He earned a BS in Computer Science from Stanford University in 2003, where he also studied Economics and Mathematics.

• 

  Michael Strong

  Chief Executive Officer and Chief Visionary Officer of FLOW
  

  Michael is the CEO of Freedom Lights Our World (FLOW), Inc., the nonprofit organization he cofounded with John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market. He was educated at Harvard, St. John’s College, and the University of Chicago, and has created several high-performance private and charter schools. His latest book, Be the Solution: How Entrepreneurs and Conscious Capitalists Can Solve All the World’s Problems, was co-authored with John Mackey, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus, and others. Michael blogs on entrepreneurial government at “Let a Thousand Nations Bloom” with an emphasis on privately-managed Free Zones and Free Cities.

Board of Advisors, Engineering

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  Richard P. Neilson

  Rick holds a B.S. degree from Webb Institute of Naval Architecture in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and an M.S. degree from the Pennsylvania State University in Engineering Science. Mr. Neilson’s current title is Dean and Professor of Naval Architecture at Webb Institute. He retired from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) in January 2011 as the Vice President of Marine Technology, having served in various other positions including Vice President of Engineering for the ABS European Division based in London, England. Previously Dean Neilson was employed by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company as Manager of Surface Ship Research and Development, Manager of Commercial Ship Design and Ship Repair Engineering, and Engineering Project Manager for Sealift Conversions. In his early career, he worked as a naval architect designing tankers for Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company and for the U.S. Coast Guard designing icebreakers.

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  Greg Castleman

  Greg graduated from The Webb Institute of Naval Architecture in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science in naval architecture and marine engineering. He has extensive experience with design and operation of drilling systems, dynamic positioning, and mooring systems, as well as structural design and stability analysis of drillships and semisubmersibles, having worked as an engineer, design manager, independent consultant on major projects for a number of prominent drilling and shipyard companies. In 2003, after serving as site team engineering manager for Noble Drilling, Greg re-established his consultancy, now known as Castleman Maritime LLC. Since 2008, he has worked for Bennett & Associates, where he currently serves as Vice President of Business Development and Engineering Operations. Greg is also co-inventor of two devices: a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system for tugboats (U.S. Patent 7,980,905) and an articulating winch for escort towing (patent pending).

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  Guillaume Ardoise

  Guillaume has over 10 years of international experience with research, technology and business development in the offshore industry. He has most recently played a central role in the development of the marine renewables activities for SBM Offshore, a leader in the design, supply, and offshore installation of systems for the exploration, installation, production, storage, and export of oil and gas. Based in France, Guillaume specializes in wave, tidal and ocean thermal energy conversion, he holds a Masters in Engineering from U.C. Berkeley in Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering. Guillaume has joined the board of Engineering to fulfill one of his goals: Contribute to the emergence of global sustainability through the development and the integration of offshore solutions in world class projects.

Board of Advisors, Legal

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  Doug Bandow

  Doug is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. He is a former associate at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Institute for Policy Innovation, and Heritage Foundation, and served as a Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan.

  
  

  He writes a weekly column for Forbes online. Previously a columnist for antiwar.com, a nationally syndicated columnist with Copley News Service, and editor of the monthly political magazine Inquiry, he has been widely published in such periodicals as Time, Newsweek, and Fortune, as well as leading newspapers including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. He also contributes widely on the web, writing regularly for National Interest online, the Huffington Post, the American Spectator online, the Daily Caller, and other online publications. He has written several books, including Foreign Follies: America’s New Global Empire (Xulon Press), The Politics of Plunder: Misgovernment in Washington (Transaction), and Beyond Good Intentions: A Biblical View of Politics (Crossway).

   

  He received his B.S. in Economics from Florida State University in 1976 and his J.D. from Stanford University in 1979. He is a member of the California and Washington, D.C. bars.

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  Jorge Schmidt

  Most of Jorge’s work is in complex civil litigation. He has represented clients in a wide range of matters, including securities class actions, antitrust, and intellectual property claims before the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Tenth and Eleventh Circuits, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, in federal and state trial courts across the country, and in arbitral tribunals.

   

  These representations include the prosecution and defense of direct and indirect purchaser class actions, of complex multiparty class action and opt-out litigation under state and federal securities laws, and the prosecution of actions for breach of contract, business torts, and trade secret violations.

  Representative cases include In re Qwest; Genesco v. The Finish Line; Federated Department Stores v. Federated Department Stores Insurance; In re Fresh Del Monte Pineapples Antitrust Litigation; and In re Marine Hose Antitrust Litigation.

• 

  Berin Szoka

  Berin’s lifelong interests in innovation and public policy led him to law school, where they converged at the study of how the law co-evolves with technology. He has experience advising clients on how to navigate and/or change the laws and regulations governing the Internet, telecommunications and commercial space industries.

  Berin is a member of the DC and California bars, and is conversant in French.