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Defenders of the Gulf 2025: 6 Visionaries Building a Better Tomorrow

From arts and culture to housing to conservation, these local leaders are transforming Southwest Florida through bold action and innovative solutions.

Six Southwest Florida leaders are driving change along the Gulf, tackling conservation, housing, and sustainability with bold action and innovative solutions. From protecting natural resources to shaping smarter growth, these changemakers are transforming Southwest Florida for a more sustainable future.

Elysia Dawn

CEO, United Arts Collier 

June 12, 2024, hit the Florida arts community like a shock wave. Elysia Dawn, CEO of United Arts Collier (UAC), stood at the center of the impact zone as Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed all previously approved state funding for public arts organizations, a devastating move that forced the dissolution of countless projects, programs and initiatives—many of which benefited communities’ most at-risk populations. UAC was no exception.

Elysia’s leadership in the wake of disaster—her ability to organize, challenge and inspire with grace—led fellow Naples resident Senator Kathleen Passidomo to appoint the former ballerina to the Florida Council on Arts and Culture in November. Now, she’s helping to expand understanding of and support for the arts locally and statewide. 

As the head of Collier County’s designated Local Arts Agency, Elysia helms a vital—if often misunderstood—arm of the community, transforming grants, donations and government funding into actionable support for education, mental and physical health, economic development and environmental protection through the arts. When the veto hit, she was left with countless questions: Would UAC have to cancel critical programs? How could they fill the gaps? What would this mean for the future of her organization? No one had answers, so Elysia set to work finding her own.

The cultural leader launched a successful outreach campaign, citing evidence like the recently released Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 study (which outlined $147 million of economic activity generated by the arts in Collier County) as proof of UAC’s efficacy. Before long, voices who once challenged the purpose of publicly funded arts signed letters endorsing the need for state arts funding.  

The organization’s impact serves as a testament to Elysia’s vision. Since taking the helm at UAC, she has championed an ever-growing range of far-reaching initiatives, including art therapy programs for veterans, opportunities for underserved youth, partnerships with environmental organizations like Conservancy of Southwest Florida and the upcoming project to create an artificial reef composed of submerged sculptures with Florida Gulf Coast University. “It’s art for all of Collier, even our aquatic residents,” she says with a chuckle.

With a preservationist’s instinct, Elysia realizes it’s impossible to understand what role the arts will play in Southwest Florida’s future without first understanding how they helped shape the community.

Last year, the CEO announced UAC’s multi-year Collier Arts Archive project with Florida Humanities. Like an anthropologist, Elysia is rummaging through the annals of her hometown’s cultural history, interviewing key players, cataloging public art and sifting through any documentation she can find. In many cases, there’s no written history at all, but rather, an oral tradition, a whisper of a name behind a painted boat lift in Everglades City or the mention of a woman who influenced the early days of UAC. Somewhere in these stories, Elysia believes, is the answer to what we care about, who we are as a community and where we might go next. —Emma Witmer

Alycia Downs

Chief Program and Development Officer, Captains for Clean Water

“Florida’s wild places have been the backdrop for my entire life,” says Alycia Downs, chief program and development officer for Fort Myers-based nonprofit Captains for Clean Water. A fifth-generation Floridian, Alycia grew up on a small ranch in Arcadia and spent her childhood chasing mahi offshore in the Keys and hunting in the Panhandle. “To see those treasures decline because of water mismanagement is heartbreaking,” she says. “But it’s also motivating. We can fix this.”

As the organization approaches its 10th anniversary in 2026, Alycia remains a driving force behind Captains’ “21st-century advocacy model,” expertly weaving digital campaigns with boots-on-the-ground engagement to meet people where they are and elevate the voices of those bearing the brunt of Florida’s water quality challenges. The effort has earned the organization statewide support and helped quash harmful legislation several times over. 

Long before Alycia started shaping Captains’ advocacy, she was watching the crisis unfold firsthand. In 2016, the nature enthusiast ran an outdoor recreation blog and watched with admiration as a coalition of local fishing guides launched a grassroots movement in response to the state’s catastrophic water policies. After attending one of their first fundraisers, Alycia posted an extensive piece about the nonprofit. The post soon reached Captains’ co-founders Chris Wittman and Daniel Andrews, who brought Alycia on as a freelancer to spread the word about their mission. By 2018, she was the full-time communications director. 

Today, she magnifies their threefold mission: restore the Everglades to improve water quality across South Florida; create awareness around nutrient pollution; and advocate for clean-water policies. In her role, Alycia aligns teams and optimizes programs to drive growth, efficiency and impact. “That way, we’re operating at our highest potential,” she says. 

For Captains’ annual Restore Gala, Alycia orchestrates a powerful display of collective generosity. During the cash call, patrons share their story when offering a donation—business leaders contributing thousands, captains pledging a portion of every tour and children offering their allowance. The symphony of support transcends typical fundraising; it’s a community claiming its environmental heritage. 

Working with the outreach team, Alycia has mobilized brand identity—turning Captains hats into statewide symbols that command lawmakers’ attention in Tallahassee. Simultaneously, she transforms complex water policy into compelling visual stories, from stirring documentary-style videos to artist Oona Watkins’ illustrated totes mapping water flow, making environmental advocacy accessible and impossible to ignore.

But, for all the swag, Alycia knows personal connections are Captains’ most powerful asset. She’s created a network with an unmatched ability to mobilize quickly when threats emerge. Last year, Captains rallied to block Senate Bill 738/House Bill 789. The legislation would have extended protections for corporations polluting waterways while limiting the ability of local citizens to seek damages. In nine days, Captains launched a campaign that reached 250,000 people, generating political pressure that effectively killed the bill. “This was a perfect example of how grassroots advocacy,  when executed strategically, can make a real difference,” Alycia says. —Artis Henderson 

Keith Laakkonen

Director, Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary 

For years, Keith Laakkonen resisted the idea of birding. “I thought birders were crazy,” the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary director jokes. “I was right; we are. Being a birder has changed my life in so many ways.” When he gets word of a rare bird somewhere, he grabs his camera and hops in the car to document it. “There had been reports of a flamingo in the Ten Thousand Islands,” Keith says, recalling an exceptionally rare sighting a few years ago during his tenure at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, where he served as director from 2015 to 2023. “I grabbed two staff, and we went down there. I still have this picture of this pink American Flamingo, so bright, standing in front of all of these white pelicans.” 

Keith’s love of the region’s wildlife and wild spaces extends well beyond spectatorship. He’s held active roles in environmental conservation for 25 years, and now, the visionary leader’s focus is centered on Corkscrew’s ambitious redesign. The project aims to expand wetland research and restoration, fueled by Keith’s time-honored relationships with scientists, educators, decision-makers and passionate individuals—connections cultivated through research and resource coordination jobs at Charlotte Harbor, the Town of Fort Myers Beach and Rookery Bay. 

The multimillion-dollar project has already introduced 50 new interpretive signs at Corkscrew, and a revitalized discovery center with interactive exhibits to educate guests about the sanctuary’s wildlife opens next month. Groundbreakings for new volunteer headquarters, research facilities and stormwater treatment systems is on the books for early 2026. 

The environmentalist understands that protecting wetlands extends far beyond Corkscrew’s 13,000 acres—it demands strategic partnerships across the region. His collaborative approach drives the Corkscrew Watershed Initiative, one of the most significant undertakings in the sanctuary’s 70-year history. Launched in 2024 and conducted alongside the South Florida Water Management District’s Big Cypress Basin, the comprehensive, three-year research project delivers its final assessment in 2026, outlining critical pathways to restore natural water flow throughout the ecosystem. “It’s an investment that’s going to pay back for decades to come,” Keith says.

Keith reflects on his formative adventures when crafting Corkscrew’s future, with an emphasis on inspiring the next generation. His childhood in Cape Coral was filled with fishing trips along the Caloosahatchee River and explorations into Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve with Southwest Florida environmental scientist, educator and advocate Dr. Bill Hammond. Once an eager disciple, Keith now carries Bill’s legacy forward, developing internship opportunities and educational programming that immerse local students in the sanctuary’s wilderness. “You never know which kids you’re going to reach, who will come back and make a difference,” Keith says.  —Addison Pezoldt

Ming Yee

Chef-Owner, Nat Nat

Chef Ming Yee of Naples’ two-year-old neo-bistro Nat Nat thinks about the spectrum of life as captain Tim ‘Dilly’ Dillingham places a pair of striped lionfish before him. The invasive, venomous species threatens the health of our coastal reefs and their native sea life, but in Ming’s hands, the briny, shimmering fish transform into a decadent source of nourishment—poached in vegetable broth and accented by local mushrooms from Naples’ Care2Grow farm. With an ethos rooted in intentional, responsible and creative sourcing, Ming’s menu sets a new standard for dinner service: food that tastes good and does good.

The multigenerational chef (Ming’s parents owned a sushi restaurant in his youth) grew up in Naples, on and off boats, fishing with his grandfather since the age of 4. “I learned how to live with the land, how to develop longterm relationships with the people working its soil and fishing its waters,” Ming says. “Nutrition fuels the body, but it should also support a better future and the [tenets] of regenerative farming and harvesting. Our food honors those producers.” 

Nat Nat’s rotating menu pays reverence to its sources, with seasonal ingredients from Naples’ Inyoni Organic Farm, meat from regenerative cattle farm 7 Star Ranch and seafood from a host of local fishers. He likes to draw on heritage-driven producers, with a shared ethos—like Dilly, who operates a Naples-based commercial day boat operation, and often spears his catch, hauling it to shore within 48 hours. 

Working with underutilized species (like lionfish, mullet and sea bream) and unfamiliar cuts challenges Ming, who roots his kitchen in traditional cooking methods. The pairing creates ample opportunities for innovation. In a recent play on a spicy tuna roll, Ming opted for lean blackfin tuna (one of the most sustainable of its species) prepared tataki style over smashed English cucumbers with a drizzle of house chili oil. “There are so many species of fish available, overlooked or overshadowed, in favor of the familiar,” Ming says, reflecting on unseen bounties, like the hundred species of snapper existing worldwide. A recent Nat Nat menu featured poached mangrove snapper, its firm meat softened in yellow curry, coconut milk and house vegetable brodo.  

Ming’s cooking style takes, by nature, a slower approach to food—how it’s caught and how it’s prepared. It’s a direct rejection of a long history of exploitative fishing and farming that accounts for the future as much as the meal ahead. “Everything we do, from the small-scale ‘we’ to the global ‘we,’ impacts the food industry and has the potential to create change,” he says. —Chanda Jamieson 

Lisette Morales

Photographer and Storyteller

While sitting in a canoe in the Florida Everglades, photographer Lisette Morales feels like she can touch the sky. The water, dotted with American lotus flowers, mirrors the stars above. In the stillness and silence, she says, is a symphony of life. 

The wetlands are a source of peace and healing for the Naples-based artist, activist and storyteller. Best known for her work’s humanistic approach, Lisette captures not only the Everglades’ natural beauty but also the people who have stewarded the land for ages. Her photography immortalizes community gardens in Immokalee, Aztec dancers honoring Mother Earth, and the Miccosukee and Seminole Tribal leaders fighting for the Everglades’ future. “[My photos] document the work of Indigenous communities in their efforts to protect the land, protect tradition and avoid cultural erasure,” Lisette says. 

The photographer’s work is currently on display at Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum’s Entangled in the Mangroves exhibit, the most recent in a long line of convention-challenging shows to highlight her oeuvre. Her lens offers a firsthand account of the threatened ecosystems and cultures of the region, compelling viewers to consider the beauty of what might be lost—what we all stand to lose. 

Lisette, who traces her roots to Nicaragua, has called Florida home since 2000. A multicultural woman of Nahua-Nicarao ancestry, she grew up with an Indigenous grandmother who taught her how to milk cows, forage for edible plants and grow corn. “She took only what she needed and made sure that there were seeds for the future,” Lisette says. Sustainability, she learned, is about being connected to our food, fostering future resources and caring for your neighbors.

Even in her early 20s, using a camera her friends gifted her, Lisette’s lens was drawn to the human condition. She wasn’t surrounded by strong examples of Latina artists until she met Naples-based community organizer and Frida Kahlo researcher Margarita Claro. Inspired by Claro’s Mexican pride, Lisette pursued her first big project in 2014: a series of black-and-white portraits of Claro in traditional garb. The collection became a sensation. It was the first time Claro, somewhat of a local legend, had been photographed, presenting a powerful portrayal of a local woman for marginalized communities. “That’s when I realized the local impact of photography,” she says.

After an unexpected hospitalization in 2016, Lisette was desperate for nature and joined an Everglades prayer walk led by Miccosukee environmental activist Betty Osceola. “I realized the connection that she has with the land is the connection that I had lost with my homelands,” Lisette says. Her journey of personal and environmental healing began: walking intentionally, slowing down with the water’s flow, and surrendering to the fear and awe that make her feel alive. For her, it’s a meditation. “Once you conquer the fear, you walk a little more,” she says.

The Everglades is a landscape in constant flux, always giving Lisette new things to photograph. Today, when the 54-year-old encounters spiders in Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park—a sign of a healthy ecosystem, since declining insect and arachnid populations often signal  environmental degradation—she plays with how sunlight glimmers on the webs. She hopes her photos inspire people to connect with the Everglades in their own way. All it takes, she says, is some natural curiosity. “How do we help the Everglades if you don’t know it?” she reflects. —Marlowe Starling

Michael Puchalla          

Executive Director, HELP, Collier County Community Land Trust and The Housing Alliance

Michael Puchalla is excited to share some news. It’s not a new affordable housing development or a program to help prospective homeowners secure a down payment—initiatives he already spearheads through a triumvirate of organizations that address the dire affordable housing crisis in Collier County. He’s just gotten off a call with a county employee who secured a below-market, workforce housing unit at luxury residential community Marlowe Naples. “We were able to do a referral, help with the application and provide move-in assistance,” he says proudly. Individual successes like this are the heart behind the sweeping changes he champions. 

Michael helms three organizations that make moments like this possible: HELP, Collier County Community Land Trust (CCCLT) and The Housing Alliance, a new nonprofit further alleviating the impacts of housing insecurity. It’s no small task: In Collier County, more than 50,000 households are cost-burdened, spending more than 30% their monthly income on housing costs, an issue compounded by the 50% rise in median rent in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. “There’s a massive shortage of affordable development,” he says. “Our vision is to make the process of finding housing much easier.” 

When the housing market collapsed in 2008, Michael was working as a mortgage lender. “Overnight, the industry turned upside down,” he recalls. “I saw people struggling with mortgages, defaulting and foreclosures.” The following year, he joined HELP, which provides financial counseling services to individuals hoping to improve their credit, find housing and secure financing. By 2013, Michael had risen to executive director of the organization, which in 2020, created the CCCLT to oversee land acquisition and partner with developers on affordable housing. 

Addressing the affordable housing crisis is a bit like trying to repair a broken plate. There are lots of pieces—local government and planning boards, developers, nonprofits, donors and populations in need—but something has to be the glue. Last year, CCCLT and Collier Community Foundation formally launched The Housing Alliance. Focused on educational impact and community engagement, it acts as a critical connector, consolidating existing efforts and building bridges, advocating for policies that reduce barriers to development and providing resources to individuals seeking housing. That includes addressing environmental concerns in Naples’ already overdeveloped landscape. 

Under Michael’s leadership, the three organizations work in concert to tackle the housing crisis step-by-step. In November, The Housing Alliance invited local media to the grand opening of Ekos Cadenza, a 160-unit affordable senior housing development in East Naples. CCCLT joined developer McDowell Housing Partners as the nonprofit partner, securing essential tax exemptions and facilitating partnerships to bring lifestyle services onsite, like preventative screenings for residents by Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida. The Housing Alliance refers potential tenants to HELP to assist with the application and, if approved, subsidize moving costs. 

Within months, Ekos Cadenza reached full occupancy. An additional 160 units are underway. The development is a perfect example of how organizations can tackle housing needs holistically, amplifying coordinating services. “We have to evolve,” Michael says. “We’re looking at new ways to move the needle.” —Samantha Garbarini