Tracey Durning, Chief Strategist
Tracey Durning is an impact entrepreneur. She is the founder of 49 prince street, a small company that designs and supports collaborative social action platforms in the form of funder and nonprofit coalitions, campaigns and social enterprises. She also works with a group of philanthropists committed to protecting the environment and is the Chief Strategist to Planet Heritage Foundation (PHF), driving and managing its philanthropic activities around oceans, climate change and sustainable development.
Durning most recently developed Oceans 5, a global funder’s collaborative, with PHF and a group of philanthropists committed to improving conservation of the world’s five oceans. Oceans 5 is focused on significantly expanding marine reserves and restraining overfishing by supporting large-scale projects with clear and measurable social returns. The platform is a powerful mechanism for partners to more effectively share and leverage their assets (funding, knowledge, networks and influence), while giving new funders a safe and trusted place to invest.
She also recently helped launch Oceans 5′s campaign the Antarctic Ocean Alliance (AOA), a global consortium of environmental and conservation groups working together to make the waters of Antarctica the largest network of ‘no take’ marine reserves on the planet. Durning produced and directed the campaign video featuring Sylvia Earle and Edward Norton, as well as helped craft the social media strategy. AOA is a shining example of the kind of scaled, global collaboration Oceans 5 seeks to facilitate and support.
Durning was a key driver to the creation and development of the Electrification Coalition, and is now embarking on a similar high-level coalition of leadership in the animal welfare space called the Target Zero Institute.
As a former filmmaker (eg Executive Produced the feature film Freedom Writers based on a short documentary she directed), journalist/producer (ABC News, CBS, CNN, MTV) and social media campaign builder, she often integrates storytelling, filmmaking and technology into raising awareness, deepening dialogue and prompting action around key issues and platforms.
She sits on the board of directors of Oceans 5 and Wild Aid.