Hillary Hauser Stepping Down as Head of Heal the Ocean
Santa Barbara Nonprofit’s Longtime Leader Announces She Will Become Board Chair, Hunt on for New Executive Director
Among Hillary Hauser’s signature skills has been her ability to bang the drum both loudly and softly as an advocate for Heal the Ocean, something she’s done since starting the organization in 1998 along with attorney — and then aspiring mussel farmer — Jeff Young. After running Heal the Ocean for 26 years, Hauser, a onetime diver, journalist, surfer, marine film festival organizer, and classical pianist, has announced that she will be stepping down to become the nonprofit’s board chair and that Heal the Ocean is looking for a new executive director.
Hauser was nothing if not adamant and outspoken when Heal the Ocean first burst onto the scene, as Rincon surfers in alarming numbers reported sporting skin and ear rashes and infections. Hauser — given to media-friendly theatrics — blamed the septic system relied upon by property owners lucky enough to enjoy the ocean frontages from Rincon to Carpinteria.
Heal the Ocean proved adept at securing the state research grants that proved Hauser right and silenced her doubters, who were then populating the regulatory agencies responsible for keeping fecal effluents out of the water. Ultimately, Heal the Ocean — which turned into a fundraising juggernaut with help from the likes of Jean-Michel Cousteau and Julia Louis-Dreyfus — twisted enough arms and bent enough ears to “talk” the affected property owners into making the switch from septic to sewage lines.
As an activist, Hauser — loud, enthusiastic, and garrulous — was more inclined to try sweet talk than hell-raising and was sparing in the lawsuits she filed. Typically, Heal the Ocean shied away from suing the sewage treatment agencies themselves, but went after the state regulatory agencies responsible for overseeing such agencies instead.
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