Ali is passionate about doing all that we can to build societies that are sustainable, resilient, and just. Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ali Mariko Dressel was first called to San Diego by the ocean. She received her undergraduate degrees in Marine Science (with a minor in Environmental Studies) and Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of San Diego. During this time, she started her lifelong interdisciplinary journey of using the performing arts as a platform for ocean conservation and climate action. After graduating from USD, Ali dove into the immersive experience industry and worked as a professional performer, clown, coordinator, and manager for events, festivals, and productions worldwide. She also worked in coral reef conservation in Thailand and various community-centered projects.
Continuing to evolve her vision to engage communities through immersive experiences, Ali returned to San Diego to pursue an interdisciplinary master’s degree in Marine Conservation and Biodiversity from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD. As part of her graduate experience, she launched ResilienSEA Immersive, whose mission is to connect communities with ocean conservation and climate justice through experiential and theatrical storytelling. ResilienSEA Immersive has engaged audiences with stories on how climate change impacts coral reefs (at the Birch Aquarium) and the importance of seaweed ecosystems (CA Seaweed Festival), and it is currently in the process of becoming a 501c-3 nonprofit.
For the past several years, Ali has also worked as the Climate Justice Policy Coordinator at Climate Action Campaign, where she focuses on community-centered engagement and advocacy to uplift communities that have historically been underserved and left out. She also serves as the Coalition Manager for the San Diego Green New Deal Alliance, and she consistently works to bridge relationships among communities (especially low-income, Communities of Color, Youth, and tribal), government agencies, elected officials, and local leaders.
Ali is honored and thrilled to come full circle to USD and apply her multicultural upbringing and interdisciplinary background in climate justice to this course, helping mobilize transitions that are rooted in resilience, reciprocity, and justice.