Mark Simmons

Mark Simmons grew up in a Northern Virginia farm community where, at an early age, his father taught him that stewardship of wild and domestic animals requires lifelong responsibility and commitment.

At the age of eighteen, Mark had his first encounter with whales and dolphins at SeaWorld in Orlando which led him to a ten year career in animal behavior there, working mostly with killer whales.

By 1998, he founded a marine life protection group, Wildlife International Network, with former boss and close friend, Robin Friday. In April 1999, Simmons joined the Keiko Release Project as the Director of Animal Husbandry and led the Behavior Team onsite in Iceland. There he authored and applied the behavioral protocols for reintroduction that gained approval from the Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries for Keiko’s formal release.

Friday and Simmons went on to create Ocean Embassy, whereby their team assists governments on protective marine legislation, conducts extensive field work with marine mammals and helps rescue stranded animals. He created and continues to provide visionary leadership of a large scale research & conservation database called OERCA that serves global wildlife management needs. Simmons has taught marine mammal behavioral science at the University of Miami and conducted numerous seminars and lectures on the Keiko Release Project. He currently serves as a board member for Embassy Blue Institute and the Marine Mammal Conservancy, both non-profit organizations with the mission to protect marine life.

When not traveling, Simmons spends his time with his wife and two daughters at their home in Orlando, Florida. He has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida. He is an avid cyclist and dabbles in art and woodwork. Mark is also a generous patron of local coffee shops when engaged in the fine art of writing.