Lily Payton

Lily Payton is an avid regenerative aquaculture advocate, an indigenous rights ally, and a lover of all things marine. At her day job, she teaches cities innovative methodologies for creating more effective, resident-centric initiatives. Outside of work, she spends her time swimming, wading, and drifting along in whatever body of water she can find. This passion along with a worry that these ecosystems won’t be there forever has spurred an interest in regenerative ocean farming techniques and crops, with hopes of shepherding in a new era of sustainable agriculture. Through this interest, she couples indigenous knowledge with Western information systems to ensure all perspectives are represented, especially those previously silenced. In that same vein, she has participated in the UNLEASH Greenland Innovation Lab creating prototypes for our world’s most pressing climate problems and the SOI Foundation Blue Futures Pathways Expedition learning about the sustainable blue economy from a diversity of perspectives. An adventurer at heart, Lily is from Potomac, MD but has lived in three countries and six cities. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University in International Development and Political Science.