George Jacob

George Jacob is the President & CEO of Bay.org in San Francisco, which oversees six institutions – Aquarium of the Bay, The Bay Institute, Sea Lion Center, Eco Center at Heron’s Head Park, The Bay Model Alliance, and the Bay Academy – with a unified mission to protect and conserve the San Francisco Bay and its fragile ecosystems from the Sierra to the Sea. He currently leads the landmark transformation of the Aquarium of the Bay on Pier 39 into an iconic $260 million living immersive ecotarium. Trained at the Smithsonian, educated at the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, University of Toronto, Getty Leadership Institute, and Yale School of Management, he is internationally renowned for spearheading stellar museum design-build projects and is one of the leading museum thinkers of our times. His portfolio of over 108 museums, 8 books, and his work on museums and science center projects, have been visited by millions around the world. In 2008, he was the Project Director for the 1812 Star Spangled Banner permanent exhibit – the Smithsonian’s most treasured national icon. He is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and recipient of the 2019 Louie Kamookak Medal. He serves on the Board of International Council of Museums USA, and is the Chief Advisor to UN Environment on Climate and Ocean Conservation Museum initiatives.