Donor Profile: Victoria Stack

Victoria Stack is a settled Washington, D.C. resident these days, but the Louisiana native has lived in some of the world's far-flung places. As the daughter of a civil engineer with the Army Corp of Engineers, she spent her youth in cities like Tehran and Rangoon. Now, she's a leading advocate for several international environmental and animal welfare organizations. She credits her years abroad for turning her into the advocate she is today.


"It led into all of the later passion I had for global issues," she said.


Stack was introduced to Oceana by Ocean Council Chair Anne Alexander Rowley. The two were members of Rachel's Network, a group for women in conservation. A member of the Ocean Council now, Stack is especially dedicated to ocean issues and credits her awakening to a sailing trip in the British Virgin Islands her family had taken years earlier. The beautiful view and fresh ocean air belied the threats facing the ocean.


"I came from enjoying the ocean's serenity and sleeping under the stars, confident of the ocean's bounty," Stack said. "Then, I had no idea then the ocean was in such peril."


Today, Stack finds a spiritual element in her advocacy in addition to the practical reasons for protecting the ocean ecosystem. "We all live here on this little blue planet in a very interconnected and mutually dependent way, and, being conscious of this, I feel humankind will benefit morally, ethically, and spiritually in preserving the ocean's incredibly beautiful bounty," she said.