Ayana Elizabeth Johnson to Receive Dickinson College’s Rose-Walters Prize for Environmental Activism

Posted on March 31st, 2026 | Filed under Press Releases

CARLISLE, Pa., March 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Marine biologist, policy expert, writer and teacher Ayana Elizabeth Johnson will receive The Sam Rose ’58 and Julie Walters Prize for Global Environmental Activism at Dickinson College. This annual $100,000 prize is awarded to individuals or organizations significantly impacting responsible action for the planet and its people. Johnson will be honored with this prestigious award during Dickinson’s Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 17.

Johnson is co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for the future of coastal cities, and is the Roux Distinguished Scholar at Bowdoin College. She authored The New York Times bestseller What If We Get it Right?: Visions of Climate Futures, work that is carried on with her newsletter and podcast of the same name.

Previously, she co-edited the climate anthology All We Can Save, co-founded The All We Can Save Project, and co-created and co-hosted the Spotify/Gimlet climate solutions podcast How to Save a Planet. She also co-authored the Blue New Deal, a policy roadmap for addressing climate challenges facing the ocean. As executive director of the nonprofit Waitt Institute, she co-founded the Blue Halo Initiative and led the Caribbean’s first successful island-wide ocean zoning effort. Early in her career, she developed U.S. federal ocean policy at the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Johnson earned a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in environmental science and public policy and a Ph.D. from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in marine biology. She serves on the board of directors for Patagonia and GreenWave and on the advisory board of Environmental Voter Project. Recent recognitions include the Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Communication and the TIME Earth Award. Her writing has been published widely, including in the New York Times, WIRED and Rolling Stone. She is the proud daughter of a teacher/farmer and an architect/potter. Above all: Ayana is in love with climate solutions.

The Rose-Walters Prize recognizes Johnson’s accomplishments and provides opportunities for Dickinson students and faculty. During the 2026-27 academic year, Johnson will visit Dickinson for a multi-day residency. Previously, the Rose-Walters Prize has honored climate advocates including Armond Cohen, Katharine Hayhoe and Tara Houska and organizations including the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense Fund.

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