Media & Marketing Materials – The Remarkable Reefs of Cuba
Media and marketing materials, including book flyers, author bio and imagery can be found on this page. Copyright for all photographs/graphics/documents resides with the photographer/creator. You are granted a non-exclusive license to use the imagery and other materials on your website, printed materials, etc. without restriction. Crediting of the photographer is optional. Please refer to the main book page for a calendar of upcoming appearances, including speeches and book signings.
Emily Jeffers – Publicist, Rowman & Littlefield – Email: | Phone:
Dr. David E. Guggenheim – Author (Contact Dr. Guggenheim)
Download Excerpts, Imagery, Q&A, Talking Points from Prometheus Books/Rowman & Littlefield
Download Book Flyer
One-Page (front and back) PDF including a book summary, author bio and testimonials
Author Bio
Download Dr. Guggenheim’s Full Bio
One-Page (front and back) PDF summarizing the author’s professional accomplishments
Dr. Guggenheim’s Medium-Length Bio
Dr. David E. Guggenheim is a marine scientist, conservation policy specialist, ocean explorer, submarine pilot, award-winning author and educator. He is the founder and president of the Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization, Ocean Doctor, dedicated to advancing the conservation of the world’s oceans through scientific research, education and community engagement. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University – Advanced Academic Programs teaching Ocean Stewardship and Sustainability. Guggenheim has a fervent commitment to environmental education and is currently halfway through a journey to all 50 states to educate K-12 students about the oceans, conservation and careers in science.
Guggenheim has worked in Cuba for more than 20 years leading collaborative research and conservation efforts in Cuba focused on coral reef ecosystems. His 2022 book, The Remarkable Reefs of Cuba: Hopeful Stories from the Ocean Doctor, details his two decades of experiences in Cuba, working in collaboration with Cuban scientists to explore that country’s unique underwater ecosystems and to understand why the world has lost half of its coral reefs while they continue to thrive in Cuba. As an ocean explorer, Guggenheim piloted the first manned submersible dive into the world’s largest underwater canyons located in Alaska’s Bering Sea. He was inducted into the Explorers Club as a National Fellow in 2008. His 2013 documentary, Disaster at Nightingale, details a disastrous oil spill in a remote island group in the South Atlantic that killed thousands of penguins.
Guggenheim is an accomplished public speaker, frequently invited as a keynote speaker at major national and international conferences and events for nonprofit organizations, industry associations, schools and universities, and governmental organizations. He has testified before Congress and international governmental bodies, including the Scottish Parliament. He regularly appears on television and radio, having appeared on 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, PBS Newshour and NPR among others and has been featured in a wide range of print media, including the New York Times.
In addition to his conservation work, Guggenheim is an award-winning professional photographer. His work ranges from underwater wildlife to fine art studio photography, fashion and portraiture, spanning the Antarctic, the Falkland Islands/Malvinas, Cuba, Alaska, Russia, the Middle East and beyond. See some examples of his work.
Guggenheim previously served as Vice President at The Ocean Conservancy, President & CEO of The Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Co-Chair of the Everglades Coalition, President of the Friends of Channel Islands National Park and Chairman of the Board of the Great Whale Conservancy. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University in Virginia, a Master’s in Aquatic and Population Biology from University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master’s in Regional Science and Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Guggenheim’s Short Bio
Dr. David E. Guggenheim is a marine scientist, conservation policy specialist, ocean explorer, submersible pilot, award-winning author and educator. He is founder and president of the Washington, DC-based nonprofit, Ocean Doctor, dedicated to ocean conservation. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University. Guggenheim has worked in Cuba for more than 20 years leading collaborative research and conservation efforts focused on coral reef ecosystems, documented in his recently-released book, The Remarkable Reefs of Cuba: Hopeful Stories from the Ocean Doctor. Guggenheim piloted the first manned submersible dive into the world’s largest underwater canyons located in Alaska’s Bering Sea. He has appeared on 60 Minutes, Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, PBS Newshour and NPR. Guggenheim previously served as Vice President at Ocean Conservancy, President & CEO of The Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and Co-Chair of the Everglades Coalition. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University, a Master’s in Aquatic and Population Biology from University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Master’s in Regional Science and Bachelor’s in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.
The title of the book is a bit misleading. Certainly, it does tell a remarkable story about coral reefs off Cuba. But that is really only one part of a book that is everything from an autobiography of a life spent in service to the world’s oceans…to a very accessible explanation of the delicate balance required to maintain undersea ecosystems, to a history of post-Castro Cuba’s politics and agriculture, to an at times hilarious explication of the Kafka-like bureaucracies one encounters as a U.S. citizen trying to work in Cuba.
– Michael Hill, Johns Hopkins Arts & Sciences Magazine, Spring 2023
Additional book tour dates and locations to be announced, including Washington, DC; New York, NY; California; Oregon; Washington; Colorado; Florida. Subscribe for the latest information
Testimonials & Reviews
“Guggenheim’s deeply personal journey into Cuba’s past and present leads him to see the inextricable links between humans and nature, and reasons for hope in an enduring future for both.”
“Cuba’s political difficulties created a silver lining of virtually untouched reefs. They are a reminder of what God intended coral reefs to be and of how badly coral reefs have been massacred by human pollution, overfishing, and climate change. These Cuban reefs offer a beacon of hope as well as a warning of danger, and The Remarkable Reefs of Cuba gives them voice.”
“In telling this important story, Guggenheim shares the little-known account of how my grandfather helped shape Cuba’s environmental future and its strong laws protecting the coastal waters. I am grateful that his legacy continues and endures in Cuba and that his message of love and hope for our oceans continues to resonate.”
“The Remarkable Reefs of Cuba is a truly inspirational story about our corals, how they live, and what we can do to protect them. Thanks, David, for showing us that there is still hope!”
“While filming Chasing Coral, we witnessed climate change’s devastating impact on the beloved Great Barrier Reef. Guggenheim’s 20-year account brings hope as he shares the lessons of Cuba’s remarkable coral reefs and how their secrets can help us rescue the planet’s remaining reefs before it’s too late.”
“Guggenheim is a first-rate scientist and story-teller. Eloquently weaving scientific knowledge with the history of Cuba’s amazing corals, The Remarkable Reefs of Cuba is a must-read for anyone wishing to learn about the science and the story of coral reefs and the amazing humans who dedicated their lives to defend the beauty of coral reefs and their pivotal role in securing the promise of a living and thriving nature.”
“As an oceanographer, Guggenheim writes engrossingly on the imminent collapse of the world’s reefs. But he holds a special hope that Cuba will be different, and explains what lessons of global application can be learned there. His story is one of good-humored perseverance in an inestimably good cause. It’s our good luck that he has shared that story.”
