Marilu Cristina Flores is an award-winning filmmaker, coral researcher, and recipient of the 2021 Go Blue Ambassador of the Year Award.

Recognized as a Hispanic Ocean Conservation Hero in 2021, she holds a certificate degree from the University of Queensland in Tropical Coastal Ecosystem Resource Management and served the Surfrider Foundation as Regional Coordinator and then Manager from 2018 - 2022.

During her time with Surfrider, Marilu helped community activists pass over 50 ordinances to protect our marine and coastal ecosystems and in 2021, she was appointed to serve the Southeast Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) as an NGO/nonprofit partner for five years. 

Marilu is the Founder and Community Outreach Director of Conservation Key, a project-based, IRS-recognized nonprofit founded on the hope that with our intervention, coral reefs can and will survive for the next generation.