Andrew Sharpless has led Oceana since 2003 as its Chief Executive Officer. Oceana, founded in late 2001, has grown in that time to be the largest international conservation organization fully dedicated to protecting the oceans. 

Sharpless holds degrees from Harvard Law School, the London School of Economics, and Harvard College and is an advocate and a manager with wide leadership experience in business and NGO start-ups. He served as Executive Vice President of Discovery.com, the online division of Discovery Communications, the cable television programmer behind The Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Discovery Health and The Travel Channel. 

Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President of the initial management team which launched RealNetworks, the company which pioneered online streaming media. As VP at the Museum of Television & Radio in New York City, he helped manage its move to a new and expanded Philip Johnson-designed building in midtown Manhattan. 

Sharpless was a management consultant at McKinsey & Co., working for a variety of corporate, non-profit, and governmental clients. As an advocate, Sharpless joined People for the American Way shortly after its founding, serving as deputy director of development. He was a grassroots organizer for the Center for Study of Responsive Law, and the leader of the launch of the Wisconsin Citizens Utility Board. His volunteer work includes serving as trustee and treasurer of Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C..