14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JANUARY 8-14, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com As Julie Packard prepares to retire, a look at her legacy that shaped the Monterey Bay Aquarium and its global impact. By Katie Rodriguez Sea Change On a blue-bird morning, Julie Packard sits at a table in the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s dining hall, surrounded by the quiet that settles over the building before it opens to visitors. She takes a booth adjacent to a large window overlooking the bay—the natural environment part of an institution that has become a national model and success story—and reflects on past, present and future. Packard, who is 72, is retiring this year after 41 years as the executive director of the aquarium, and has grave concerns about the state of science communication today. “The questioning of science at the level that’s happening is new; the constant undermining of credibility of the science community,” she says. “It’s appalling, it’s disturbing, and it’s taking up space in the media that could be focused on providing accurate inforThe kelp forest exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium was crucial to Julie Packard as a way to educate visitors about the rich local ecosystems in an immersive, awe-inspiring way. DANIEL DREIFUSS
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