Leadership Profile

Merle Liivand is a 10-time Guinness World Record–holding swimmer, environmental advocate, and founder of the “Eco Mermaid” movement. Born in Estonia and now based in the U.S., she combines athletic endurance with marine conservation—swimming marathon distances with a monofin while collecting trash from polluted waters. A former Olympic hopeful and lung disease survivor, she founded the Mermaid School to educate youth about ocean protection. Merle’s swims have inspired global awareness of plastic pollution and earned her recognition as a bold voice for climate action, sports activism, and environmental education.