Jim Perry

Senior Advisor
Why do you volunteer with Coastkeeper? Water is the foundation for everything, but too many of us take it for granted. When we fix our water’s problems, all aspects of life get better.
What do you wish everyone knew about Coastkeeper? Coastkeeper has the knowledge and the power to protect our waters when our federal government can’t or won’t. When decisions in D.C. aren’t up to snuff, Coastkeeper is there.
Coastkeeper works towards fishable, swimmable, drinkable waters. What’s your “able”? Solvable. Our problems are big but with knowledge, they’re solvable. By seizing the insights from a variety of science and technology fields, we can tackle any water challenge.

Jim is the director of the cardiac electrophysiology and adult congenital heart programs at Rady Children’s Hospital. He has worked at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Texas Children’s Hospital, Yale University and Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego. He has medical device patents, experience as chief science officer of a device start-up, leads a translational effort between pediatrics and bioengineering at UCSD and has 100 peer-reviewed medical publications. He is an international lecturer in the field of pediatric cardiac rhythm disorders.

Jim grew up on the water on Long Island, was (and sort of still is) a competitive swimmer, sailor, and scuba diver. He is also a lifetime member of the Surfrider Foundation. During his professional travels he co-founded two Surfrider chapters, one in Connecticut and one in Minnesota. He enjoys surfing, travel, good food and wine, and solving problems with innovative approaches. He lives in Ocean Beach with his two dogs Ellie and Milo.