We are thrilled to welcome Jessica Bragdon — entrepreneur, advocate, and lifelong steward of the natural world — as our newest Advisory Council member.
Rooted in Nature and Human Science
Jessica’s connection to the natural world began in childhood. Raised in New England, she spent formative years hiking through forests near her grandmother’s home with her twin sister. These experiences shaped her enduring belief that a connection to nature is foundational to our physical, emotional, and psychological well-being as humans. That thought has never wavered, and today it’s the north star in everything she does, from the business she built to the communities she supports.
Her career has been shaped by curiosity and a gift for building community across cultures and sectors. From the boutique hotel industry in New York to the arts and non-profit sector in Australia, she brought the same attentiveness to people and place wherever she worked. She holds a Master’s in Organisational Psychology from Columbia University, an academic foundation that informs both her approach to leadership and her understanding of how environments shape human behavior.
Building Koala Eco
In 2018, Jessica co-founded Koala Eco with her husband, Paul Davidson, also a member of the Oceanic Society Advisory Council. What began as a mission to create safe, powerful, plant-based products for a clean home, body, and mind has grown into something far larger: a movement to bring more nature into everyday life. Koala Eco is now a certified plastic-neutral brand and a partner of 1% for the Planet.
Jessica Bragdon and Paul Davidson founded Koala Eco after their now-healthy son was diagnosed with a neuroblastoma as an infant. Driven to eliminate harsh chemicals from their home, they created a line of safe cleaning and personal care products that deliver exceptional performance while being sustainable, and sensorial. © Koala Eco
At the heart of Koala Eco is a commitment to ecopsychology — the study of the relationship between human wellbeing and the natural world. As Jessica has said: “We believe passionately in the capacity of nature to have a positive impact on people’s daily lives and wellbeing. At an immersive, sensory level, closeness to nature brings real cognitive, emotional, and psychological benefits.”
Koala Eco was built to make that closeness part of everyday life, from the Australian essential oils in every product to the partnerships and initiatives that carry their mission beyond the home.
Naturally, the brand’s philosophy reflects Jessica’s own: that caring for the environment and caring for people are not separate pursuits.
Koala Eco & Conservation Scholars Program
Koala Eco’s partnership with Oceanic Society is one of the most tangible expressions of their ethos in action. Since 2023, they have sponsored the Conservation Scholars Program, an initiative that provides life-changing ocean experiences to students from underresourced schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. As they experience the ocean, often for the first time, they learn about whales, birds, other wildlife, and potential careers in environmental fields. It’s an immersive experience that bridges classroom education with experiential learning.
To date, Koala’s commitment has expanded access to nature for hundreds of young people who may not otherwise have the opportunity.
Koala’s Cumulative Impact 2023–2026:
- 657 students supported through their funded trips
- 1,971 cumulative hours at sea, and a program that grows year over year
With the support of partners like Koala Eco, many Bay Area students experience the ocean for the first time. The Conservation Scholars Program aims to give kids a chance to be moved by nature and the sea in ways that can make them lifelong ocean conservationists and ocean champions in their own communities.
Access to nature is not evenly distributed, and research consistently shows that children from low-income communities and communities of color have significantly less access to quality natural environments and experiences — yet those experiences carry some of the most lasting developmental and emotional weight any young person can have.
These students go home and talk about what they saw. They bring it into their classrooms, their families, their friendships. It’s our shared belief that one experience can shift the trajectory of a life toward care and stewardship for our world.
That is the vision Jessica and Koala Eco have lived and built from the beginning. Having someone on our Advisory Council who doesn’t just support that mission from the outside, but who has shaped her life, her work, and her purpose around it, means more than we can overstate.
Jessica‘s experience building a mission-driven brand, her understanding of organizational culture and leadership, and her lifelong personal commitment to the natural world will be an extraordinary asset to our council and to our broader community.
We are honored to have her alongside us. Welcome, Jessica.
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