Kiera Rumbough is a marine biologist and the lead research coordinator on a multi-year sea expedition around the world to film and document stories about individuals, organizations and communities working to restore and preserve the natural environment and cultural identity.

Growing up on New York’s Eastern Long Island, Kiera quickly realized the ocean was where her heart was. This passion led her to the University of Miami to study marine biology and graduate cum laude with a Bachelors of Science in Marine Science and Biology and minor in Ecosystem Science and Policy. In addition to her studies, Kiera spent multiple summers working aboard a shark research vessel in Tampa Bay with Coastal Marine Education and Research Academy (CMERA). 

After completing her studies, Kiera quickly got to work helping to start a surf company in her home state of New York, while simultaneously working as a stewardess and deckhand on private yachts. In the off-season, she became an active volunteer with the Lonely Whale Foundation, helping to further the organization’s educational impact. 

In 2022, Kiera took WINGS Flag #29 on the first leg of her expedition, Apparent Winds, which sailed from Seattle up the coast of the Pacific Northwest to Alaska. Kiera is the expedition leader, resident biologist and lead research coordinator aboard her team’s ship, Resilience. Sailing around the globe, Kiera and her team will spend the next several years interviewing indigenous populations along the world’s coastlines, collecting scientific data and water samples, and building education programs both aboard the ship and in the classroom. These programs will include live video streaming with Q&A between students, scientists, and coastal community members involved in environmental and cultural preservation, providing a platform for marine research and data collection accessible to a broad community. 

In May 2024, Kiera teamed up with fellow WINGS Flag Carrier Gaelin Rosenwaks for the leg of her expedition that covered roughly 1,000 nautical miles from Charleston, SC, along the continental shelf to the Hudson Canyon before returning to shore in Montauk, NY. Kiera and Gaelin carried WINGS Flag #39 as they conducted a survey of wildlife along the continental shelf off of the east coast of the United States—aiming to add to the existing knowledge of species diversity and aid in the creation of the Hudson Canyon Marine Sanctuary designation.