Terry Garcia
Former National Geographic Chief Science Officer Terry Garcia brings a rare perspective shaped by decades at the frontier of exploration and discovery. Today, he works with organizations to ignite creativity, embrace bold thinking, and navigate uncertainty—revealing how the mindset of explorers can drive innovation in business, science, and society.
Exploration Evangelist
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Global Policy Advisor
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Blue Water Advocate
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Exploration Evangelist • Global Policy Advisor • Blue Water Advocate •
More about Terry
For 17 years, Terry Garcia served as Executive Vice President and Chief Science and Exploration Officer for the National Geographic Society where he was responsible for growing the global impact of the Society’s core mission programs including those that supported and managed more than 400 scientific field research, conservation, and exploration projects. He also was responsible for the expansion of the National Geographic Museum and its traveling exhibitions, launching some of the most successful exhibitions of the last decade, including the seven-year global tour of Tutankhamun’s Treasures, seen by more than 10 million people.
In June 2010, President Obama appointed Terry to serve on the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, to investigate the root causes of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2011, he received Peru’s highest civilian award, La Orden del Sol del Perú, for his role in helping repatriate a collection of ancient artifacts taken from Machu Picchu in 1912.
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Terry founded and runs Exploration Ventures, a think tank and consultancy which provides strategic advice and counsel to global clients across sectors. He recently co-authored a book, The Future of Exploration: Discovering the Uncharted Frontiers of Science, Technology, and Human Potential with National Geographic Photographer Chris Rainier. Early in his career, Terry was the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere for the US Department of Commerce, and the Deputy Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He also served as NOAA’s General Counsel from 1994 to 1996.
Speaking Topics
Leadership
Managing Change
Team Dynamics
Conservation
Exploration
Watch Terry in action
Presentations
The Future of Exploration
Even in a mapped world, mysteries remain. Terry Garcia, former National Geographic chief exploration officer, reveals why the 21st century is humanity’s greatest age of discovery. Join him on a thrilling journey to hidden treasures, lost cities, shipwrecks, and Earth’s last wild places, uncovering the unknown and reigniting the spirit of adventure in every corner of the planet.
The Explorer’s Mindset: How to Achieve Business Goal in an Era of Uncertainty
Drawing on history’s greatest expeditions, Terry Garcia shows how the mindset of explorers—who survived shipwrecks, defied polar ice, and uncovered lost civilizations—applies to modern leadership. Through thrilling stories of triumph over impossible odds, he reveals the traits that turn disaster into success, offering a bold blueprint for navigating high-stakes challenges when data is incomplete and waiting is not an option.
“By cultivating an Explorer Mindset, leaders can find a way forward when the data is incomplete, the stakes are high, and waiting is not an option.”
– Terry Garcia