Rafael Bergstrom

From the pitcher's mound to environmental advocacy, Rafael Bergstrom has lived many lives. Rooted in all aspects of his journey is a love of the natural world inspired by his wonderful parents and dodging rattlesnakes as a kid growing up along Sacramento's American River Parkway. Rafael is a photographer, writer, nonprofit leader, and former professional baseball player who sees storytelling, creativity, and collective community actions as tools for inspiring a more connected and sustainable world.

At each step on this unusual path, Rafael has found that embracing the opportunity of the unknown can lead to experiences that open up unforgettable worlds. Baseball took him to a boarding school on the outskirts of Tel Aviv and then to an east coast industrial town where his manager was a baseball legend. Photography brought him inside a Buddhist monastery on the edge of the Himalayas. A call to better understand the crossroads of science and community building brought him to the Pacific to pursue a Master's at the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa. Today, Rafael is honored to lead as the Executive Director of Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i, continues to pursue his creative passions through writing projects, and believes that Civics Is Still Sexy.