First Lady Joline Gash Explores Marine Life with Palibu Chamber Active Professionals on Low Tide Hike

Low tide in Malibu reveals broad swaths of seabed where marine life and jewel-like tidepools abound. At sunrise, seagulls swoop to grab mollusks and muscles, as starfish luxuriate on exposed rocky crevices. But on the morning of June 8, low tide beckoned more than just the wildlife. 

The cohort of hikers gathered first thing in the morning

The Palibu Chamber Active Professionals Committee hosted a low-tide hike, providing a hospitable environment for members of the Malibu and Pacific Palisades community to meet and forge real connections. Along the Malibu coastline, locals in vocations from hospitality to architecture and finance to entertainment, joined members of Pepperdine University on an excursion, with the University’s first lady, Joline Gash (’92) named the honorary guest hiker.

Chris Wizner, Chair of the Active Professionals Committee, Palibu Chamber board member & Past President & Chair, and Founder & CEO of the marketing agency Vivid Candi, advised the convening crowd to “[p]ut your business cards and LinkedIn’s away until after the hike; I want you all to just get to know each other.” 

As a former marine biology teacher at Oaks Christian School, Gash helped elevate the time into an informed nature excursion. In sandals, ball caps, and board shorts, hikers stepped deeper into the low tide to take a closer look at the hidden life within, while Gash identified marine creatures in the crevices of rocks. She explained that the abundance of life within the ocean has always been a point of wonder and passion. 

Gash was gifted a statuette to commemorate being guest hiker

Gash graduated with a degree in biology from Seaver College and was recognized as valedictorian of her 1992 class. She had always wanted to be an educator, so following graduation, she taught freshmen natural science courses at Malibu High School, which included the subjects of physics, chemistry, earth science, and health science. She then put her teaching career on hold as her husband, Jim Gash (JD ’93), a lawyer, law professor, and future Pepperdine president, pursued a legal career that spanned corporate litigation and international justice reform, leading her and their three children to join him for a six month period in Uganda.

Gash returned to teaching, this time at Oaks Christian, from 2015 to 2019, where she took students on marine excursions to the Galápagos Islands and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. To her delight, many of her former high school students have gone on to become her friends as Pepperdine alumni and staff.

“I've been blessed to have traveled around the world, but I'm always looking for places where I can be near the ocean,” Gash says. “I love sharing my knowledge of biology, especially marine biology, with others.” 

Considering Gash’s passion and expertise, Palibu Chamber Active Professionals said they enjoyed the dedicated opportunity to learn more about the rich ecosystem that inhabited the Malibu and Palisades coast—while learning about each of the storied lives each hiker, such as Gash, has lived. 

A glimpse of the marine life present

Fellow Pepperdine staffers present at the hike included Kitty Campbell (’20), manager of community engagement; Cindy Campbell, director of Parent and Family Programs, and Mateo Roldan (’26), assistant director of Parent and Family Engagement. Mollie Cho, current Seaver College student and women’s swim/dive athlete, also attended the event, remarking that this type of sincere community engagement helped her obtain an internship at Wizner’s company, Vivid Candi. 

“I like that I can introduce myself to anyone, start a conversation, and dive deeper into the Malibu community. And it this was a great opportunity to meet the First Lady of the college I attend," says Cho. “This event was overall very impactful, and I am grateful that Chris hosts fun hikes like this for locals professionals. Business owners here are so willing to connect with and provide opportunities for Pepperdine students.” 

Attendees expressed that they left the morning hike feeling refreshed upon the shared experience of marveling at the beauty of marine life. Energized for the work day ahead, members forged connections with one another that will last long after the morning's adventure.

The low-tide hike was only one of many out-of-the box (or, rather out-of-the-office) networking events that the Palibu Chamber Active Professionals Committee hosts year-round. Previous locations include Charmlee Park and Camp Daley with the Salvation Army. 

“On behalf of Pepperdine University, we’re just so thankful to this community,” said Gash during the hike. “Many of our students and staff and faculty call this their home community, too. I grew so much here as a Pepperdine student and have spent most of my life in this area. I am so thankful for the way it shaped me. It’s a pleasure to have spent this morning with you all.”