Anna Cummins spent much of her early youth playing in Santa Monica storm drains, beaches, and her backyard compost pile - experiences that sparked a lifelong curiosity about the connections between land, sea, and human systems. She earned her undergraduate degree from Stanford University and a Master’s degree in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

In 2009, Anna and her husband, Dr. Marcus Eriksen, co-founded The 5 Gyres Institute, dedicated to stopping the global crisis of plastic pollution through science, community, and advocacy. 5 Gyres has become a globally recognized research organization, grounding upstream solutions in rigorous, firsthand research. 5
Gyres has worked collaboratively to help shape local and national, and international policy, engage corporations in reducing their plastic footprint, and empower communities to drive measurable change.

Building on this work, Anna and Marcus have now started Leap Lab, a new nonprofit focused on advancing science literacy, critical thinking, and hands-on learning through place-based science centers and makerspaces. Beginning with the Ventura County Science Center in Santa Paula, California, Leap Lab reimagines how communities, especially rural and underserved ones, engage with science, technology, and creativity to navigate a rapidly changing world.