Meet Ulrich La Fosse

Serendipity led Ulrich La Fosse to the Stuart area. While searching for a live-aboard trawler—and warmer winters—he happened upon the Treasure Coast. Sometimes, a place finds you. After purchasing his boat, now docked in Kingston, New York, he was so taken with the area that he soon purchased a home as well. BINGO. For the past six winters, Stuart has been his seasonal home.

During his first visit to Florida Oceanographic in 2021, Ulrich was immediately captivated by the passionate educators, diverse marine life, interactive exhibits, and peaceful mangrove trails. It was, as he puts it, “love at first tide.” After learning more about the organization’s mission and its impact on environmental stewardship and advocacy, he knew volunteering would be a meaningful—and enjoyable—way to give back. Since joining the team in 2022, he has contributed more than 300 hours.

At the Coastal Center, Ulrich serves as a welcoming presence for guests, engaging visitors at the Invertebrate Touch Tank and throughout the Ocean EcoCenter. He shares his enthusiasm for marine life while helping guests discover all the experiences the Coastal Center has to offer. “I truly enjoy interacting with guests, staff, and fellow volunteers,” he says. “But the most memorable moments are when a young visitor’s eyes light up—like saucers—after learning something new about horseshoe crabs or sea urchins.” Seeing that spark of curiosity, and the excitement it brings to families, is what makes his time so rewarding.

Having lived in Paris, New York City, and Northwest Connecticut—each with its own charm and much colder winters—Ulrich fully embraces Florida’s warmth. His career reflects a similar breadth of experience. He spent the first half as a consulting geo-structural and environmental engineer, as well as a geohydrologist, before co-founding a consulting engineering and environmental firm. He later served as Vice President and CFO for 25 years. Now, he and his wife, Katee Gibson, are looking forward to a new chapter: becoming first-time grandparents.

Ulrich’s list of hobbies is as impressive as it is extensive. He enjoys kayaking, hiking, snowboarding, scuba diving, snorkeling, sailing, woodworking, gardening, cooking, traveling, and reading—just to name a few. He also restores and maintains his nearly 40-year-old trawler, repairs electronics, explores architecture, and has recently taken up guitar.

And if that weren’t enough, he speaks fluent French, keeps up with his Spanish, and is currently building and test-flying a four-seat STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) aircraft. One of his greatest joys has been introducing young people to aviation as a volunteer pilot with the Experimental Aircraft Association’s Young Eagles program.

In short, Ulrich doesn’t sit still—and Florida Oceanographic is all the better for it.

SNAPSHOT: 

BORN: Paris, France

COLLEGE: University of Connecticut

FAVORITE LOCAL RESTAURANTS: King Neptune in Port Salerno for great food, friendly people and genuine character. Also enjoy 12A Buoy in Ft Pierce which has a lively, joyful atmosphere and reliably delicious food.

RECENT BOOKS AND FAVORITE AUTHORS: The Matter with Things by Iain McGilchrist, The Harvard Years by Timothy Leary, When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut, The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery. Favorite Authors: Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Vonnegut, Paul Bowles, Andre Breton and William Burroughs. Also love poetry by Arthur Rimbaud, Charles Beaudalaire and Pable Neruda

MOVIES, TV, STREAMING: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Casablanca, Ghandi, Winged Migration, My Octopus Teacher, Koyaanisqatsi