January Jones

Celebrity Supporter

In April 2009, January Jones joined Oceana as the spokesperson for the campaign to save sharks. Jones is the lead actress in the critically acclaimed series “Mad Men,” in which she plays Betty Draper, the wife of adman Don Draper. “Mad Men” has won several Emmy Awards and Jones was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2009 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series.

Jones, who grew up in land-locked South Dakota, has been fascinated by sharks since she was a child, but for many years she was hesitant to swim in the ocean as a result of their fierce reputation. After learning as much as she could about the apex predators, she decided she wanted to help Oceana’s efforts to protect them.

In early 2009, Jones traveled with Oceana to the Bahamas, where she participated in shark research at the Bimini Biological Field Station, also known as the Shark Lab, which specializes in the study of juvenile lemon sharks.

She also swam with sharks because she wanted to show the world that sharks aren’t the man eaters they are sometimes made out to be. She’s no longer scared of sharks, now she’s scared for sharks.

“After interacting with them at such close proximity, I believe now, more than ever, that sharks carry a stigma with them that is so unnecessary,” she said. “I am more dedicated than ever to the preservation of all shark species.”

Jones currently resides in Los Angeles.

Learn more about January Jones’ trip to swim with sharks in the Bahamas at http://oceana.org/scaredforsharks.