Officers

TRICIA HOOPER (President)

Tricia Hooper (she/her) is a coastal policy expert who is passionate about using science to inform policy-making and improve outcomes for people and the planet. An experienced facilitator and leader, she thrives in convening diverse teams to solve today’s coastal management problems.

Tricia first joined The Coastal Society in 2014 and has served in numerous leadership roles over the years, including on the Board of Directors and as Founding Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group. As President of The Coastal Society, she is excited to lead the organization in expanding access to programming, deepening partnerships, and empowering members to grow their coastal careers. Her top priority as President in 2023 is to ensure TCS makes further strides in integrating diversity, equity and inclusion as core values and principles in everything we do as coastal practitioners.

Outside of her volunteer work at TCS, Tricia is a Regional Coastal Management Specialist at NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. In this capacity, she serves as a policy and technical expert on the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), advancing the effectiveness and efficiency of coastal management programs and research reserves across the North Atlantic. She previously worked as an advisor to the NOAA Administrator, at the Natural Resources Defense Council, Duke University, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The recipient of numerous awards, she holds a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University and a Bachelor of Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Born and raised in Boston, Tricia loves traveling and spending time outdoors, especially scuba diving, biking, and hiking. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband and rescue dog.

STEVEN MACLEOD (Past President)

Steven MacLeod has been an Environmental Scientist with WSP USA, Inc. (WSP) in Buffalo, New York, since 2019, following WSP’s acquisition of Ecology & Environment, Inc. (E & E). Since 2011, he has primarily assisted clients along the U.S. Gulf and East Coasts with environmental assessments, coastal consistency analyses and permit applications for onshore and offshore natural gas and electric transmission lines, as well as renewable energy projects (wind, solar, marine hydrokinetic).

Before joining E & E, Steve was employed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in Tallahassee, Florida. As part of FDEP’s Bureau of Beaches and Coastal Systems, Steve coordinated the evaluation for local and federal shoreline protection projects such as beach nourishment and sand bypass operations primarily along the Atlantic Coast. He was also responsible for reviewing dredge/fill projects in intracoastal waterways and deepwater ports throughout the state, including analyses of potential impacts on water quality and biological resources.

Steve holds a B.S. in Physics from the University of Puget Sound and a M.S. in Oceanography (Coastal Zone Management) from the Florida Institute of Technology. He has been a member of The Coastal Society since 2004. As President-Elect, Steve will support the current efforts of the TCS board and officers to establish the Margaret A. Davidson Career Development Program as a mainstay of the Society. He will also encourage further committee initiatives to modernize and streamline TCS, e.g., through social media outreach and student chapter communications, to better serve our members and ultimately grow our TCS community in the years to come.

EMILY VUXTON (Secretary)

Emily Vuxton is the Director of External Affairs for the Louisiana chapter of the Nature Conservancy. In this role she serves as the liaison for the Louisiana Chapter with federal, state and local government agencies, elected officials, and stakeholder organizations. She has extensive experience in natural resources, infrastructure and water resources policy. Previously she served as the Policy Director at the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. She has also held policy and project management positions at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources and the USACE Engineer Research and Development Center where she worked on navigation, flood risk management, recreation and environmental policy initiatives. She was the Assistant Project Manager for PIANC USA, an international coastal and inland navigation organization, and the Assistant Project Manager on the USACE Resilience Initiative. She also has held policy positions at the National Park Service at Great Falls Park, and at U.S. Forest Service Headquarters. She received a Master of Environment Management in Coastal Environmental Management from Duke University where she was a member of the Coastal Society’s student chapter. She also received a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Florida. In her spare time she is a member of the Audubon Commission in New Orleans and is also a volunteer EMT.

CHRISTOPHER KATALINAS (Treasurer)

Christopher Katalinas is the Grants and Agreements Coordinator with NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management (OCM) in Charleston, South Carolina on contract with Lynker. He serves as the administrative point of contact for a variety of matters related to OCM financial assistance, including maintaining and improving internal controls for grants management; monitoring the timely submission of performance and financial reports; and tracking the obligation of federal grant funds appropriated annually. One of his major accomplishments involved setting up a tracking spreadsheet that pulled data from multiple excel sheets to provide summary statistics of grant obligations in real-time. Christopher is also responsible for maintaining extensive records of active and expired interagency agreements, as well as providing technical support to OCM’s program officers to ensure compliance with federal regulations and NOAA policies as they pertain to financial assistance. Christopher holds a M.S. in Marine Biology from the College of Charleston and a B.S. in Biology from Dickinson College. Christopher is new to The Coastal Society, but is very passionate about promoting communication and education about coastal management issues.

DIRECTORS

LARRY CAHOON

Dr. Cahoon is Professor of Biology & Marine Biology at UNC Wilmington, where he has served on the faculty since 1982. He earned a B.S. in Biology (summa cum laude) at Washington and Lee University in 1975 and a Ph.D. in Zoology at Duke University in 1981. His current teaching portfolio includes an undergraduate Limnology course and graduate courses in Biological Oceanography, Oceans and the Environment, and Coastal Ocean Science and Policy. His research interests include benthic-water column interactions in continental shelf waters, nearshore production and grazing processes, and a wide variety of water quality problems. His policy experiences include service on the North Carolina Marine Science Council, the NC Ocean Affairs Council, a Legislative Study Subcommittee on offshore energy exploration, an Ocean Policy Steering Committee for the NC Division of Coastal Management, as a member of the Board of Directors for Cape Fear River Watch, as Chair of CFRW’s Advocacy Committee, and as Chair of the NC Ocean Resources Task Force.

KELLY DOBROSKI

Kelly Dobroski is a Science Communicator at the Integration and Application Network. In this role, Kelly develops communication tools, such as ecosystem report cards and symbols, for local and international clients. Prior to this role, she worked as a nature-based solutions specialist at the North Carolina Coastal Federation, where she co-developed the state-wide nature-based stormwater strategy action plan.

Kelly holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from Washington College and a master’s degree in coastal environmental management from Duke University. For her master’s project she developed a handbook for coastal managers on using drone technology to study coastal wetlands. Kelly also volunteers as the Surfrider DC Chapter Policy Coordinator, where she tracks relevant policies and develops campaigns for the local chapter.

Kelly’s involvement with The Coastal Society began as a volunteer in the Duke student chapter, and continued as a volunteer on the communications and MAD career workshop committees prior to serving as a Director on TCS Board. In her free time, Kelly loves to paddle board and train for half and full distance marathons.

JEFF FLOOD

Jeff Flood is a Coastal Planner with the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program in Richmond, Virginia. In this capacity, he works with several state agencies as well as regional and local governments to administer enforceable policies that protect coastal resources and foster sustainable development in the coastal areas of the Commonwealth. His principle duties include program review, policy formulation, grant proposal writing and administration, and providing technical assistance to local governments. Jeff also provides subject matter expertise on shellfish aquaculture and coastal habitat restoration, acquired from undergraduate internships, graduate research, and his previous position with Wetland Studies and Solutions, an environmental consulting firm in Virginia Beach.

Jeff holds a master’s degree in marine policy from the University of Delaware and a Bachelor’s of Science in marine biology from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. Collectively, Jeff uses his interdisciplinary educational and professional background on a daily basis to work with both Federal and local government partners, bringing a unique perspective to TCS on how policy success stories at the local level can help inform state-wide and national initiatives.

Jeff began his involvement in TCS as a senior in high school when he attended the 2006 conference in St. Pete Beach, Florida – the first of many TCS conferences he would go on to participate in. At that conference, Jeff administered a career survey which he had developed with the help of current Board member Tom Bigford, then working for NOAA. The survey results and advice from numerous mentors over the years have been instrumental in directing Jeff’s coastal career path and he hopes to guide the development of the next generation of coastal professionals by helping to organize and participate in Margaret A. Davidson (MAD) career development workshops.

ASHLEY GORDON

Ashley Gordon is a resilience planner with Dewberry in Virginia Beach, VA. In this role, she supports the resilience solutions group with natural hazard and community resilience planning. Before joining Dewberry, Ashley was a coastal analyst with the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) in southeastern Virginia, where she supported the Hampton Roads regional Coastal Resiliency Program through research and analysis, policy development, and coordination with local governments, focusing on flooding and sea level rise. Prior to beginning her career, she conducted ecological research and geospatial analysis in support of projects for NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, and the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust.

Ashley holds a Master of Environmental Management with a coastal focus from Duke University and a Bachelor of Science in zoology and environmental science from Miami University (OH). She began her involvement with The Coastal Society as a graduate student at Duke University. She now serves on the Communications Committee and supports the TCS Coastal Connections web conferencing series, which connects coastal practitioners/students and supports dialogue around coastal management topics.

Adrian Laufer is a NOAA Coastal Management Fellow with the Oregon Coastal Management Program. She primarily focuses the stewardship and management of publicly-owned coastal lands through inter-agency coordination, education & outreach, GIS solutions, and strategic planning. She is currently gathering data about every publicly owned coastal site within Oregon’s coastal zone, which amounts to 1,245 locations over 362 miles and a whole lot of driving!

Adrian holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental policy & management from the University of Redlands and a master’s degree in marine public policy from Oregon State University. At Oregon State University, Adrian concentrated her education and research on policy and management inputs (i.e. funding, strategic planning) that support effective marine conservation initiatives, particularly the Oregon Marine Reserves. She was also awarded a competitive graduate fellowship through the National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program, which supported year-long participation on a transdisciplinary research team investigating social and ecological changes associated with implementation of Oregon’s 5 Marine Reserves. Adrian is new to The Coastal Society and is looking forward to contributing to the development of this field and community of interest.

ALEXIS MAXWELL

ANDREW WILSON

Andrew Wilson is an attorney and partner at Milling Benson Woodward LLP in its offices in Mandeville and New Orleans, La. He originally hails from Bristol, RI, an old seaport dating to the 1680’s, but travelled south to the Port of New Orleans in 1979 to study maritime and environmental law and never left. His maritime practice has involved ship collisions, vessel seizures and arrests, personal injury and death claims, sinkings and groundings, cargo damage and pollution claims. His environmental practice has evolved around fisheries, particularly the oyster industry, including off-bottom oyster culture permitting, drafting of oyster lease forms as well as legislation, regulatory rulemaking and litigation involving ownership of water bottoms in Louisiana territorial waters.

Relatedly, he has also successfully defended the State of Louisiana in the two largest inverse condemnation or “takings” cases in Louisiana history involving multi-billion dollar claims by oyster fishermen who alleged their oyster leases were destroyed by the freshwater outfall from the Caernarvon coastal restoration river diversion project. That litigation resulted in an opinion from the Louisiana Supreme Court which redefined the public trust doctrine, now a critical consideration in Louisiana’s massive, ongoing coastal restoration efforts. He has also conducted successful natural resource damage recovery actions for damage to the State’s Public Oyster Seed Grounds.

Outside of litigation, he has served as a consultant to the State and private clients on coastal restoration issues, and is an External Advisory Board Member for the LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio, which addresses vulnerability to coastal hazards, habitat degradation, and global environmental change. He is also a frequent speaker on coastal restoration and fisheries issues; a Board member and Conservation Chair of the Orleans Audubon Society; and, a former Board member and Marine Insurance Committee Chair of the Maritime Law Association of the United States. He received his BA in History from St. Lawrence University and his JD and LLM in Environmental Law from Tulane Law School.