RECENT PROJECTS
State of Rhode Island – Municipal Resilience Program (MRP)
Co-originator of the Municipal Resilience Program (MRP) in direct partnership with the State of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank with support from Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, Department of Environmental Management, Department of Administration, Emergency Management Agency, League of Cities and Towns, Save The Bay, University of Rhode Island Coastal Resource Center, and Rhode Island Audubon. Served as lead trainer and facilitator on Community Resilience Building for five municipalities for Year-1 and eight for Year-2. The MRP is providing yet another example along with Massachusetts MVP of a municipal-driven, resilience playbook for other states in the U.S. Climate Alliance.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts - Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program
Co-founder of the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program with the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Served as lead trainer for over 550+ service providers on the Community Resilience Building process which has successfully been or is slated to be used by over 312+ municipalities across the Commonwealth as a required step to to becoming MVP certified (92% of municipalities in state). The MVP program - driven by Community Resilience Building - is providing a national playbook for other states in the U.S. Climate Alliance including Rhode Island.
Community Resilience Building - Training and Workshops with Academic Institutions
Building capacity for resilience on academic campuses and adjoining municipalities across the U.S. via Community Resilience Building (CRB) training sessions and workshops in partnership with Second Nature. Examples of academic institutions utilizing CRB training and workshops include Tufts University (MA), American University (DC), Eastern Connecticut State University (CT), Virginia Wesleyan University (VA), and Northridge, Long Beach, and Humboldt State – California State University System. Partnership continues to place emphasis on connected campuses and adjoining municipalities to ensure more integrated emergency management and response and collaborative solutions longer term.
Greater Milwaukee Area Regional Resilience Plan
Served as lead facilitator and community outreach coordinator for a larger regional resilience planning effort for the greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin region including engagement with over 28 municipalities (1.1 million people) that included use of Community Resilience Building. Contracted by Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District to manage community and municipal workshops to identify hazards and risks and to generate prioritized solutions to enhance resilience for the region. Partnership included working closely with University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and Marquette University as resilience hubs connected with adjoining municipalities in the greater Milwaukee region.
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico – Climate Adaptation Plan
Served as lead facilitator for an island-wide climate vulnerability and preparedness plan development in partnership with multiple state agencies, academic institutions, industry representatives, and local organizations. Co-led the development and tailoring of the communications, outreach, and community engagement activities including multi-lingual resilience building workshops across the island to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the current and future issues in order to collaboratively develop robust and positive responses that reinforce resilience and reduce risk for residents of Puerto Rico longer-term.
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development + National Disaster Resilience Competition Assistance
NDRC was a two-phase competition sponsored by HUD for eligible jurisdictions to compete for grants to spend on projects to enhance community resilience. The Rockefeller Foundation assisted the competition process by providing workshops called Resilience Academies. Participated in Resilience Academies as a Subject Matter Experts and Facilitator and provided NDRC application support to jurisdictions in strategic planning, project design, and application writing.
Green Connections – Bridgeport, Connecticut
Initiated and co-developed a community-based outreach and improvement program called Green Connections for several at risk neighborhoods in Bridgeport that focuses on improving the lived experience of residents through improvements to urban tree canopy for air quality and heat reduction and the installation of green stormwater infrastructure to reduce flooding at critical intersections, playgrounds, affordable housing units, and community centers. Program has resulted in greater vision for a more resilient, sustainable, healthy, and safe community for urban landscapes in Connecticut and beyond.