• Charles Allen III
• Mitch Andrus
• Kim Anema
• Richard Ashley
• Patrick Barnes
• Larry Buss
• Greg Claydon
• Craig Colten
• Clive Cook
• Richard Coutts
• Mark Davis
• Angela DeSoto Duncan
• Bhola Dhume
• Elizabeth English
• David Gauthe
• Philippe Gourbesville
• Cedric Grant
• Susan Guidry
• Gen. Russel Honoré
• Frauke Hoss
• Brian Jackson
• K.C. King
• Shirley Laska
• Jennifer Leis
• Belinda Little-Wood
• John Lopez
• Ky Luu
• Ray Manning
• Camille Manning-Broome
• Natasa Manojlovic
• Graeme Milligan
• Nancy Mock
• Nik Naudts
• Anne Loes Nillesen
• Billy Nungesser
• Mike Park
• Christopher Pulaski
• Jean-Luc Salagnac
• Germaine Sanders
• Pat Santos
• Cynthia Sartou
• Rudy Schuster
• Eric Shaw
• Col. Robert Sinkler
• J Lee Stickles
  
• Irit Tamir
• Edward Thomas
• Elizabeth "Boo" Thomas
• Dave Tilotta
• Bob Turner
• Gehad Ujeyl
• Rob Verchick
• David Waggonner

(Office of Coastal and Environmental Affairs, City of New Orleans)
(Royal Engineers & Consultants)
(Flood Resilience Group at UNESCO-IHE, Delft, Netherlands)
(University of Sheffield, UK)
(BFA Environmental and Limitless Vistas)
(US Army Corps of Engineers - Ret.)
(Queensland Dept. of Environment and Resource Management, Australia)
(LSU)
(Queensland Dept. of Environment and Resource Management, Australia)
(Baca Architects, UK)
(Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law & Policy)
(USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hurricane Protection Office HPO)
(Dept. Of Safety and Permits, City of New Orleans)
(Buoyant Foundation Project and University of Waterloo, Canada)
(Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing (BISCO))
(University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, France)
(Deputy Mayor, City of New Orleans)
(N.O. Councilmember for District A)
(US Army, Ret.)
(Technical University of Delft, Netherlands)
(EDF Environmental Defense Fund)
(UNO-CHART)
(UNO-CHART)
(Queensland Urban Utilities, Australia)
(Naval Support Activity New Orleans Advisory Task Force)
(Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation)
(Tulane Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy)
(Manning Architects)
(Center for Planning Excellence)
(Hamburg University of Technology, Germany)
(Queensland Reconstruction Authority, Australia)
(Tulane Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy)
(VAK Architecten & University of Ghent, Belgium)
(Technical University of Delft, Netherlands)
(Parish President, Plaquemines Parish Government)
(USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
(National Wildlife Federation)
(Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment, France)
(Technical University of Delft & Dura Vermeer, Netherlands)
(Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness)
(Gulf Restoration Network)
(Fort Collins Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey)
(Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation)
(USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hurricane Protection Office HPO)
(Topographical Shifts)
(Oxfam America)
(NHMA & Michael Baker Corp.)
(Center for Planning Excellence)
(NCSU North Carolina State University)
(Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority)
(Hamburg University of Technology, Germany)
(Loyola University)
(Waggonner & Ball Architects)

SPEAKER AND PANELIST BIOS

Charles E. Allen is director of the New Orleans Office of Coastal and Environmental Affairs and serves as advisor to the Mayor on such affairs. He is also Vice-Chair of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association and until recently was acting director of the Lower 9th Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development. Allen also serves as a board member of a project known as REACH-NOLA, which works to improve access to quality health care for New Orleans residents. He also serves as a board member and secretary of the New Orleans Hospital Services District A Board. This board is working to rebuild a hospital for the Eastern New Orleans community. Allen is also a member of the board of directors of the Louisiana/Haiti Sustainable Village Project. Finally, he serves on Louisiana Governor's Advisory Committee on Coastal Restoration and Protection.

Allen received his Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana and his Master's of Science in Public Health from Tulane University. Allen is a life-long resident of New Orleans.

As Vice President of Royal's South Division, Mitch Andrus oversees the technical operations of the Lafayette, Cameron and Mobile, AL offices in addition to all coastal and environmental projects company-wide. Andrus has extensive experience and education in civil and environmental engineering, and specializes in managing complex coastal projects. He has over 12 years of engineering experience managing projects for government organizations such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Marine and Fisheries Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.

Additionally, Andrus has a diverse range of capabilities demonstrated by a background not limited to engineering. He is well-versed in scientific research, field investigations, project design and management, permit coordination, feasibility studies, and technical writing. Andrus is a proven leader and possesses a deep commitment to preserving, restoring, and sustaining coastal resources and communities.

A graduate of Louisiana State University, Andrus holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, and Master's Degree in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Louisiana and is also a board member of the Coast Builder's Coalition.

Anema holds a MSc. degree in Public Administration and Policy Studies. She graduated on interactive policy making (IPM) while working for the Red Cross Society in the region of Rotterdam and is currently starting a PhD project on social resilience. With her research, conducted within the Flood Resilience Group in Delft, she wants to explore new (non-structural) methods to enhance and nurture resilience of societies and contribute to existing knowledge on policy making in this area.

Three weeks after the Queensland flooding, Kim visited Australia together with the rest of the Flood Resilience Group. The remarkable resilience of the people in Queensland is an inspiring case of emergency management in modern society, especially considering the key role that social media played during and after the event. She is currently involved in the proposal of a joint RTD program to review that element of the disaster response in Brisbane.

Ashley is involved in 4 current EU projects related to flood resilience, water, sanitation and climate change. He has been a visiting Professor at a number of international Universities and has recently taken up a part-time position at UNESCO IHE, Delft, in Flood Resilience [www.floodresiliencegroup.org] and at the University of Bradford in an EU environment framework project adapting water supply and wastewater systems to climate change. Ashley won the International Water Association’s biennial Prize for Research Excellence in Support of Sustainable Urban Water Management in 2008. His most recent activities are in advising the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering on adapting to climate change in the urban environment; the OECD on flood risk management in the Loire catchment; reviewing the Dutch Room for the River programme; Thames Water on the scope for retrofitting SUDS in London and his participation in a CIRIA project on retrofitting surface water management. Ashley is in process of being appointed a part-time position as adjunct Professor at Luleå University in Sweden.

Over his 25-year career, Patrick has worked extensively in the minority community, and on groundbreaking environmental justice projects. In 2006, he founded and funded a New Orleans based non-profit organization dedicated to training at-risk youth in Louisiana as environmental field technicians. Over the past three years, that organization, “Limitless Vistas, Inc.,” has provided job training and work credentials to over 250 youths between the ages of 17 and 25. He is also a founding member of several community and business organizations, including the African-American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, Florida Association of Professional Geologists, NSBE, Central Florida Alumni Extension, and Restore Orlando. Patrick is dedicated to making the connection between the needs of our disconnectecd population and the burgeoning environmental/green movement, particularly as it relates to Gulf Coast restoration and resiliency.

Buss is also a past Chair of the US Army Corps of Engineers National Nonstructural/Flood Proofing Committee. This committee promotes the development, implementation, and proper use of non-structural flood mitigation techniques including relocation/bouyout, flood proofing, flood warning/preparedness, flood plain regulation, flood insurance, etc. Buss has presented at numerous workshops, seminars, and conferences throughout the United States on the use nonstructural measures to reduce flood risk. He is also involved on National task force teams dealing with levee security, levee safety, flood risk management, and implementation of nonstructural measures.

Buss serves a Co-Chair of the Association of State Flood Plain Managers Committee on Flood Proofing/Retrofitting. That committee is responsible for promoting and providing expertise on flood proofing and retrofitting of structures to reduce flood risk. Buss holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Engineering from Iowa State University and a Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nebraska. He is a Registered Professional Engineer and a licensed real estate broker in the State of Iowa. He is also a Certified Flood Plain Manager.

Claydon has tertiary qualifications in agricultural engineering and has held positions in Brisbane, Toowoomba, Emerald, Ayr and St George in Queensland and in Canberra. He also has work experience in New Zealand, Canada, USA, the Caribbean, Japan, Singapore, Turkey and China. He was awarded a Public Service Medal (PSM) by the Governor-General of Australia in the 2009 Australia Day Honours Awards for outstanding public service in natural resources management and water reform.

His book An Unnatural Metropolis: Wresting New Orleans from Nature, published in 2005, won the J.B. Jackson Award presented by the Association of American Geographers. Dr. Colten attained his M.A. in Geography at Louisiana State University and Ph.D. in Geography at Syracuse University.  After a dozen years in state government and the private sector, Dr. Colten returned to Baton Rouge and his current position.  Currently, Dr. Colten is the editor of the Geographical Review.

Cook was the Chair of the Queensland Government’s Natural Environment Recovery Group set up following the Pacific Adventurer oil spill in South East Queensland in 2009. His current role is the General Manager of the Environmental Recovery Co-ordination Unit charged with delivering the Environmental Line of Reconstruction in Queensland following the flooding and cyclone events in early 2011.

Coutts is a Chartered Architect with over 10 years experience. He is co-author of the LifE project (Long-term Initiatives for Flood-risk environments) - Winner of the RIBA Presidents Research Award 2009 and a regular contributor to international industry seminars.

Coutts is the director in charge of the Eiland Veur Lent and Nijmegen (Netherlands), a new peninsula, which will be created as part of an extensive dyke relocation programme along the River Waal. The proposals combine water ecology, flood resilient development and sustainable infrastructure to create an energy and water self-sufficient ‘eco-leisure’ destination. He has also been leading the Waterspace Strategy for UNESCO World Heritage Site - Liverpool South Docks. This will help to unlock Liverpool’s waterspace potential to form an internationally recognisable and sustainable waterway and waterfront destination.

Davis has practiced law in Indianapolis, the District of Columbia, and Chicago and has taught at the Indiana University (Indianapolis) School of Business and the IIT-Chicago Kent School of Law in Chicago. He has lectured widely on the topic of water resource management and stewardship and has testified numerous times before Congress on the need for a focused and effective commitment to the viability of coastal Louisiana and other vital natural treasures.

Currently she oversees the design efforts for over $8B of hurricane and storm damage risk reduction projects in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes. In addition, she is the Corps Design Lead for the IHNC-Lake Borgne Barrier, the largest design-build civil works project in Corps history. She is a licensed professional engineer in Louisiana.

He served as a Director on the International Code Council Evaluation Service from 2003 to 2009. Dhume holds a Master of Architecture Degree from Pratt Institute, New York and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning Degree from the University of New Orleans. Dhume has been with the Dept. of Safety and Permits, City of New Orleans for the past 30 years.

Her areas of research include the study of wind loads on tall buildings, the aerodynamics of wind-borne debris and strategies to mitigate hurricane damage to buildings. She has lectured extensively across the United States and Canada, and also in the Netherlands, France, the UK, Russia, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. English is the Founder and Director of the Buoyant Foundation Project, which seeks to retrofit existing shotgun houses in flood-prone areas with amphibious foundations. When not teaching in Canada she resides in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, where she continues her work on hurricane damage mitigation with particular application to post-Katrina New Orleans.

Mr. Gauthe has a Bachelor of Science degree from Nicholls State University and is a Licensed Life Insurance Agent and NASD (National Association of Securities Dealers) Representative. He serves on the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee as a representative of Lafourche Parish. He has won several awards as a volunteer in his community, including Outstanding Young Man of Thibodaux and runner-up for Outstanding Young Man in Louisiana. His family was also the recipient of the runner up for the Great American Family award of Thibodaux and runner up for the Great American Family of Louisiana Award, given by the National Jaycees, the very next year.

Before joining NSU, Gourbesville spent 10 years as hydraulic engineer for a European consulting company involved in many international projects. Since 2004, under the Erasmus Mundus, Gourbesville developed the first joint master degree EuroAquae focused on hydroinformatics and water management with 5 European leading universities [www.euroaquae.org]. The EuroAquae research group develops innovation in close partnership with industrials from the water domain.

Gourbesville’s research and teaching interests are focused on urban waters management, urban flooding processes, distributed physically based modelling, impact assessment, integrated water resources management, ICT & architecture of modelling systems, collaborative engineering and virtual environments. Within the CORFU project dedicated to Urban Flooding Resilience [www.corfu-fp7.eu] he is in charge of the definition of strategies for resilient development for megacities in Asia. The project develops new guidelines for European and Asian cities exposed to urban flooding risks. Gourbesville is also the coordinator of the @qua thematic network launched by the European Union. Over the past several years he has worked with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in the production of the new guidelines for flood mapping and has collaborated with the French Ministry of Justice as a legal expert for extreme flood events in France.

Gourbesville has authored more than 120 scientific papers dedicated to hydroinformatics, numerical methods, modelling tools, flood management and resilience.

From 2004 to 2008 Grant was Deputy Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and was responsible for day to day operations of the department, public-private partnerships and major special economic development capital projects. Prior to this, Grant was employed by Parsons Corporation in Atlanta, where he managed road and highway infrastructure projects valued at $10 million for clients such as the Georgia Department of Transportation and the City of Atlanta. Prior to his Parsons employment, Grant held numerous managerial and administrative positions in government over thirty years, most recently with the City of New Orleans as Chief Administrative Officer. He also served as Planning Manager for the Port of New Orleans and Director of Capital Projects for the New Orleans Downtown Development District.

Grant served his country in the United States Army and completed 23 years of active and reserve service. In 1995 he retired with the rank of major. During his military career, Grant served in the Gulf War and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, four Army Commendation Medals and the Selective Service Meritorious Service Medal.

A New Orleans native, Grant is a certified city manager and holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of New Orleans and a bachelor’s of arts degree in political science from Xavier University of Louisiana. Grant also serves on several boards and commissions, including the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, Delgado Community College Foundation and New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. He has served on Salvation Army Advisory Board, Louisiana Help America Vote Advisory Committee, and Louisiana Task Force on Design-Build Construction.

A native of New Orleans, Susan Guidry is a graduate of Archbishop Chapelle High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary English Education from the University of Southwestern Louisiana and a Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Loyola Law School. Her professional career includes working as a civil law trial attorney and community activist, as well as teaching English on the junior high and high school level.

An attorney of 25 years, most recently Guidry was a member of the litigation team that represented the Port of New Orleans and successfully settled the Port of New Orleans' suit against its insurers for Hurricane Katrina related damage to 22 miles of riverfront property. Guidry is known as a citizen leader with an extensive record on criminal justice at the community and neighborhood level. Guidry is married to Hervin Guidry and they reside in the Parkview neighborhood located in District "A."

Since his command of Joint Task Force Katrina, Honoré has brought the lessons of Katrina to organizations around the country. An expert on preparedness and responding to catastrophe, he offers insights into protecting people and organizations, outlining the principles necessary to lead through unexpected and uncontrollable crises. Honoré’s lengthy career has taken him around the world, from Korea to Germany and the entire United States. He has many awards and distinctions, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and a Bronze Star. Recently, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Loyola University.

In May 2009, he published his first book, Survival: How a Culture of Preparedness Can Save You and Your Family from Disasters. He also serves as a CNN preparedness contributor; a senior scientist with Gallup; as chairman of the board of Grand ISS, a comprehensive risk solutions provider; and on the Expert Council of Firestorm Solutions, LLC. The man that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin called a “John Wayne dude,” Honoré has proven that by taking charge and creating a culture of preparedness, whether as an individual, a group, a city, or an entire country, unexpected crises can be managed and their impacts can be minimized.

Currently Hoss is employed as a researcher at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at TU Delft. Additionally, she works on finishing a BSc in Political Science at Leiden University. Her ambition is to do further research on the interface of policy-making and (flood) risk management, possibly in the form of a PhD, by putting priority on developing a dynamic approach to e.g. standardization instead of the current static approach.

Jackson works closely with the Lower 9th Ward, United Houma Nation and Carrolton-Hollygrove communities to address their flood risks and future sustainability in the face of a vanishing Mississippi River Delta.

Jackson has a B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an M.A. in Applied Economics (with a focus on resource and environmental economics) from Johns Hopkins University.

King most recently applied his career systems engineering experience to two catastrophic incidents impacting the residents of Southern Louisiana – Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Blowout. He actively advocates a systems approach based on emerging resilience systems engineering doctrine and practices. King is a member of the Governor’s Housing Task Force in support of the Louisiana Recovery Authority. He is also a member of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), collaborating with The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) in developing a framework for Resilience Systems Engineering (RSE).

Since Katrina her work has been focused specifically on lessons to be learned from the event, especially in the realm of community recovery and hazard resiliency both in the urban and non urban setting. This work emphasizes Participatory Action Research in both slow onset – coastal land loss and sea level rise --and abrupt major disaster events – hurricane Katrina and the BP oil leak. She is the 2008 recipient of the American Sociological Association’s Public Understanding of Sociology Award for her continual collaboration with physical scientists and her presentations nationwide on Katrina/Rita impacts, and awards from the ASA Environment and Technology Section, the Rural Sociological Society’s Natural Resources Research Group and the Association of Applied and Clinical Sociology.

Throughout her career, Leis has developed, coordinated and implemented business improvement strategies, led integration and change management efforts, increased operational capability, utilised her strong financial management skills and continuously delivered customer focussed outcomes. Most recently, Leis led and managed Queensland Urban Utilities (Brisbane) Corporate Services and the Program Connect Corporate Services Portfolio.

Prior to joining the City of New Orleans she owned and operated 10th Captial Small Business Advisors, LLC, a business consulting firm specializing in small business development and entrepreneurship. Before Hurricane Katrina, she was the President/CEO of Newtek Community Financial Services, LLC, in New Orleans, LA, which provided services to businesses such as, financing through SBA loans, strategic planning, tax services, merchant processing, and general business consulting nationwide. Ms. Little-Wood is a 28 year resident of Algiers, a suburb in the heart of New Orleans on the west bank of the Mississippi River. She received a Masters in Business Administration in 1978 and graduated from the Mid-South School of Banking in 1983.

Lopez is currently Acting Executive Director of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and Director of their Coastal Sustainability Program. He is overseeing and conducting coastal restoration research, such as river diversions, delta management, natural gas utilization etc. He is currently serving on the State’s Framework Development team to advise the State’s new Master Plan for 2012.

John and his wife Sharon lost their home in Hurricane Katrina but have recently rebuilt and returned to their home site on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain where they can once again enjoy boating and the outdoors with their four stray dogs.

Prior to joining OFDA, Luu served for three years as Vice President for International Medical Corps (IMC) in Washington, DC, where he played a key role in strategic planning, policy and program development, and emergency global response. Luu has extensive experience working with NGOs, including serving as Director of Government Relations for the International Research & Exchanges Board in Washington, DC; Resettlement Officer for the United States Refugee Resettlement Office in Croatia; and Government Relations Officer for the International Rescue Committee in Washington, DC. In addition to his NGO experience, Mr. Luu worked for White & Case LLP in New York as a Corporate Associate in Mergers and Acquisitions. He holds a JD from George Washington University School of Law and a BA from the University of Michigan. Mr. Luu has completed course work for an MPH at George Washington University School of Public Health.

Manning played a central role in drafting the initiative rebuilding plan for New Orleans, and has spoken to news networks such as CNN on the blueprint for the rebuilding of New Orleans. Manning was recently elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), which recognizes architects who have made a "significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession”.

Prior to working at CPEX, Manning-Broome worked at the Shaw Group where she assisted in the development of the first Comprehensive Master Plan for the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. Additionally, she has managed various plans such as comprehensive plans, annexation plans, waterway plans, park plans, environmental plans, etc. Prior to Shaw, she was part of the management in FEMA’s Louisiana Speaks process overseeing the development of 26 Parish recovery plans, now being implemented across the state.

Manning-Broome is a frequent presenter at universities and conferences, has received various awards, and was a guest and participant on Congressional delegation trips to the Netherlands and Japan to study water and disaster management, both led by U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu. A native of Baton Rouge, she earned her Bachelor’s degree and M.S. in Environmental Sciences at LSU. Manning-Broome is partial owner of Renovate Urban Properties, a company which purchases blighted apartment complexes for renovation. This work has resulted in the rejuvenation and increase in property value in Mid-City, Baton Rouge.

Her research and teaching is focused on flood risk management (flood resilience technology & systems and capacity building of stakeholders), environmental hydraulic engineering and urban hydrology. Currently she is working on her doctoral thesis titled “Theory and Technology to Improve Stakeholders Participation in the Development of Flood Resilient Cities “. Manojlovic is a work group leader in the Research Cluster “KLIMZUG-North” sponsored by the German Research Foundation BMBF, dealing with flood resilience technology and methods to adapt to climate change in urban areas. Further, the group is developing concepts and tools for involving and empowering public and private stakeholders for their active participation in flood risk management. Currently she is a scientific coordinator of a bottom up governance approach for the development of a flood risk management plan for an urban watercourse in Hamburg, Germany within the EU- INTERREG IVb Project SAWA.

Manojlovic has authored a number of publications on flood resilience and flood risk management. During her academic career, she was a scholarship holder of the SIEMENS foundation and German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF-IPSWAT) and holds awards for the outstanding performance during the studies at the Water Resources Management Department (1994/2000), at the University of Belgrade, Serbia.

Milligan has a wide range of knowledge and experience on natural resource management having held a range of senior executive positions in land, water, vegetation and pest management. He has lead a range of water reforms and in recent years has been directly leading the integration of water quantity and water quality policy, ICT systems, and aquatic ecosystem health initiatives including monitoring. Before joining the public service in Queensland, Milligan was a land development and surveying consultant, having worked and training in the surveying industry for twelve years. Milligan holds a degree in Applied Science (Surveying) and a Masters of Natural Resource Management.

Mock was Associate Director of the Center for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (Latin American and Caribbean), a program that provides technical support to the United States Southern Command in the area of disaster preparedness and response. She co-led the development of INTERHANDS, a major training initiative, as well as providing mission support and lessons learned analysis. Additionally, Mock co-directed the Complex Emergency Response and Transition Initiative (CERTI), a crisis coordination project that aims to prevent and mitigate conflict, improve timely and appropriate response, and offers support to populations affected by conflict in transition. She was a chief architect of the the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Famine Early Warning Systems Project (now FEWSNET) and she serves on numerous advisory boards concerned with food security.

Mock also served on the Advisory Council for the World Vision Hurricane Relief Assistance Program and on the 2006 US Centers for Disease Control Expert Panel on Rapid Needs Assessment, Post-Disaster. She has also been a technical advisor and course developer for international NGO’s and other academic institutions in the area of public health in emergency settings. Through her role as Interim Executive Director, Dr. Mock continues to oversee the development and management of international projects valued at over $4.5 million dollars annually. She has been Principle and Co-Principle Investigator for multiple international programs and is currently involved in the development of a school of Public Health in Rwanda.

Naudts and VAK architecten participated as finalists in Delta City of the Future, an international design competition to generate ideas for Delta cities to cope with current and future climate threats. Prior to his current work, Naudts worked as a designer at West 8, urban design & landscape architecture, and several other architecture, urban design and development firms in Belgium and the Netherlands. Naudts was educated at the University of Ghent, department of architecture & urban design.

Nillesen worked for some years in the field of Architecture and Urban Design, at the urban design studio Must and in collaboration with Michael Sorkin studio, among others. In 2005 she founded the architecture and urban design practice DEFACTO architectuur & stedenbouw, which has a strong focus on water related themes and Delta design. DEFACTO architectuur & stedenbouw has worked on several large scale complex urban water protection projects for Dutch governmental institutions, such as The Delta Committee, Knowledge for Climate, the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management and the municipality of Rotterdam. In 2011 Nillesen published a book on Amphibious housing in the Netherlands. Her expertise lies on the following design oriented themes: Translation of research topics into design tools, complex strategies, the development of prototypical designs and design on the border of different disciplines.

Billy lives in Pointe Celeste, where he developed a ranch to raise elk and cattle, and founded Pointe Celeste Therapeutic Riding Center which helps physically and mentally challenged individuals of all ages by offering horseback riding at no charge. Billy has always believed in giving back to the community.

Billy Nungesser took office as Plaquemines Parish President in January 2007—16 months after Hurricane Katrina—determined to rebuild and restore Plaquemines Parish, not only to where it once was, but better than ever before. Three years and four months into his term as Parish President, when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded off the coast of Plaquemines. Billy lit a fire under the federal government, Coast Guard and BP, demanding a better response. With daily national television and newspaper appearances Billy quickly became the face of the oil spill, standing up and relentlessly fighting for the fishermen and businesses of Plaquemines Parish and Coastal Louisiana.

In October 2005 Park joined the executive team for the Louisiana Recovery Field Office (LA-RFO) for the response and recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and served as the Director of the LA-RFO from June 2006 to July 2007. In this role Park led a $2.9 billion Public Works and Engineering response and recovery program in a 40-parish area of South Louisiana.

Park earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering and a master’s degree in Engineering Management, both from the University of New Orleans. Park has worked for the Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans since 1985. He served 20 years in the New Orleans District Operations Division, where he occupied several key positions, including Acting Chief of Operations Division.

Pulaski is working to raise awareness of risk-management actions that are being taken to ensure the storm-resiliency, prosperity, and sustainability of coastal communities. Additional areas of his work include coastal restoration projects to build land from sediment in the Mississippi River and the mechanical placement of river sediment to rebuild ridges and lost marsh.

Sinkler began his military career in the Illinois National Guard. Since receiving a commission in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1983, he has served in a variety of engineer positions with the 1st, 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions, the 1st Armored Division, and V Corps. Sinkler was the assistant division engineer for Multi-National Division North in Bosnia-Herzegovina during Operation Joint Guard. He commanded the 5th Engineer Battalion during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and his most recent assignment was in the Operations Directorate of the U.S. Central Command Headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. Sinkler has also served on the faculty and staff of the U.S. Army Engineer School.

Sinkler holds a bachelor's degree in Geology from Eastern Illinois University, a master's degree in Geographic Information Systems from Kansas State University, a master's degree in Administration from Central Michigan University, a master's degree in Military Art and Science from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and a master's degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. He is a member of the Society of American Military Engineers and the Army Engineer Association.

In 2008, Salagnac led the “Climate Change and the Built Environment” working group of the International Council for Building (CIB) [www.cibworld.nl], and he was appointed the CIB representative to the SBCI Think Tank on Climate Change. His work for this organization included publications, communications and training for various stakeholder groups. Salagnac has published several papers on climate change, buildings and GHG emissions, amphibious buildings, flood risks and flood barrier performance.

Sanders is a building engineer, educated as architect and urbanist at the Technical University of Delft. Over the last 25 years she has worked in the design field of international architecture and urbanism; both as a freelance designer and for firms in Japan, London, Italy and the Netherlands. Over the last decade Sanders has focused on property and area development and urban transformation strategy, as founder and manager of MC², a team of 12 interdisciplinary concept developers. The team's focus was urban transformation strategy and innovation of housing corporation housing stock. MC² served a large project developer in the Netherlands to develop in the interest of 6 large and typical Dutch housing corporations throughout Holland. From 2009 she extended that work by founding ²FLUX urban projects, a dynamic network business.

Sanders is a guest lecturer and studio professor for the Technical University of Delft, the Amsterdam Academy of Architecture and Urbanism and the Rotterdam Academy of Architecture and Urbanism, and has also lectured at various (international) summer Universities and other courses for practical science on the topics of Urban Development and Design for assignments of spatial complexity and complex alliances.

His 25 year military experience played a key role in coordinating the unprecedented support efforts during both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In January 2006, he accepted a position at the Louisiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (LOHSEP) as the Chief of Homeland Security. Currently, as the Deputy Director of Emergency Management within the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) Santos has primary oversight of all of the State’s emergency management functions. He is a principal advisor to the Governor and the State Unified Command during emergencies such as Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008 and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010.

In 1981 Santos earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of New Orleans and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Management in 1997. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Staff School and the Command and General Staff College. He was awarded a fellowship and completed the National Preparedness Leadership Program focusing on Meta-Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School for Executive Education in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2010.

Sarthou received her B.A. from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, her law degree from the University of Mississippi in 1983 and her Masters of Law in Law and Marine Affairs from the University of Washington in 1992. From 1992-1995 she was staff attorney for Heart of America Northwest in Seattle, Washington, a citizens group committed to quality of life issues in the Northwest. She has been with the GRN since 1995.

Schuster has been part of many interdisciplinary teams with the goal of addressing major forces affecting human communities. He participated on the Decision Support Systems for Choosing Appropriate Social & Economic Analyses for Federal Land Management Planning; the objective of which was to devise a decision support system (DSS), that can help decision makers develop a socioeconomic assessment plan custom-tailored to their land unit. He worked on Climate Change Response Science Plans for both the Upper Colorado and Greater Platt River basins. Schuster was a member of the Working Group which facilitated the policy and scientific response to the Mississippi Canyon 252/Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill; with the objective to develop alternative scenarios concerning the cascading consequences of the MS252 oil spill during the emergency response, mid-term, and long-term recovery period.

Previous to joining LDRF, Shaw served as the Director of Community Planning for the Louisiana Office of Community Development Disaster Recovery Unit. During his term as Director, he cultivated partnerships with local planning agencies, managed a $10M grant program dedicated to community resiliency and supported recovery programs for more than fifteen parishes in northern and central Louisiana. Shaw has also worked as a program officer with the renowned Silicon Valley Community Foundation where he contributed to the development of land use and transportation grantmaking strategies and managed a neighborhood grants portfolio. As Deputy Director for Policy at The Growth Partnership – an initiative of the Collins Center for Public Policy – Shaw developed programs and policies devoted to transit-oriented development and regional strategies for social equity.

Currently, Eric is the Vice Chair for Policy in the Planning and the Black Community Division of the American Planning Association (APA), serves on the APA Committee for Sustainable Planning and the New York Regional Catastrophic Planning Group Housing Task Force. Shaw earned a Bachelor of Arts in international development studies with a minor in public policy from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Master’s Degree in urban planning from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design.

Stickles work focuses on the intersection of research and design, believing that knowledge of our existing environment inspires thoughtful design solutions that can be absorbed and reflected by our local culture.  She received her undergraduate degree in Landscape Architecture from Penn State University, and her graduate degree in Urban Design from Harvard School of Design.

Prior to working at Oxfam, Ms. Tamir was the Director of Government Relations at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston where she successfully lobbied for an extensive federal and state legislative agenda. She co-lead the effort to pass the Sudan Divestment Bill in Massachusetts which required the state pension funds to divest from companies doing business with the Government of Sudan in an effort to halt its human rights violations in Darfur. Ms. Tamir is an attorney with a masters in international law. A devoted human rights activist, she has spoken publicly about the issues in Darfur. Ms. Tamir has had years of experience in government relations and is a former prosecutor that supervised civil rights prosecutions and hate crimes.

Thomas retired from the Department of Homeland Security-Federal Emergency Management Agency after nearly thirty-five years of Public Service. During his time in government, he worked primarily in Disaster Mitigation, Preparedness and Response. He also was involved in the construction and management of housing developments for the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He worked on about two hundred disasters and emergencies, serving as the President’s on- scene representative, the Federal Coordinating Officer, dozens of times.

Thomas is an Attorney, and a frequent lecturer on Emergency Management issues, especially the Constitutional and Legal Aspects of Floodplain Regulations. He has authored dozens of publications and articles on Disaster related issues and regularly participates as a member of National Task Forces in developing National disaster-related and floodplain management policies. Thomas has received numerous national and international awards including the Goddard-White Award, the Gulf of Maine Visionary Award, and the lifetime achievement award from the Georgia Association of Floodplain Management.

In recognition of her outstanding contributions to Louisiana, Thomas has been honored by the Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA, the Baton Rouge Business Report, LSU and the Louisiana Architecture Foundation. In September 2009, Thomas and CPEX were awarded the Olmsted Medal by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) for “incredible leadership and set the standard for bringing community members and leaders together to work toward a shared vision for future growth and development.” One year later, Thomas became the second woman in Louisiana named to the ASLA National Council of Fellows, one of the highest honors the organization can bestow on an individual.

Prior to 1997, Dr. Tilotta’s research and education efforts were applied to the study of pollutants in the environment. His experience with the Red River Valley of the North flood in Grand Forks in 1997, however, significantly expanded his interests and efforts. His current educational and research interests include resilient housing, the contamination of homes as a result of flooding, analytical methods for the detection of chemicals in solids and liquids, and the conversion of cellulosic biomass to fuel. Dr. Tilotta has published more than 50 papers, co-holds three patents, and has received four awards for his research and teaching activities.

Turner has an extensive background in flood protection and public works, including serving as the Executive Director of the Lake Borgne Basin Levee District from 2001 until his current appointment as SLFPAE Regional Director. He served as the Director of Public Works for St. Bernard Parish from 1993 to 2001, and other professional experience includes Associate Engineer at Burk-Kleinpeter, Inc. and Design Engineering Manager at Power Enterprises, Inc. He was selected to serve as the Louisiana State representative for the National Committee on Levee Safety. Turner is also working with the Dutch Government on a levee information system and just returned from the Netherlands regarding that project.

Ujeyl worked on the project “New Planning Strategies for Flood Prone Areas to Cope with the Increased Risk due to Climate Change”, funded by the German Ministry of Education and Science (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF). The project was part of the research program RIMAX (“Risk Management of Extreme Flood Events”) and looked at innovative defense strategies and flexible disaster management plans, developed a cascading levee concept and communicated the concept and its implementation to stakeholders (public and local government). Since 2008 Ujeyl has been working as a sub-project leader on the project “Extreme Storm Surges at Open Coasts and Estuarine Areas”, funded by the BMBF. The project team includes two other German universities and the Agency of Roads, Bridges and Waters, Hamburg. Focusing on two case studies, the Hamburg metropolitan area and the North Sea island Sylt, the project team estimates the impact of extreme storm surges considering climate change scenarios. Ujeyl also contributed on an innovative flood management concept for an ideas competition as part of the International Building Exhibition “Klimahäuser Haulander Weg”. Ujeyl has authored a number of publications on flood resilience and flood risk management and teaches the course Hydraulic Engineering at the Hamburg University of Technology.

Verchick has represented environmental interests in friend-of-the-court briefs in important cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal appellate courts, including Coliseum Square Association v. Jackson, 128 S.Ct. 40 (2007); Kelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 (2005), and Fort Gratiot v. Michigan Dep’t of Natural Resources, 504 U.S. 353 (1992). He is a Member Scholar (on leave) and former board member of the Center for Progressive Reform, a policy institute dedicated to making a positive case for health, safety, and environmental protection.

Verchick has taught as a visiting professor at Peking University, Aarhus University (Denmark), Lewis & Clark College, and Seattle University and has received teaching awards at Loyola University, University of Missouri--Kansas City, Seattle University, and Harvard University. He has lectured on environmental topics in Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Israel, China, and throughout the United States. Verchick is author or co-author of three books, including Facing Catastrophe: Environmental Action for a Post-Katrina World (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press 2010).

The firm’s planning and urban design experience has been similarly recognized for its quality.  This includes work in China, most notably for the town of Beidaihe, the Central Government’s summer retreat.  Subsequent to Hurricane Katrina, Waggonner & Ball developed the Recovery Framework for St. Bernard Parish. With the support of the Royal Netherlands Embassy and the American Planning Association, Mr. Waggonner has continued the effort to define more intelligently the planning and redevelopment problem that the New Orleans region presents.  A series of Dutch Dialogues has been initiated, to inform the people in the urbanized lower Mississippi River Delta about ways to integrate infrastructure, visible and invisible, with surface, ground, and water to live safely and beneficially in south Louisiana.