The New Jersey Coastal Resilience Collaborative (NJCRC) recently approved a new leadership structure, operating procedures, and biennial work plan, setting the course for the organization’s work and development for the coming years.
The NJCRC will now be guided by a Board of Directors representing multiple sectors as well as three managing directors who will oversee the organization’s day-to-day administration: Jun Cheng of Kean University, Tom Herrington of Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute, and Laura Kerr of the Stevens Institute of Technology.
The Board of Directors will include three co-chairs and 11 at-large members with staggered terms to ensure new perspectives are continually incorporated. The board will also include the NJCRC’s workgroup leads and two ex-officio members representing the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). The current co-chairs are Ed Mahaney, former mayor of Cape May; Martha Maxwell-Doyle of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary; and Elizabeth Semple of The Nature Conservancy in New Jersey. The ex-officio members are Nick Angarone and Rebecca Hill of the NJDEP.
The at-large board members and their organizations are:
- Lisa Auermuller, N.J. Climate Change Resource Center/Rutgers University
- Nick Brown, HDR
- Elissa Commins, N.J. Association for Floodplain Management/Brick Township
- Tim Dillingham, American Littoral Society
- Terry Doss, N.J. Sports and Exposition Authority
- Stan Hales, Barnegat Bay Partnership/Ocean County College
- Charlene Kiley, Monmouth County
- Tony MacDonald, Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute
- Jon Miller, Stevens Institute of Technology
- Tanya Rohrbach, Sustainable Jersey
- New Jersey Future representative TBD
The following workgroup leads automatically serve as members:
- Municipal: Angela Andersen, Long Beach Township
- Technical Assistance Coffee Chat Planning: Amanda Archer, Jacques Cousteau Coastal
- Ecological Restoration & Science: Meredith Comi, Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute
- Field Site Visit: Mike Galvin, JMT Consulting
- Coastal Habitat and Aquatic Resources Research and Monitoring (CHARRM): Danielle McCulloch, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
- Communications: Karl Vilacoba, Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute
- Beneficial Use Learning Network: Adrianna Zito-Livingston, The Nature Conservancy
Workplan and Operating Procedures
The NJCRC’s updated Organizational Structure & Operating Procedures document outlines how the newly reorganized collaborative will function. It elaborates on the roles and responsibilities of its partners and leadership, the format and timing of meetings, and the broader values and goals of the organization.
The Biennial Work Plan document summarizes and synthesizes the planned activities and goals of the NJCRC as a whole and the seven existing workgroups in 2024 and 2025. It addresses work that is unique to each workgroup and joint efforts like the planning of a large successor conference to the 2024 N.J. Coastal and Climate Resilience Conference and a series of one-day events focused on technical topics.
The NJCRC continues to seek new partner organizations and members for its workgroups. If you have questions about any of these documents or the NJCRC, please contact us.