Panel 2B: Societal Adaptation, Planning, and Resilience

William A. (Skip) Stiles, Jr. is executive director of Wetlands Watch, a statewide nonprofit environmental group based in Norfolk, VA. In this position he has been involved in sea level rise adaptation work at the community level for over 12 years. Prior to his current position, Mr. Stiles provided editorial and public policy consulting services to a number of clients (including the U.S. Federal Government and various civil society organizations) on issues related to science, the environment, and public policy. Before that, Mr. Stiles served in a variety of senior staff positions during 22 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is the author of a number of publications on sea level rise and adaptation and served on the Virginia Climate Change Commission in 2008. Together with his wife, Dr. Margaret Mulholland, he teaches a graduate class in public policy at Old Dominion University. He lives in Norfolk, VA, and is a graduate of the College of William and Mary.

Katherine Hagemann, AICP, is the Resilience Program Manager for Adaptation for Miami-Dade County, Florida. In this capacity, she leads county-wide adaptation initiatives, vulnerability assessments, and policies that address the hazards of sea level rise and climate change by integrating resilience into County policies and programs. Katherine created the Adaptation Action Area pilot program that focuses on the most vulnerable areas, as well as coordinates with regional and local governments through the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact. She has a Master of Environmental Science degree from the Yale School of the Environment.

Giselle Herrera is the Program Coordinator at the Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity (RISE), working on coordinating a variety of civic engagement and youth development programs that advance social equity and the physical well-being of the vibrant, coastal community in Rockaway, New York. Before joining the RISE team, Giselle carried out urban ecology research while also participating in environmental education. Giselle has a Master of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology degree from Fordham University.