2025 Annual Conference
Harnessing the Flow of Community: Bridging the Gaps of Social and Physical Infrastructure
The 2025 Annual Conference will be held Thursday, May 15th, 8am -5pm
at the University of Rhode Island's Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences.
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If you have questions, please contact rhodeislandfma@gmail.com.
Keynote Speaker: Illya Azaroff FAIA
Illya Azaroff, FAIA, is an architect, geographer, and professor at New York City College of Technology (CUNY), a minority-serving institution with over 850 architecture students.
As the founding principal of +lab Architect, with offices in New York and Los Angeles, he is dedicated to uplifting underserved communities through resilient and regenerative design.
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A global leader in disaster mitigation and climate adaptation, Azaroff co-founded the Kalinago Institute for Global Resilience and Regeneration in Dominica. Recognized as a 2023 Star of Oceana for his regenerative design work in the Pacific and Caribbean, he has advised on climate adaptation strategies in Moldova, Turkey, and beyond.
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Azaroff has played a key role in shaping New York City’s Hazard Mitigation Plan, the state’s Climate Impact Assessment, and HUD’s “Designing for Natural Hazards.” His expertise has supported NGOs, think tanks, and government bodies, including the White House Resilient 21 coalition, Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Disaster Recovery Framework.
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An influential voice in the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Azaroff has served as COP-27 delegate, COP-28 and COP-29 chair, and AIA New York State president in 2021. Currently, he is the AIA National 2025 President-Elect and will serve as President in 2026.
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With over 30 years of experience across the U.S., Pacific, Caribbean, and Europe, Azaroff continues to lead global resilience and sustainability efforts, leveraging design excellence to foster equitable and regenerative communities.
Schedule of Events
Speaker Biographies
Priscilla De La Cruz
Priscilla has served as the Director of Sustainability for the Smiley Administration since July 2023. Priscilla is a life-long Providence, Rhode Islander, serving as the City of Providence’s Director of Sustainability and co-chair of Climate Jobs Rhode Island. She also serves as an appointed member of the state’s Energy Efficiency Council and Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council’s Advisory Board. Priscilla has over 15 years’ experience in strategic management and marketing, environmental and climate justice advocacy, and coalition organizing; and has served in previous roles as Senior Director of Government Affairs Rhode Island Audubon and Rhode Island Director at the Green Energy Consumers Alliance. Priscilla earned a Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) with concentrations in Management, and Sustainability & Innovation from Harvard University. She also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Marketing from Rhode Island College.
Elizabeth McCarthy
Elizabeth is a recent Boston College graduate with post-graduate credits from Harvard University in Sustainable Cities and Communities. She has a strong academic background in Environmental Studies, concentrating in Climate Change and Societal Adaptation, and Economics. As a member of the research team for the H2020 REGREEN project under the European Centre for Environment and Human Health, Elizabeth contributed to a project evaluating the benefit of nature-based solutions to ecosystem and human health and quantified the economic benefits of a specific green space in Paris. Elizabeth served as the outreach and engagement specialist on the Bluff Point Restoration Project. She provides technical support and assistance through data collection, existing conditions and GIS analysis, and creative community engagement to drive equitable and holistic climate action.
Noah Slovin
Noah is a Senior Resilience Planner at SLR. He is a Certified Floodplain Manager, AICP Certified, and completed his Master of Science at UMass Amherst in Hydrology and Water Resources Science. Noah served as a project manager for the Bluff Point Restoration Project. He has nearly a decade of experience working with communities to build resilience to disasters and climate change impacts based on the unique needs and experiences of residents, businesses, and policy-makers. Noah uses his deep understanding of policy frameworks, climate science, mitigation best practices, and local government operations to engage in collaborative planning processes to identify practical, applicable, and fundable actions that can reduce risks and increase resilience.
Molly Henry
Molly has over a decade of nonprofit service leadership experience in a range of resiliency issues including urban forestry, active transportation, housing, food security, and community development. In her current role as GIC’s urban forestry planner, Molly works with local government, nonprofits and other place-based partners to help map tree canopy cover and strengthen urban forestry programs in RI cities and towns. Previous to GIC, Molly was the Director of Climate and Health at American Forests where she worked closely with RI state partners to develop a suite of tools to optimize RI's urban forests to mitigate the impacts of climate change and improve public health. Molly is an arborist certified by the International Society of Arborists (ISA) and has a B.S. in Environmental Planning & Design along with a certificate in urban planning from Rutgers University.
Stephanie Moniz
Stephanie has been Groundwork RI's Training and Education Coordinator since 2022. Stephanie is a graduate of GWRI's 2016 job training program, and divides her time at GWRI between running the adult job training program and supporting the Green Team youth program. She is an experienced facilitator and expert on social-emotional wellness.
Richard Zevallow
Richard graduated from GWRI's job training program in December 2024 and is currently a Storm Crew employee at Groundwork RI.
Gary Ruspus
Gary graduated from GWRI's job training program in December 2024 and is currently a Storm Crew employee at Groundwork RI.
Renee Stoops
Renee graduated from GWRI's job training program in December 2024. Renee has been working as the Supervisor for Storm Crew and was recently hired by the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council as their Greenway Manager.
Robert Miskewitz PhD
Robert is an Associate Research Professor at Rutgers University affiliated with Department of Environmental Sciences, the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, and the Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT). I have a diverse background that includes a Ph.D. and M.S. from Stevens Institute of Technology in Environmental Engineering, a B.S in biology with a concentration in Ecology from Penn State, and three years as an environmental consultant. My areas of expertise are fate and transport of environmental contaminants in freshwater and marine systems, contaminated sediment processing and dredged material management, innovative beneficial use of sediments, water resources, and data acquisition and analysis.
Steven Cabral P.E, PhD
Steven is the President of Crossman Engineering, bringing extensive expertise in civil, transportation, and environmental engineering. He holds a BS, MS, and Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, along with an MBA from the University of Rhode Island. A registered Professional Engineer in multiple states, he specializes in on-site wastewater treatment system design. His notable projects include the State Street Circulation Project in Providence and the Ponaganset Middle and High School developments. Steven has also provided consulting services to various communities and has extensive experience in permit applications for projects of all scales. Additionally, he has served on the Board of Electric Commissioners in North Attleboro and contributed to stormwater regulations as appointed by Governor Lincoln Chafee. He is also an accomplished lecturer and expert witness
Erik Beloff
Erik is a Project Manager specializing in building demolition projects. He has managed and conducted hazardous building materials assessments and environmental projects for organizations such as the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, Rhode Island Department of Transportation, many municipalities in Rhode Island and the U.S. Navy. Erik has over 15 years of experience with GZA.
Ryan DaPonte
Ryan is a Senior Project Manager with extensive experience in floodplain restoration and flood mitigation projects. He has led the design aspects of many projects in New England that address coastal storm impacts, sea level rise, and stormwater flooding.
Notable projects include the Shoreline Adaptation Inventory and Design (SAID) program in Rhode Island, where Ryan managed the planning and design of coastal adaptation projects for nine municipalities. These efforts improved flood resilience while restoring natural habitats and enhancing water quality. Additionally, he oversaw the Salter’s Grove Causeway Repairs in Warwick, RI, which included culvert hydraulic design and erosion control to reduce flooding risks.
Shawna Little
Shawna is an Environmental Scientist at Fuss & O’Neill out of Providence with an academic background in marine biology and paleoclimate. Shawna primarily focuses on projects involving climate resilience, habitat restoration, water quality improvements, stormwater management and floodplain restoration. This often includes working with local municipalities to develop comprehensive solutions, encompassing both nature-based and infrastructure-based approaches, with an emphasis on public outreach and engagement.
Gina DeMarco
After serving for over 30 years as District Manager Gina has taken on the role as Special Project Manager at the Northern RI Conservation District (NRICD), focusing entirely on flood mitigation projects funded by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Her role includes partnership coordination between NRCS, the Rhode Island Association of Conservation Districts, engineering firms, political leaders, and property owners. Currently she is working on projects on the Pocasset River Watershed in Johnston and Cranston and the Runnins River watershed in East Providence, RI. NRICD is a non-regulatory and non-enforcement quasi-public organization. All programs involve voluntary participation by municipalities and property owners. With the goal of protecting lives, property and restoring the floodplain, properties are either purchased and demolished for floodplain restoration and stormwater mitigation or flood proofed. Learn more about NRICD’s water quality, stormwater mitigation and agriculture and forest land management programs at www.nricd.org or www.landwaterconnection.org.
Devin Diaz
Devin is the Owner of Integrity Consulting Group, LLC. and lead project manager for coastal erosion and mitigation solutions for Middletown's second and third beach.
Daniel Barone PhD, GISP, CFM
Daniel is an Associate Research Professor within the Rutgers University and brings nearly 20 years of leadership experience directing coastal research and environmental groups as well as managing numerous projects related to coastal zone management including beneficial use of dredged material, federal & state shore protection beach replenishments, coastal vulnerability assessments, FEMA floodplain studies, and sediment transport studies. Additionally, Dr. Barone has extensive experience performing geospatial data collections and analysis in marine and coastal environments. Related to this experience, Dr. Barone has managed projects pertaining to the collection of mobile & static LiDAR data of beaches, dunes, and tidal wetlands as well conducting hydrographic surveys using single and multi-beam sounders including side-scan sonar. Daniel has the ability to utilize this field collected data for 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D modeling tasks as well as GIS-based vulnerability assessments.
Emily Hall
Emily is the Coastal Geologist for the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council. As a member of the professional staff, she manages permitting review for beach and dune restorations, living shorelines, and other forms of non-structural shoreline protections across the RI coast. In addition, she serves on the RI Geographic Information System (RIGIS) Executive Committee, is a member of the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) Resiliency Subgroup, and recently finished serving on the RI House of Representatives’ Beach Erosion Commission. Her research background is in coastal sedimentology, with a focus on blue carbon sequestration.
Steve McCandless
Steve has served the Town of Charlestown since 2004, leading GIS integration across all departments and managing environmental data systems that support coastal planning and emergency response. As Coastal Geologist, he has coordinated multiple dredging and restoration projects in Ninigret and Quonochontaug Ponds, successfully securing over $5 million in grant funding for resiliency efforts. Stephen also oversees the Town’s Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Program, which plays a vital role in hazard detection, environmental monitoring, and public safety support along Charlestown’s coast.
Josh Rosenberg
Josh is a professional engineer with 15 years of experience specializing in hydrology, hydraulic engineering, dam safety, geotechnical engineering, and water resource management. He is renowned for skills in numerical modeling of open channel flow and soil system interactions, as well as hydraulic design of dams, bridges, and culverts. Mr. Rosenberg is a leader in integrating state-of-the-art software such as geospatial information systems (GIS). His extensive project experience includes working with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and various state and local agencies such as RIDEM, RIDOT, MASSDOT, and municipalities in the tristate area. Mr. Rosenberg’s experience spans all project phases, from feasibility studies and condition assessments to the design and construction of new or rehabilitated systems and facilities. Throughout engineering and construction, he brings a well-rounded approach to every stage—reflecting his deep expertise across multiple engineering disciplines.
Jamie-Lynn Ward
Jamie received a B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of New Haven and is currently a research assistant pursuing her Master of Arts in Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island. Her research centers on environmental communications in coastal areas, exploring how climate risks influence the attitudes, motivations, and engagement of diverse stakeholders and community groups. She is particularly interested in how perceptions influence environmental behaviors, attitudes, messaging strategies, and sense of place to guide and enhance community involvement.
Emily Diamond
Emily is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island. She received a Ph.D. in Environmental Policy from Duke University, and a B.S. in International Affairs from Georgia Tech. As a researcher of environmental communication, Dr. Diamond focuses on how messaging influences environmental attitudes and behaviors, risk perceptions, and policy preferences, particularly regarding climate risks in coastal areas. She is particularly interested in applied research – working with community groups, policymakers, and stakeholders to provide insights to navigate the environmental threats facing their communities.
Eliza Berry
Eliza joined the Coastal Resources Center & Rhode Island Sea Grant in 2024. She brings more than a decade of experience in collaborative coastal management, climate and hazard resilience, and conservation projects. She has transitioned through roles with NGOs, government, an environmental consulting firm, and an oyster farm. Much of her work has focused on sea level rise and flood resilience in California and New England. She enjoys working with cross-sector groups and partnering with university and government researchers to formulate management recommendations.
Eliza holds a Master’s in Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dr. Reza Hashemi
Dr. Hashemi is an associate professor in the Department of Ocean Engineering and the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. Dr. Hashemi’s research focuses on multiscale processes from catchment to coast, including hydrology, hydrodynamics, and fluid-structure interactions. His research is applied to coastal resilience, including riverine, pluvial, and coastal flooding, as well as the fragility of infrastructures exposed to natural hazards. He has collaborated closely with coastal communities and industries and is funded by various state and federal agencies, such as RIEMA, CRMC, NOAA, Sea Grant, and FEMA/DHS. He employs various tools, such as Digital Twins, Artificial Intelligence, and numerical codes (ROMS, SWAN, ADCIRC, XBeach) and hydrological models (HEC-RAS and HEC-HMS), for his research.
Molly Henry
Molly has over a decade of nonprofit service leadership experience in a range of resiliency issues including urban forestry, active transportation, housing, food security, and community development. In her current role as GIC’s urban forestry planner, Molly works with local government, nonprofits and other place-based partners to help map tree canopy cover and strengthen urban forestry programs in RI cities and towns. Previous to GIC, Molly was the Director of Climate and Health at American Forests where she worked closely with RI state partners to develop a suite of tools to optimize RI's urban forests to mitigate the impacts of climate change and improve public health. Molly is an arborist certified by the International Society of Arborists (ISA) and has a B.S. in Environmental Planning & Design along with a certificate in urban planning from Rutgers University.
Dr. Austin Becker
Dr. Becker is Professor and Chair of the Department of Marine Affairs at the University of Rhode Island (URI). He works across the fields of planning, policy, engineering, and ocean science. His applied research engages decision makers with complex problems involving uncertainty, consequences of natural hazards, and the resulting challenges in decision making. This includes: communicating potential storm impacts to emergency managers; developing baseline knowledge about coastal hazard impacts to maritime industries and communities; and conducting vulnerability assessments for military and other coastal uses. He also directs the Graduate Certificate in Coastal Resilience program at URI. He was awarded a Sloan Foundation Research Fellow in Ocean Sciences, earned a PhD in Environment and Resources at Stanford University, and maintains a 500 Ton USCG Captain’s License.
Casey Tremper
Casey returned to URI in June of 2024, joining the Coastal Resources Center and RI Sea Grant. As an alumna of URI, Casey earned undergraduate degrees in Marine Biology and Marine Affairs as well as Master of Arts in Marine Affairs. Casey has experience working for the federal government as well as the nonprofit sector on science communication, research initiatives, as well as community engagement. She currently does outreach around Rhode Island for coastal resilience projects as well as running the MyCoast RI application.
Sol Copperdock
Sol is a research associate in the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Brown University. He received his M.S. in Geosciences from the
University of Texas, Austin. He specializes in the use of emerging environmental sensing technologies for monitoring environmental changes and hazards. He has varied experience designing and deploying sensor systems for monitoring air pollution, ecosystem dynamics, meteorology, and sea level. Currently, he is building a network of water level and flood sensors throughout Rhode Island for detecting early warnings of floods and sea level rise.
Megan Patton
Megan supports Kleinfelder's water team by leading cross-functional teams to deliver projects on time and within budget. Skilled in project planning, design, and construction services, with an eye for risk management and stakeholder coordination.
Haley Essington
Haley has worked for the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council for two years in various capacities, including a bicycle safety instructor, Spanish interpreter, coordinator for community action programs, and local green infrastructure initiatives.
Lizzy Curley
Lizzy has 9 years of engineering and field experience related to design, construction, utilities, water and wastewater infrastructure. As a Water Resources Engineer, she supports numerous projects from initial project planning to construction, conducts field investigations, and assists with design of various water, sewer, and site design projects. She is experienced with Infiltration/Inflow Studies, Sewer Rehabilitation, Pipeline/Manhole Cleaning and Assessment, MS4 Compliance, GIS Asset Management and Subsurface Utility Location.
Ian O'Hara
Ian graduated from URI with a Master’s in Environmental Science at the University of Rhode Island in 2020 and has worked with a variety of State and Federal organizations on water quality restoration. Now serving as a Restoration Ecologist at Save the Bay, he focuses on restoring aquatic connectivity and degraded habitats. His work includes assisting communities with culvert upgrades for improved wildlife passage, dam removal, stormwater management, salt marsh restoration and more. Passionate about conservation and environmental resilience, Ian is committed to protecting and restoring vital water resources for future generations.
Dr. Martin D. Hellwig
Dr. Hellwig has been teaching Computer Science, Engineering, and Economics since 2009. In addition to a Ph.D. and an M.Sc. in Computer Science, he holds an MBA, an
M.Sc. in Aviation, and a 5-year Diplomkaufmann degree. Before joining Providence College, Dr. Hellwig taught at a variety of universities, including the highly prestigious University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Dr. Hellwig's primary research interests include Computer Vision, Artificial Intelligence, and Bioinformatics, and he is particularly passionate about applying these across different disciplines. His publications include work in Coastal Management (Erosion), and Medicine, for example.
John Amodeo FASLA
John brings over 40 years of experience on a range of master planning and site design efforts, many of which have unique urban, waterfront or historical environments. He has overseen the planning and design of several noteworthy community parks and urban plazas as well as streetscape restoration efforts, all with an undergirding of sustainability and resilience. He had led design efforts on higher education campuses, U.S. Embassies and Consulates, Federal Courthouses, Federal Medical Centers, and National Park Service properties. Mr. Amodeo is a Commissioner on the Boston Landmark Commission (1996-present) and is a member of the ASLA Council of Fellows. He is intimately familiar with the URI campus, having led the landscape architecture and site design for the North District Sustainable Development Zone and Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences (CBLS), College of Pharmacy. the Chemistry Building, the College of Engineering and the Fine Arts College.
Rick Williams ASLA
Rick has played a key role on a range of public open space site planning and design projects in his over 20 years of practice. Mr. Williams has displayed strong technical abilities in design development, construction administration, project management, and client relations while working closely with the project team and clients. His work on campus design has been recently recognized with awards by the BSLA and BSA. On the URI campus, Mr. Williams has managed the site design and implementation for Hillside Hall, restoration of the historic main Quadrangle, the Chemistry Building, and the College of Engineering.
Gardner Bent
Gardner is the surface-water specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey New England Water Science Center. During his career he has been involved in a number of surface-water related studies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island and also oversaw surface-water, groundwater, and water-quality data collection in these two states for several years. The surface-water studies have involved state-wide equations for estimating streamflow statistics and bankfull channel geometry, sediment transport assessments, watershed assessments, flood-documentation, and more recently this stream crossing hydraulic modeling tool.
James Riordan LEED AP
James is an environmental planner, scientist and senior team leader with Weston & Sampson. He leads the Urban and Environmental Planning Group. Jim is the Past Chair and current Chair of the ENRE Division of APA, a Past-President of the APA Rhode Island Chapter, Rhode Island Climate Champion for APA, and a member of the Rhode Island State Planning Council. Jim has received the EPA Environmental Merit Award for his work on smart growth and stormwater programs and twice received the Rhode Island APA President’s Award. In 2022, he received the APA Dan Varin Leadership Award.
Rupsa Roy
Rupsa is a Senior Project Scientist with Weston & Sampson with over 10 years of experience as an environmental geochemist, specializing in climate resiliency, climate vulnerability, adaptation strategies. She is currently focused on modeling climate data to project future climate impacts and conducting vulnerability assessments, urban heat island modeling to inform adaptation planning. Her work supports municipalities and public agencies across the Northeast in Vulnerability Assessments, Hazard Mitigation Planning, and Flood Risk and Resilience Preparedness.
Derek Saari
Derek is the Assistant Director of the Department of Public Works since October of 2019. Prior to this position, Derek served as the Conservation Director/Assistant Town Planner since August of 2001. Derek, with support of his team, have created and implemented numerous Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) that enable the DPW to meet its mission of providing uninterrupted services to Town of Westborough.
The Pre-Flood Mitigation SOP is an example of a highly successful pre-planning Town-wide initiative.
Derek earned a Master’s Degree in Regional Planning with a concentration in Environmental Law & Policy, Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Forestry, and an Associate’s Degree of Science in Arboriculture and Park Management, all from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Derek also earned an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science with a concentration in Building Construction Technology from New Hampshire Technical College at Manchester.
Celicia Boyden MS
Celicia is a Senior Water Resources Engineer at Fuss & O’Neill, which is a multidisciplinary engineering firm with offices throughout the Northeast. Her projects are focused on stormwater management, flood mitigation, habitat restoration, and water quality improvement. Celicia brings a positive attitude that augments her technical strengths and diverse project management experience. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering at the University of Connecticut and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Science at Johns Hopkins University.
Emily Olchowski
Emily is a Water Resources Engineer at Fuss & O’Neill in Providence, RI. She works on a range of projects including stormwater management and water quality improvements, climate resilience and coastal restoration. Most of these projects include working with municipalities as project partners to develop nature-based solutions and green infrastructure design to provide the most benefit for the communities they serve.
Kyle Grendell
Kyle is a skilled municipal arborist with extensive experience in environmental operations, how they integrate with resiliency preparation, and storm response protocols. With a deep passion for urban forestry, Kyle has managed tree care, preservation, and planting programs, ensuring the health and safety of public green spaces. His background includes overseeing tree inventories, pest management, and maintenance projects while collaborating with planners and local communities to enhance the urban environment. Kyle’s expertise extends to managing budgets, coordinating staff, and implementing sustainable practices that contribute to the long-term ecological health of municipal landscapes. Dedicated to promoting environmental stewardship, he works to improve green infrastructure, reduce urban heat islands, and increase biodiversity in public spaces. With a practical understanding of regulatory compliance and risk management, Kyle is committed to creating and maintaining safe, thriving urban ecosystems, while balancing the safety of local residents & critical infrastructure.
John Pagliarini Jr., Esq.
John is the Woonsocket Director of Planning & Development. John's experience includes being a Rhode Island land use attorney, a graduate of URI's Master of Community Planning program, a RI Certified Tax Assessor, a State Senator, the Parliamentarian of the State Senate, and a Certified Floodplain Manager.
Emily Morse
Emily is a dedicated Environmental Scientist and GIS Coordinator with the City of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She specializes in urban environmental planning, green infrastructure, and flood mitigation. She has extensive experience in managing complex environmental projects from planning through implementation, including successful grant writing and administration. She currently serves on the Board of the Rhode Island Flood Mitigation Association.
Adam E. Anderson
Adam is a registered Landscape Architect and Founder/Principal of DESIGN UNDER SKY, an award-winning collaborative Landscape Architecture Studio in Providence RI, with several recent projects, including the National ASLA Honor Award receiving 10,000 Suns, the Living Edge, and the Roger Williams Park Gateway that have contributed to the transformation of the Urban Landscape of Providence and beyond. He received his Master’s in Landscape Architecture (MLA II) from the Rhode Island School of Design where he was an Olmsted Scholar and Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from The Ohio State University. He currently teaches in the Landscape Architecture Departments at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and RISD. In 2021 he was inducted into the DESIGNXRI Hall of Fame as an emerging designer. Adam also serves on the board of the Downtown Providence Parks Network.
Beth Kirmmse RLA, ASLA, WEDG
Beth is a Project Manager and Landscape Architect with Fuss & O’Neill. Beth graduated from Smith College with a degree in Government and a focus on environmental policy and completed her Masters in Landscape Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. She works with clients to develop solutions that mitigate vulnerabilities to climate change and provide ecological, economic and cultural co-benefits. With a passion for designing natural infrastructure, Beth rethinks the built environment, creating innovative designs that improve the ecological health of a system resilient solutions for waterfront locations, and is currently designing resilient riverfronts, shorelines, and natural infrastructure throughout New England.
Nancy E. Letendre Esq., AICP
Nancy combines the skills of an experienced land use attorney with those of a professional planner in her current role of Town Planner for Westerly, Rhode Island. Nancy began her career as a municipal land use attorney for a total of 20 years representing municipal government. Nancy has been an AICP certified planner since 2007. She has experience in all aspects of land development with particular interest in planning for housing and historical and cultural resource preservation. Ms. Letendre has been extensively involved with Rhode Island land use policy including the land use review and comprehensive planning processes, low- and moderate-income housing and coastal resiliency. A planning educator – she worked with Grow Smart Rhode Island on the development and presentation of land use training programs for 20 years. A frequent speaker at regional and national conferences of the American Planning Association on land use law and planners’ ethics, Ms. Letendre is also a trained facilitator and has developed and presented sessions on topics of affordable housing development, best practices for historic district commissions, how to run an effective public meeting, team building and strengthening municipal capacity. Ms. Letendre is an active member of the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Planning Association.
Gina Fuller
Gina serves as District Manager for the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District and is responsible for the daily operation of the District’s conservation programs and fulfillment of our organizational mission. Gina has over 25 years of experience working in the environmental and conservation fields as well as extensive experience providing outreach and educational programs. As District Manager she is responsible for building relationships with municipalities, conservation groups, and individuals to achieve common conservation goals throughout Washington and Kent Counties.
Kenneth J. Filarski FAIA, LEED Fellow, LEED AP BD+C SITES AP, AICP, CFM, SAP+AEER, NCARB
Ken is the founder and principal of FILARSKIARCHITECTURE+PLANNING+RESEARCH, an
integrated, multidisciplinary architecture and planning, ecology design studio and research workshop, recognized with national, regional, state, and local awards in architecture,
planning, and research, including a national award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for his affordable, sustainable HOME design system in HUD’s "Building Value in Housing" program. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a LEED Fellow of the U.S. Green Building Council, one of only 41 individuals honored with highly prestigious Fellowships from over 310,000 professionals globally. He is a member of the ASCE 24-14, and 24-24 Committees developing the "Flood Resistant Design and Construction" code standards; Co-Chair of the AIA Disaster Assistance Committee, co-authoring the AIA Disaster Assistance Handbook v4, and serves on the new AIA Resilience and Disaster Response Committee. He
originated the Master the Disaster interactive board game and the Resilient Resource Advisors assisting communities post disaster. A Certified Floodplain Manager, he is a nationally
certified disaster responder and trainer of disaster responders. He is President of the RI Architects and Engineers Emergency Response Task Force 7. TF-7 was active in Superstorm Sandy. RI AEER TF-7’s work was honored with the prestigious National Service Award from the American Institute of Architects. Author of the nationally historic RI Green Buildings Act, RIGL §37-24, the Act received the
Award for Planning for Sustainability & Resilience from the American Planning Association, RI Chapter. Ken is also a long standing citizen Architect, serving in many public roles: Chair of the RI Green Buildings Advisory Committee; Advisory Board to the RI Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4); Cranston Zoning Board of Review; Secretary of the Providence/Cranston Workforce Development Board; the Environmental Council of RI; and a RIFMA Board Member. He is a LEED Accredited Professional with specialty in Building
Design and Construction, and is one of first SITES - The Sustainable SITES Initiative Accredited Professionals in the world. Ken was recognized in 2019 as one of 25 Rhode Island
"Leaders and Achievers" by Providence Business News and as the 2018 Champion and Environmental Advocate by Clean Water Action. In both cases he is the only architect honored
with these prestigious awards. Ken received his Masters Degree in Architecture and Environmental Design from Goddard Collage where he was a Graduate Teaching Fellow in their world renown Design & Construction program where he, and the students both designed and built the college’s
buildings, widely published in professional journals. The Vermont Historical Preservation Commission described that body of work being “unique to the state and the country”, His
Master’s Thesis, "Design of Logic/Logic of Design" demonstrated - with research, detailed diagrams, and designs - the congruence and synergy in the cognitive development process of a child with the process of design and design thinking.
Kimberly Korioth
As Rhode Island's Chief Resilience Officer, Kim leads the state's climate resilience planning and implementation initiatives, leveraging funding opportunities and exploring policy solutions to advance resilience statewide in collaboration with government leadership, state agencies, partner organizations, and municipalities. Her position directs the development of the biennial State of Resilience Report and Statewide Coastal Resilience Plan, and she serves on Rhode Island's Climate Change Impacts Commission. Prior to joining RIDEM, Kim worked at RIIB, managing the first iteration of the Municipal Resilience Program, the Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Grant (OSG), other resilience and stormwater funding initiatives. She has also worked with the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council on their Shoreline, Adaptation, Inventory, and Design initiative. Kim holds a Master of Landscape Architecture, specializing in Ecological Design, from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and a B.A. from Boston University.