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SCDRP Staff
Claire McGrath
SCDRP Interim Director
Claire McGrath has been the Interim Director of SCDRP since July 2025. Before that, Claire served as SCDRP’s Program Coordinator since 2024. Claire also currently serves as the Events Specialist for the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA), of which SCDRP is an incubator network. Claire earned a B.S. in Biology from Mount St. Mary’s University and brings 10 years of nonprofit experience to SCDRP. Claire is motivated by a deep passion for environmental justice and equitable climate resilience that stems from her experience working with underserved populations. Prior to working with SCDRP, she worked over 9 years for L’Arche Jacksonville, a nonprofit that empowers and supports people with disabilities. Claire oversaw L’Arche Jacksonville’s Emergency Management Plan, which underscored to her the importance of being inclusive and adaptive to the unique needs of underserved populations when building resilient communities. Claire has also worked with the Student Conservation Association to provide high school students in urban areas with opportunities to gain conservation work experience, and as an adaptive kayak guide with Environmental Traveling Companions to provide people with disabilities and youth from under-resourced backgrounds with environmental education and outdoor experience. Currently, in her spare time, Claire provides guided kayak ecotours in the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve.
​Claire lives in Atlantic Beach, Florida with her husband and pets. She enjoys anything that gets her outdoors, especially surfing, hiking, and backpacking.
Advisory Board Members
State of North Carolina
Brian Byfield
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality
Brian Byfield is currently serving as a Resilience Planner for the state of North Carolina. An Urban and Regional Planner with 3 decades of professional experience across sustainability and resiliency planning, transportation infrastructure development, and land use optimization. Served in varying capacities for national government bodies, state agencies, nonprofit organizations and engineering consulting firms. Provided services for municipalities, regional development organizations and State Departments of Transportation across nine States but primarily in North Carolina.
Brian completed his Masters degree in City and Regional Planning at the fabled UNC-Chapel Hill. His Bachelors in Environmental Resource Development & Regional Planning is from the University of Technology in Kingston, Jamaica. Though an avid sports consumer he is a bit more of a fanatical football devotee (yes, the one where only feet are used) who ardently supports Arsenal FC. Ask him about coaching, refereeing and stories from the field.
He firmly believes in the adage - Representation Matters.
State of South Carolina
Amanda Guthrie
South Carolina SeaGrant
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Amanda Guthrie is the Coastal Climate and Resilience Specialist at the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium. She provides science-based guidance to help communities address current and future resilience priorities while taking into consideration community interests and values. Amanda engages with municipalities and community leaders about their vulnerability and resilience concerns.
Amanda earned a B.S. in marine science and biology from the University of Miami, a M.S. in fisheries management from Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in coastal resources ecology and management from the William & Mary, Virginia Institute of Marine Science. Prior to joining South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, Amanda had fellowships with the National Academy of Sciences’ Gulf Research Program, where she researched the intersection of community health and green infrastructure, and with the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, where she led a team of researchers evaluating the social and ecological feasibility of offshore aquaculture for the Gulf coast of Florida.
State of Georgia
VICE-CHAIR OF 2025
ADVISORY BOARD
Kait Morano
Georgia Tech
Kait Morano is a Research Scientist II at the Institute for People and Technology and the Resilience Planning Director of the CEAR Hub at Georgia Tech. She works with communities to design innovative, data-driven strategies to build resilience to extreme weather events, climate hazards, and other environmental challenges.
Kait holds a bachelor’s in Geography from Virginia Tech and a master’s of City and Regional Planning from Georgia Tech. Prior to her current role, Kait worked as a senior urban planner for local governments on the Georgia coast, a research assistant at the Center for Spatial Planning Analytics and Visualization at Georgia Tech, and an ORISE Fellow in the Geospatial Research Analysis and Services Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her dog and supporting Liverpool FC.
State of Florida
PAST-CHAIR ON 2025 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Duane De Freese
Indian River Lagoon Council
Duane De Freese earned his MS and PhD in marine biology from Florida Institute of Technology and completed his post-doctoral research with University of Florida working on the Indian River Lagoon. During his career, he has held leadership positions in academia, non-profit organizations, and industry. Since 2015, Duane has served as Executive Director of the IRL Council, an independent special district of the State of Florida, and host agency for the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program. Duane is an active volunteer at local, state and national levels. Over his career Duane has been appointed by three Florida Governors to serve on statewide advisory boards: Florida Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force (appointment by Governor Ron DeSantis, 2019 – present); CareerSource Florida Inc. (appointment by Governor Rick Scott, 2013-2022); and the Nature and Heritage Tourism Committee of Florida Tourism Commission (appointed by Governor Jeb Bush, 2001-2005). Duane has published numerous scientific articles. He is an avid public speaker, surfer, and waterman.
Puerto Rico
Manuel A.J. Laboy-Rivera
NovaForge Consulting Partners LLC
Manuel Laboy served as Executive Director of the Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency and as the Governor's Authorized Representative from 2021 to 2024. He was responsible for over $40 billion in FEMA disaster recovery funds across multiple federally declared disasters. Under his leadership, the pace of the recovery gained momentum as new infrastructure, permanent repairs, and mitigation projects can be seen throughout the island. Manuel also served as Secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce, and as the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company between 2017 and 2020. His achievements include a new Incentives Code, the Single Business Portal, and Invest Puerto Rico. Manuel is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and holds an MBA from the Ana G. Méndez University in Puerto Rico. He has 18 years of experience in the private sector. Presently, Manuel is President of NovaForge Consulting Partners LLC, a consulting and advisory firm that specializes in disaster recovery & resilience, energy & infrastructure, and economic development.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Hilary Lohmann
USVI Division of Coastal Zone Management
Hilary Lohmann has worked in small island resilience around the Caribbean for almost ten years, including work in the Dominican Republic, Barbados, Belize and the US Virgin Islands. She studied Animal Behavior and Spanish at Bucknell University, received a Masters in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island, and completed a Fulbright scholarship with the University of the West Indies. Hilary has been working in the USVI since 2016 and has been the Coastal Resilience Coordinator since 2019. With a background in natural and social sciences and a unique position in the territory, Hilary works on a diverse set of projects that improve the planning, mitigation, and adaptation to changes that face the natural and built environment, communities and systems of the US Virgin Islands.
Non-profit Organization
Patrick Howell
Institute for Building Technology & Safety (IBTS)
Patrick Howell has over fifteen years domestic experience spanning the public, private, non-profit and civilian-military sectors, and seven years of experience in international development in Latin America and the Caribbean. He works closely with IBTS’s Board of Directors to strengthen institutional partnerships and develop areas of mutual cooperation, and leads efforts to develop and implement state and local strategies for resilience to natural and man-made disasters.
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Patrick is co-founder and president of Hispañola Health Partners, Inc., an international, non-profit, health services organization designed to improve health care services to low resource communities on the island of Hispañola in partnership with local community groups and existing healthcare structures. Patrick holds a BA in international affairs from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and an MA in international relations from American University.
CHAIR OF 2025
ADVISORY BOARD
Additional Nonprofit Seat TBA
Academic Institution
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Asli Aslan
Institute for Water and Health at Georgia Southern University
Dr. Asli Aslan is a biological oceanographer by training and her research is at the intersection of
coastal water quality, climate change, and public health. She is currently a Professor of
Environmental Health Sciences and Director of the Institute for Water and Health at Georgia
Southern University. She has over 20 years of academic experience in water and health
research and served as a principal investigator in several national and international projects. Dr.
Aslan has been serving in various state and federal agencies and organizations as an advisor,
reviewer, scientific committee member, and affiliated faculty. She is the co-founder of the
Water and Health Committee at American Public Health Association. She recently served as a
member of the USEPA Science Advisory Board Augmented Committee for Contaminant
Candidate List.
Meagan Jones
University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant
Meagan Jones is the Coastal Resilience Specialist at the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. She spent the first 15 years of her professional career working in environmental consulting on projects across the U.S. She then worked for the State of South Carolina as the States Coastal Planner assisting communities with their local beach plans and working on CRS tools. Later she moved to local government managing dunes and beaches in Nueces County, Texas where she secured over 9 million in grants for coastal resiliency projects in two years. Meagan had the opportunity to work on all four coasts and experience the varying pressures and hazards they face. Ms. Jones is a certified floodplain manager with experience in disaster resilience and emergency management as well. During her years working on coastal resilience, she has turned her focus toward policy as it relates to coastal management to help coastal communities promote and create sustainable best practices. Meagan got her bachelor’s degree in environmental science and later completed her master’s in environmental management – law and policy.
Local Government
Patricia Gomez
Miami-Dade Aviation Department
Dr. Patricia Gómez brings over 20 years of hands-on experience in engineering, resilience, and sustainability across both the public and private sectors.
She currently serves as the Aviation Special Advisor for Energy and Resilience, where she leads the planning, management, and implementation of the Aviation Department’s energy, sustainability, and resilience initiatives. Prior to this role, Dr. Gómez held dual positions as Interim Chief Resilience Officer and Director of Energy in Miami-Dade County’s Office of Resilience. During her tenure, she successfully advanced a wide range of projects that enhanced the resilience and sustainability of County facilities and operations—achievements that also delivered measurable improvements in energy and water efficiency. Her accomplishments include launching enterprise-wide utility billing management software, initiating the Building Efficiency 305 (BE305) program, advancing the County’s Climate Action Strategy, and deploying on-site solar installations.
Dr. Gómez began her career with Miami-Dade County as an Engineer in the Department of Environmental Resources Management, where she contributed to the County’s first Climate Action Plan. She is a LEED Accredited Professional (BD+C), a Certified Energy Manager, and a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Florida. Dr. Gómez earned her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Miami.
Randall Mathews
Chatham Emergency Management Agency
Randall Mathews, Assistant Director, has more than 15 years of combined experience in emergency management and military operations. During his tenure at Chatham Emergency Management Agency (CEMA), Randall has assumed multiple responsibilities to include overseeing all planning, hazard mitigation and operational functions for CEMA as well as the Chatham County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). During EOC activations, Randall acts as the EOC Manager and ensures that all EOC coordination and operational functions are carried out timely and competently. Prior to joining CEMA in 2014, Randall served in the Marine Corps Infantry from 2006-2010. Randall went on to earn his Bachelor's Degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management at Savannah State University a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of West Georgia.
Federal Government
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Allyssa Zebrowski
NOAA Disaster Preparedness Program
Allyssa received her Bachelor’s in Biology from the University of Virginia’s College at Wise before being accepted into the Peace Corps Master's International Program, serving as an Environmental Educator in Paraguay. While abroad, she concurrently completed her Masters in Environmental Studies degree with her research focusing on environmental literacy. Upon her return to the states, she moved back to Charleston, SC where she now works with NOAA’s Disaster Preparedness Program, helping NOAA staff and partners better prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters.
Private Sector
Hollie Janson Schmidt
Jacobs
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Hollie Janson Schmidt is the National Director for the Advisory Solutions - Planning Practice at Jacobs. She provides consulting and advisory services to a wide range of public, private, and federal clientele. She is also the Director of the Sustainability, Resilience & Climate Response Business Advisory as a trusted business partner for internal project delivery and growth as well as external client services. In her 28 years of practice, Hollie has honed an integrated planning and delivery approach, with a particular focus on large-scale, complex projects. She is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Strategic and Master Plans, Feasibility Studies, Business Case Analysis and Site Selection. Serving all market and client types at Jacobs, she is a consultant and advisor who leads large, diverse teams of planners, designers and the full spectrum of engineers and technical experts to collaborate with decision-making leaders, scenario evaluations, implementation plans and highly resilient and sustainable solutions. Hollie is known for utilizing an inter-disciplinary approach by assembling a diverse team of SME’s that are customized to specific client needs. Hollie provides resilient solutions either as a preventative or recovery service for large-scale clients who are experiencing vulnerabilities to natural and man-made shocks and stressors. She addresses ESG and climate response while holistically considering the physical, human, and business aspects of the challenge.
​Jeff Morris
Moffatt & Nichol
Jeff Morris currently serves as a Senior Planning and Economics Consultant for Moffatt & Nichol. He currently advises Miami-Dade County in partnership with the USACE on the MDC Back Bay Coastal Storm Risk Management Study. Prior to working with M&N, he worked for the USACE. His roles included project and program management, planning, economics, public involvement, and policy development for water resources projects. He has experience leading multi-disciplinary teams in flood risk management and mitigation, ecosystem restoration, coastal storm risk management and resilience, shoreline and riverbank protection and restoration, watershed management, recreation, and hurricane evacuation preparedness and response. He participated in recovery efforts of Hurricane Andrew and the 1993 Storm of the Century. He has led three Georgia Hurricane Evacuation studies in coordination with FEMA, NOAA, GEMA, and County EMAs since 2000, participated as the USACE hurricane liaison at the Georgia State Operation Center, and in collaboration with the emergency management community of practice, funded, prepared, and distributed to 105 counties 208,000 copies of The Official Georgia Hurricane Guide.
Ex-officio (Fiscal Agent)
Debra Hernandez
SECOORA
Debra Hernandez currently serves as Executive Director of the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA). SECOORA, a nonprofit operating in the states of NC, SC, GA and FL, is one of eleven regional partners in the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System. SECOORA’s mission is to catalyze and integrate the efforts of multiple ocean and coastal monitoring interests to deliver user defined products that save lives, conserve the marine environment and support the economy of our coastal regions. Debra is a civil engineer with extensive experience in coastal and ocean engineering, management and policy. She served on the National Academies’ Ocean Studies Board and the Ocean Research and Resources Advisory Panel, currently serves on the SC Sea Grant Consortium Program Advisory Board, The Citadel’s Near Center for Climate Studies and is past-Chair of the IOOS Association. She graduated from Clemson University and is a native of Charleston, SC.
2025 SCDRP Members Include:
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AtkinsRealis
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AWR Strategic Consulting
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Cape Coral Department of Emergency Management and Resilience
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CEAR Hub, Georgia Tech
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Chatham Emergency Management Agency
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College of Charleston
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Disaster Risk Reduction Centre, University of the West Indies
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Duke University, Nicholas Institute
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Earth Matters Planning & Design, PLLC
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Florida Ocean Alliance
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Georgia Interfaith Power & Light
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Georgia Sea Grant
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Institute for Building Technology & Safety
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IEM
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Illuminate Advisory
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Institute for Water and Health at Georgia Southern University
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IRL Council/Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program
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Jacobs
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Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant
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Miami Dade Department of Emergency Management
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Moffatt and Nichol
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New Hanover County
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NOAA Southeast & Caribbean Regional Team (SECART)
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PuroClean of San Juan
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Seahorse Coastal Consulting, LLC
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Smart Home America
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South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium
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SWCA Environmental Consultants
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Tetra Tech
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Tidal Basin
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University of South Carolina
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US Army Corps of Engineers
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Vulnerable Communities Initiative
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Wake Forest University