Thank you for making this year’s conference a success! Scroll below to view slides from the presentations.
The New Jersey Coastal Resilience Collaborative (NJCRC) and the Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) hosted the 2026 New Jersey Coastal & Climate Resilience Conference from Monday, March 9, through Wednesday, March 11, at the Seaview Hotel in Galloway. With a theme of “Navigating Changing Tides,” the event gathered hundreds of coastal and climate resilience professionals from around the region to learn, collaborate, and network with practitioners from around the region with a wide range of expertise related to resilience issues.
Agenda
- Click here to view interactive version of agenda via Whova
- Click here to view PDF version of agenda
Continuing Education Units/Credits
The following credits have been made available at the conference, with the help of NJCRC volunteers. If you have any questions regarding credit completion, please email amanda.archer@marine.rutgers.edu.
- CMFO, CCFO, CPWM, RMC (8.5 contact hours)
- QPA (7.0 contact hours)
- CTC (4.0 contact hours)
- 12 CECs are available for CFMs by the ASFPM.
- Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioners are eligible for 10 full credits.
- 8.5 AICP credits are available for participation in select sessions (view details).
Listen to Conference Podcasts
The “Native Plants Healthy Planet” podcast recorded a pair of special episodes interviewing organizers and presenters at the conference. The first features Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute Co-Director and Chief Restoration Scientist Terry Doss, who leads the NJCRC’s Conference and Event Planning Workgroup, and Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve Coastal Training and Engagement Coordinator Amanda Archer, who serves as the NJCRC’s managing director. NJDEP Research Scientist Joshua Moody is the guest in the second episode. The podcast is presented by Pinelands Nursery & Supply, a conference sponsor and NJCRC partner.
Presentation Slides
Click links below to view available slides by session.
Monday, March 09, 2026
Climate Resilience in NJ: State of the Science – State of the Practice
Moderator: Marjorie Kaplan; Speakers: David Robinson, Robert Kopp, Nick Procopio, Danielle McCulloch, Nick Angarone
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Cutting-Edge Communication to Empower Our Communities
Moderator: Karl Vilacoba
The MARCO Portal: Informing Action & Engagement for a Resilient Region | Speaker: Karl Vilacoba
Mid-Atlantic Digital Tools for Coastal & Ocean Acidification to Empower Local Communities | Speaker: Janet Reimer
Advancing Coastal Risk Communication: New Tools, Data, and Community Insights | Speaker: Dan Rizza
Using Photovoice for Coastal Advocacy | Speakers: Rita Chandler, Sherry Dudas
Collaborative Tools for “Getting to Yes” on Climate Resilience Projects | Speaker: Chris Kane
Integrating Data-Driven Decision-Making and Community Voices through the NJBPU’s Urban Heat Island Mitigation Program | Speaker: Aileen Eagleton
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Strengthening Communities through Climate Resilience
Moderator: Rebecca Hill
Measuring the Social and Economic Benefits of Flood Resilience Projects | Speaker: Alison Miskiman
Nature-Based Climate Solutions to Lower the Temperature: The Low-Cost Alternative to Mitigating Severe Weather Events | Speaker: Britta Forsberg
Making Climate Vulnerability Models Fit for Purpose: How Transportation Agencies Assess Asset Risk | Speaker: Kevin McKeehan
Reimagining Flood Recovery: Community Engagement in Blue Acres Buyouts along Orchard Brook | Speaker: Courtney Wald-Wittkop
A Matrix-Based Approach for Assessing Watershed Resilience | Speaker: Luke Hogewood
Advancing Wildfire Resilience in the Township of Ocean | Speaker: Nicholas Mitch
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Advancing Flood Resilience
Moderator: Meghan Leavey
Partnering for Resilience: NJAFM as a Collaborative Resource | Speaker: Joe Barris
Why Local Data Matter: Hydrologic Variability in NJ Salt Marshes and Implications for Restoration Planning | Speaker: Ceili Pestalozzi
Flooding Exposure Impacts on Municipal Public Finance in NJ – Using NJ Adapt MOD IV Flood Analysis | Speaker: Pritpal Bamhrah
Understanding Climate Mitigation Programs on Staten Island: Using Publicly Available Data and the Flood Susceptibility to Harm and Recovery Index (FSHRI) to Evaluate Effectiveness | Speaker: Valkiria Duran-Narucki
Advancing Urban Flood Resilience through Hydrologic Simulation and Infrastructure Planning in New Jersey | Speaker: Viravid Na Nagara
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM Building Resilience for Municipalities
Moderator: Angela Andersen
Development of the 2025 Camden Coastal Resilience Plan | Speaker: Franco Montalto
Post-Ida Resilience Planning in Montclair, NJ | Speaker: Nicholas Dickerson
Where Planning Meets Action: Strategies for Smarter Coastal Resilience | Speaker: Wendy Laurent
Building Statewide Resilience and Sustainability through Collaboration: The Role of RASCL in Delaware’s Climate Adaptation | Speaker: Jana Savini
Advancing Municipal Resilience through University Partnership | Speaker: Amy Tuininga
Pioneering Integrating Resilience into Municipal Values | Speaker: Angela Andersen
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Lightning Session – Tools Café
Moderator: Amanda Archer
Marsh Futures Mapper | Speaker: Joshua Moody
Forecasting Coastal Storm Erosion: COAST-SEA as a Decision Support Tool for Local Governments | Matthew Janssen
FloodPREPARE: An Ecosystem Approach to Coastal Flooding Resilience | Speaker: Vamsi Krishna Sridharan
MyCoast: New Jersey | Speakers: Devon Haines, Amanda Archer
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Lightning Session – Posters
Moderator: Terry Doss
Secrets to Preparing a Buildout Analysis for a CCRHVA | Speaker: Barbara Woolley-Dillon
Improved Flood Forecasting and New Mapping for NJ Bayside Communities | Speaker: Philip Orton
Innovative Dredging and Marsh Restoration: A Resilience Model for Resource-Limited Municipalities | Speaker: Elissa Commins
A Call to Action: Bringing Health into the Coastal Resilience Toolbox | Speaker: Diane Mas, Ph.D., REHS/RS
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM From Vulnerability to Action: Collaborative Strategies for Resilience
Moderator: Sara Margolis; Speakers: Tom Stanuikynas, Barbara Woolley-Dillon, Ian Abrahamsen
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM Oyster Partnerships and a Program in Support of Coastal Resilience
Moderator: Danielle McCulloch; Speakers: Ana Zivanovic-Nenadovic, Alyson Flynn, Russell Babb, Kristin Adams
5:55 PM – 6:00 PM Launching: NJCRC New Professionals Network
Speaker: Amanda Archer
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Building Partnerships to Support New Jersey’s Climate Literate Workforce
Moderator: Sarah Sterling, Jessica Valenti, Ross Gary; Speakers: Michael Acquafredda, Diana Burich, Gianna Hart, Domingo Zapata
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Scaling Resilient Natural Systems: Watershed, Municipality, Site
Moderator: Anna Hochhalter; Speakers: Robert Pirani, Angela Andersen, Brett Branco
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Innovations in Ecological Restoration Project Implementation in NJ: Current Need and Status of Ecological Restoration Projects in NJ
Moderator: Elizabeth Semple; Co-Moderator: Terry Doss, Martha Maxwell-Doyle; Speakers: Tyler Kinney, Colleen Keller, Vincent Mazzei, Genevieve Clifton, Genevieve Sarlo
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Building Resilience for Municipalities – Funding and Financing
Moderator: Matthew Baumgardner
Save the Shore – A Comprehensive Approach to Flood Mitigation in Coastal Communities | Speakers: Chris Tucker, Joseph Raftery
Adapting to a New Funding Landscape to Continue Resilience Project Implementation | Speaker: Chris Huch, AICP, CFM
From Compliance to Action: Transforming Municipal Resilience Planning in NJ | Speaker: Sean Cannon
Buy Now, Save Later: Why Prompt Flood Buyouts are Efficient Resilience Solutions | Speaker: Sage Mitchell
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Coastal Resilience Begins at School: Building Partnerships to Transform Communities
Moderator: Sarah Sterling, Jessica Valenti, Ross Gary ; Speakers: Dennis Blazak, Will Pirl, Christine McCoid, Christa Delaney, Michelle Rebilas
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Creating Holistic Municipal Resilience Action Plans: Two Case Studies in New Jersey
Moderator: Simon Kates, Katie Coleman ; Speakers: Andrew Nowick, Rocco Russomanno
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Innovations in Ecological Restoration Project Implementation in NJ: Examples of Supportive Ecological Restoration Project Programs From Other States and What Can NJ Learn From Them
Moderator: Elizabeth Semple ; Co-Moderator: Terry Doss, Martha Maxwell-Doyle; Speakers: Beth Lambert, Danielle Bissett, Danielle McCulloch
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Unlocking Funds to Power Progress
Moderator: Joshua Moody
Blue Bonds for NJ Coastal Resilience: Lessons from Global Issuances to Scale Nature-Based Solutions | Speaker: Hilda Afeku-Amenyo
Multi-Level Funding and Governance of Flood Relocations through New Jersey’s Blue Acres Program | Speaker: Melissa Tier
User-Funded Nature-Based Solutions for Coastal Resilience: A Pragmatic Financing Framework | Speaker: Martin Bohley
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Community Creators: Art Bridging the Gap in Coastal Hazard Communities
Moderator: Devon Haines; Speakers: Stephanie Nerbak, Chase Jackson, Jessica Mungekar
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Nature-Based Solutions
Moderator: Jon Miller
An Argument for Allowing More Natural Nature-based Solutions | Speaker: Jon Miller
Nature as a Key Stakeholder in Resiliency Planning | Speaker: Mike Trumbauer
Nature-Based Solutions Reimagined: A Parametric Approach to Dune Design | Speaker: Ian Day
Building Resilience with Nature: The Role of Living Shorelines in New Jersey’s Coastal Future | Speaker: Alek Modjeski
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM Building Climate-Resilient NJ Coasts with N-EWN: Insights from Regional & National Case Studies
Moderator: Aliza Leit; Speakers: Edgar Westerhof, Nick Brown, Kevin Dahms, Pippa Brashear
3:40 PM – 4:00 PM Front Row to a Changing Coast: Observations from the Shore | Speaker: Joe Martucci
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Protecting Our Shoreline Resources
Moderator: Dennis Reinknecht
DEP Coastal Engineering Program History | Speaker: Erick Doyle
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Creating Climate Resilience for Critical Infrastructure
Moderator: Mike Galvin
Navigating Design and Permitting | Speaker: Claire Sorensen
From Base to Bay: Naval Weapons Station Earle’s Coastal Resilience Blueprint | Speakers: Harriet Honigfeld, Meredith Comi, Kevin Dahms, Nicholas Ginther
Using Nature-based Solutions to Build Resilience that Benefits People and Wildlife | Speaker: Lenore Tedesco
Restoring Natural Systems to Solve Infrastructure Challenges | Speaker: Mike Galvin
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Building Resilience Across Scales: State Planning, Municipal Challenges, and Economic Risks
Moderator: Nathaly Agosto Filión
Introducing the Climate Change Goal of New Jersey’s 2025 State Development and Redevelopment Plan | Speaker: Steve Simone
Statewide Climate Resilience Action: Engage, Share, and Shape | Speaker: Nathaly Agosto Filión
From Sea-Level Rise to Local and State Fiscal Risk: A Cross-Sector Conversation on Land Use, Infrastructure, and Resilience in New Jersey | Speakers: Qian He, Stan Slachetka, Michael Russell
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Bringing Marsh Replenishment to Scale with a Shared Project Pipeline
Moderator: Bill Shadel; Speakers: Tyler Kinney, Genevieve Clifton, Fred Akers, Adrianna Zito-Livingston
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Building Community Resilience
Moderator: Tom Herrington
New Jersey’s Changing Coastal Environment and Bay Island Restoration | Speaker: Clay Emerson
Using Spatial Data to Prioritize Investment in the Resilience of New Jersey Communities | Speaker: Heather Korzun
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Strategies for Maintaining Resilient Natural Systems
Moderator: Nick Brown
Surfline Coastal Intelligence: Automated Object Detection in Coastal Regions using Remote Sensing | Speaker: Austin Heimark
Expanding the BMP Palette – Ecosystem Restoration Strategies for Improving Water Quality at the Coastal Interface | Speaker: Megan Long
Modeling of Sediment Motion in Marshes to Evaluate Shoaling and Beneficial Use Options | Speaker: Christopher Bender
Evaluating Biological and Physical Metrics of a Living Shoreline Mosaic™ Approach for Reefense | Speaker: Jenny Shinn
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Building Resilience for Municipalities
Moderator: Alek Modjeski
Preserving, Protecting, and Enhancing Natural Coasts: The Blue Flag Framework for Storytelling | Speaker: Annie Mercer
Shark River Roundtable: Bringing Communities Together on a Regional Level in the Face of Climate Change Monmouth County, Neptune, Neptune City, Belmar, Avon-by-the-Sea, Wall, Monmouth University, Shark River Cleanup Coalition | Speaker: Alek Modjeski
Watershed-Scale Planning and Design Solutions to Mitigate Flooding from Cloudburst Events | Speaker: Simon Kates
Chucking Restoration Spaghetti – What Sticks? Finding Successes and Learning Lessons in Habitat Restoration | Speaker: Shane Godshall
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Implementing the Resilient NJ Raritan River and Bay Communities: Planning for Adaptive Reuse of Buyout Properties along the South River
Moderator: Montana Knutsen; Speakers: Courtney Wald-Wittkop, Vicki Chou, Pippa Brashear, Kirk Miick
11:45 AM – 12:35 PM Mind the Gap! Universities Building a Local Knowledge Base for Resilience
Moderator: Amanda Archer; Speakers: Tom Herrington, Philip Orton, Jon Miller, Michel Boufadel, Thomas Grothues, Owen Thomas, Kimberly McKenna
12:35 PM – 1:25 PM Advocacy, Collaboration, and Sound Policy toward a Resilient Future for New Jersey’s Coastal Communities
Moderator: Nick Brown; Speakers: Daniel Barone, Tom Herrington, Grace Hanlon
Thank You to Our Supporters
LEAD SPONSORS
PRINCIPAL SPONSORS
EXECUTIVE SPONSORS
American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA)
The American Littoral Society
The Jersey Shore Partnership
Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT)
Native Shorelines
New Jersey Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership
Northland Airboats
Renova Environmental Company
Rutgers University New Jersey Climate Change Resource Center
Scalgo USA
Society for Ecological Restoration Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Survair
Sustainable Jersey
Thanks also to the Barnegat Oyster Collective, Black & Veatch, Jetty Rock Foundation, Mahaney Consulting, the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, and Rippled Waters Engineering for contributing to this event.