Climate and Resilience Community of Practice

Spirit of Community Awards

It is time to start nominating individuals and communities for the 2024 Spirit of Community Awards for their efforts in climate communication and mitigation.

Download the 2024 Nomination Form

Application deadline (extended): March 8, 2024
Questions? Contact Stephen Deal at (228) 435-9527 or scdeal@olemiss.edu
Winners will be announced at the next Climate and Resilience Community of Practice (CoP) Annual Meeting (April 23-25 in Moss Point, Mississippi)

Past Winners
Individual Category

  • Doug Gregory (2012)
  • Lynne Carter, LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio and Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program (2013)
  • Marian Hanisko, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gulf Coast Services Center (2014)
  • Tracie Sempier, Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (2015)
  • Melissa Daigle, Louisiana Sea Grant Law and Policy Program (2016)
  • Libby Carnahan, Florida Sea Grant, and Renee Collini, Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Coordinator/Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant (2017) 
  • Amanda Torres, City of Rockport, Texas (2018)
  • Lannie Smith, City of Orange Beach, Alabama (2019)
  • Mike Shelton, Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (2020)
  • Rhonda Price, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (2022)

Community Category

Nomination instructions and criteria for the awards:
One winner in each of three categories will be selected: (1) Individual, (2) Local Community, and (3) Leadership in Equity

Category 1: Individual
Desired Criteria for Individual Nominees:

  • Must be an active member of the Gulf of Mexico Climate and Resilience CoP (attended at least one meeting).

  • Demonstrates leadership in the area of climate communication and resilience.

  • Works well with others to share lessons learned.

  • Understands the attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs of Gulf communities and/or stakeholders.

  • Engages communities/stakeholders with relevant climate and resilience outreach information/materials.

  • Assists Gulf communities/stakeholders in climate adaptation and resilience planning.

  • Promotes climate awareness and community resilience through their work.

Category 2: Local Community

Desired Criteria for Community Nominees:

  • Demonstrates knowledge of climate and resilience vulnerabilities in their community and desire to take action.

  • Engages community members by conveying environmental concerns and by acting upon challenges to improve local resilience.

  • Promotes climate awareness and resilient activities through their work in the community.

Category 3: Leadership in Equity

Desired Criteria for Equity Nominees:

  • Demonstrated track record of intentional actions to embed and operationalize equity in key decisions and projects that improve environmental outcomes of marginalized and underserved communities.
  • Proven track record of innovative, community-driven strategies and outcomes that support collective impact and amplify the voices of the most vulnerable. 
  • Work collaboratively with a multitude of different stakeholders in the community, including residents, businesses, and government officials.
  • Demonstrate a strong commitment to identifying the most vulnerable groups and integrating key stakeholders into initiatives and programming organized to help connect underserved communities to the environmental decision-making process. 
  • Strive for fair dealings and complete transparency in all outreach and communications and are committed to promoting diversity and equality in their work.

All nominees will be contacted before placing them on the voting ballot. Voting will take place online via Survey Monkey and is open to all Gulf of Mexico Climate and Resilience CoP members. Official online voting will begin on March 11, 2024 and close on April 5, 2024. All Climate and Resilience CoP members will receive an e-mail with a link to cast their vote.