For 15 years, the Gulf Sea Grant programs, staff from federal and state agencies, and local decision makers have gathered for the Gulf Resilience Community of Practice Annual Meeting. The meeting location rotates between all five Gulf States, and we just wrapped our 2025 workshop in early June in beautiful Houma, Louisiana.
I was joined by my Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant colleagues Nina Davis, Andrew Medhurst, Stephen Deal, Tracie Sempier and Sara Martin for this year’s meeting. We look forward to this annual chance to connect with our neighbors to exchange ideas and support our local resilience efforts.
I had the opportunity to serve on the science panel committee this year. Every year, we invite scientists to present on new and emerging research that will help attendees access the information they need to make resilience decisions in their communities. This year, we were joined by Dr. Hamed Moftakhari from the University of Alabama to discuss compound flooding, Dr. David Rounce from Carnegie Mellon University to share updated sea-level rise trends and Sara Martin from Mississippi State University/Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant to explain advances in living shoreline restorations. We appreciate that they took the time to share important knowledge with our group and allow us to ask questions and deepen our understanding of relevant science.
We also got to hear about the innovative activities of our neighboring states which fill our team with new ideas to bring home to share with our community. This included a tour of the Terrebonne Parish Emergency Operations Center, where we learned valuable lessons from their recent hurricane experiences and how their current building was designed to withstand a variety of hazards.
A highlight of the workshop is always the Spirit of Community Awards to celebrate the resilience efforts of an individual, a local community and a community champion. We come together for an evening social to build networks and celebrate the successes of our Spirit of Community Awards recipients.
This year our very own Stephen Deal was recognized with a special award to thank him for his 10 years of service as committee chair for the awards. We were also pleased to celebrate Boat People SOS as a Community Champion. The Gulf Coast office for Boat People SOS is headquartered in Biloxi, Mississippi, with an additional office in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, making them active voices in the states we serve here at Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant. This community champion award is the newest of the Spirit of Community awards with the inaugural 2024 award being awarded to the Steps Coalition serving coastal Mississippi. I am so pleased to see our local non-profit partners honored for their dedication to the community as both groups are strong partners in countless efforts over the years here at Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant.
The Gulf Resilience Community of Practice also gave Spirit of Community Awards to deEtte Smythe of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, and Refugio County, Texas. St. Petersburg, Florida, was also recognized with an honorable mention.
If you are a community official or outreach and extension professional looking to grow resilience efforts in your community, we invite you to join our Gulf Resilience Community of Practice. Join our email list or reach out to me anytime and we can chat about the many opportunities available through our community of practice.
Meet the author
Ali Rellinger, Ph.D.
Coastal Resilience Specialist
Ali Rellinger is a Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant-supported coastal resilience specialist. Her work focuses on resilience to flooding in both the natural and built environments. She leads a variety... Read more
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