As a lifelong resident of the Boston Area…Ed received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Northeastern University. He spent his first 20 plus years in the design and construction of Hydraulic Structures throughout North America and West Africa. Ed spent “wet season” years in the field in West Africa developing information for design and construction of several large Dams for the International Committee on Large Dams (ICOLD). He also spent several years studying the West African Monsoon and the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) while in West Africa. Ed has spent the past 24 years with the NWS Northeast River Forecast Center (NERFC) where he has held positions as Hydrometeorological Analysis and Support Forecaster, Senior Hydrologist, and currently the Service Coordination Hydrologist (SCH). As SCH, Ed has enhanced the Decision Support Services and Partner coordination/collaboration for the River Forecast Center. This year, Ed has completed his 41st year as an NWS COOP station in Norton, Ma.

Kottie Christie-Blick is an educational consultant, specializing in the teaching of climate change. She is also a teacher in New York. Kottie has published articles in several educational journals, on educational websites, and has presented at conferences across the United States, and in several other countries. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Twitter, her Kids Against Climate Change website, or contact her directly.

Bruce Hyde is an UConn Extension Educator primarily responsible for coordinating the Land Use Academy and working with municipalities on climate adaptation issues. Prior to his UConn appointment he worked for municipal governments and consultants in Connecticut and Vermont. He has a BS in Economics from Lehigh University and an MS in the Economics of Natural Resource Planning from the University of Vermont.

Dr. Jennifer Mattei, Professor, Department of Biology at Sacred Heart University, has a wide range of interests in population ecology, restoration, and conservation, with over 22 years of experience working in coastal ecosystems. After completing her a Master’s of Forest Science at Yale, a Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolution at SUNY, Stony Brook, Mattei was a post-doc at Rutgers University where she was part of a team of scientists to be the first to successfully restore coastal woody shrub habitats on top of closed sections of the largest landfill in the US. Dr. Mattei’s current research, which she will discuss at the conference, is being supported by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation, CT In-lieu-fee program and DuPont Corporation titled Stratford Point Living Shoreline: Restoring Coastal Habitats to Maintain Resiliency and Function includes installing an artificial reef, saltmarsh, upland dune mosaic, several acres of pollinator meadow and upland coastal forest habitat See more here.

Diana has extensive experience in science, education and evaluation. She conducts professional development for educators on numerous topics, serves as an international expert on Ocean Literacy http://oceanliteracy.wp2.coexploration.org/, presents workshops related to logic models and strategic planning, and has served as an evaluator on numerous projects for the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Department of Education and several local and regional partners. Diana holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biology, a Connecticut teaching certification for grades 7-12, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology.

Susan Quincy is an Environmental Education specialist in the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for 18 years and has 30+ years of practice in the field. As coordinator of Project Food, Land and People and Project WET for Connecticut she adapts and implements educational resources for a variety of ages and focus areas. She serves a trainer and facilitator across the State and enjoys focusing on supporting classroom instructors with resources that connect concept to practice.