Opening Keynote Speaker and Panelists
Peter Goodwin, F.ASCE, F.ICE
President, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Peter Goodwin is the President of the University of Maryland Center of Environmental Science (a graduate university for the environment) and one of the 12 institutions within the University of System of Maryland (USM). He also serves as Vice-Chancellor of Environmental Sustainability for the USM. He is the immediate past-President of IAHR (www.iahr.org) and recently completed a federal appointment as Lead Scientist for the Science Program of the Delta Stewardship Council in California. His research interests include systems approaches to ecological recovery of river, wetland and estuarine systems.
Sadie Drescher
Vice President of Programs for Restoration at the Chesapeake Bay Trust
Sadie is the Vice President of Programs for Restoration at the Chesapeake Bay Trust where she and her team lead restoration programs that use innovative partnerships to work with and engage watershed organizations and residents. The Trust’s mission is to engage and empower diverse groups to take actions that enrich natural resources and local communities, using the latest science and best practices, to benefit the water and people in the Chesapeake Bay. She has background in environmental science with a M.S. in Environmental Studies from the College of Charleston and a B.S. in Environmental Biology from Tennessee Technological University. Prior to joining the Trust, Sadie was a Watershed Researcher and Planner for the Center for Watershed Protection where she developed watershed management strategies for local communities, a Research Specialist in the Science and Policy Division of SC’s coastal management program, worked at the USDA Center for Forested Wetlands in SC, and was an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Fellow for DOE in Tennessee.
Joe is a University of Maryland Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Science Program graduate. He is focused on systems ecology and has more than 35 years experience in the assessment and analysis of streams and wetlands, documentation, permitting, and the preparation and implementation of restoration plans. The focus of his efforts include restoration of integrated stream, wetland and floodplain functions as a means to deliver functional uplift, restore ecosystem services to society, increase natural capital, and integrate local community needs with an appreciation of natural resource values. Joe has been active in the Society for Ecological Restoration, Society of Wetland Scientists, and the Maryland Stream Restoration Association.
Joe Berg
Senior Ecologist, Practice Leader
Biohabitats
Rebecca Stack
Principal of Designgreen
Rebecca is a civil engineer whose work is at the intersection of urban design, ecosystem science, and water resource management. She is an educator, and principal of Designgreen. During her tenure as a code official for the District of Columbia, she co-authored the city’s Stormwater Retention standards and its innovative Stormwater Retention trading market. In the private sector, Rebecca has worked on all aspects of stormwater management retrofits and compliance from planning and design to construction and maintenance. Her most recent work focuses on the integration of water quality and flood management with blue-green infrastructure and community engagement and the consensus design process on neighborhood scale urban resilience projects.
Priscila B. R. Alves
Lab Manager and Postdoctoral Associate to the SIRJ Lab
Dr. Priscila Alves is the Lab Manager and Postdoctoral Research Associate of the Stormwater, Infrastructure, Resilience and Justice (SIRJ) Lab at the University of Maryland (US). Combining professional experiences in Brazil, the UK, and the US, Priscila is a civil engineer with specialization in water engineering, especially flooding and water shortage modeling, sustainability, and public engagement. Her previous work and publications focus on engaging with policymakers and communities facing flooding risk, the analysis of actions and solutions for risk mitigation, including the mapping flood vulnerability with spatial tools, hydrological modeling, and public participation.
Rico Newman
Rico is a member of the Choptico Band of Piscataway-Conoy Indians and Chairs its Elders Council. A Cultural Information Specialist with the Smithsonian Native American Museum, he retired in 2009. A member of the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs (2014-2020) member - Education and Archaeology/Environment Committees. Presently, he serves on the board with his tribes non-profit, Maryland Indian Tourism Assoc. and is a board member with the Accokeek Foundation.
Kelly Fleming, PLA
Landscape Architect
Kelly Fleming is a professional landscape architect with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from the University of Maryland and Master degrees in Landscape Architecture and Design Studies from the Graduate School of Design (GSD) at Harvard University. Her experience spans more than 25 years of academic and professional work within the public and private sectors. She has worked for award‐winning firms in New York and the Baltimore‐Washington region bringing a unique perspective to the profession infusing function into form through her work and experience managing stormwater in communities with the Low Impact Development Center. Now with the non-profit Neighborhood Design Center (NDC) in Prince George’s County and Baltimore, Kelly’s professional and academic background has given her an understanding of ecological principles that she uses to guide the design, planting, and maintenance of landscapes and their integration in support of communities and resilience within the built environment.