2024 Annual Meeting Presentation Portfolios
Glenn Wiltshire
FOA President & Deputy Port Director of Port Everglades
Glenn Wiltshire is the current FOA President as well as the current Deputy Port Director of Port Everglades. Glenn joined Port Everglades in 2006 as the Deputy Port Director after his retirement from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) as Captain of the Port for New York/New Jersey. He has successfully implemented several innovative programs to support increasing cargo, cruise and energy volumes, and has worked closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other state and federal agencies to move the port forward with innovative programs. He currently serves as a member of the South Florida District Export Council for the U.S. Department of Commerce and is president of the Florida Ocean Alliance. A native of Little Falls, NJ, Wiltshire graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1976. He received a master's degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in 1982.
Nan Rich
Broward County Mayor
Nan Rich was first elected to the State Senate in 2004 after serving 2 terms in the House of Representatives. She was the first woman to be elected Senate Democratic Leader. She was elected to serve as the Broward County District 1 Commissioner in November of 2016. During her legislative service, Senator Rich is recognized as one of Florida’s champions of social justice issues - protecting the welfare of children, seniors, and the disabled; and fighting to preserve civil and individual rights. Prior to her election to the State Legislature, she served as the National President of the National Council of Jewish Women, the first Floridian elected to that office. She also received an appointment by President Bill Clinton to serve as a Member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council in Washington, DC. Senator Rich currently serves on the Board of Directors of Kids in Distress, Secretary of the Areawide Council on Aging of Broward County, Chair of the Broward Behavioral Health Coalition, and Chair of the Coordinating Council of Broward County.
Jim Murley
Resilience Consultant, Retired Chief Resilience Officer Miami-Dade County
Jim Murley is a founder of the Florida Ocean Alliance and retired Chief Resilience Officer of Miami Dade County. Murley has always worn many hats and fulfilled many roles throughout his career of over five decades. His accolades are as follows: he founded the 1000 Friends of Florida, served as Secretary of the Department of Community Affairs under Governor Lawton Chiles, sat on various state commissions including the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, Florida Communities Trust and as Chair of the Florida Energy and Climate Commission. He also served as Director of Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Urban and Environmental Solutions and Executive Director of the South Florida Regional Planning Council.
Panel 1: Office of the Ocean Economy
Representative Chip LaMarca is a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing District 100, which includes parts of Broward County, such as Fort Lauderdale and Lighthouse Point. Elected in 2016, LaMarca has focused on fiscal responsibility, economic development, and public safety, advocating for pro-business policies, tax cuts, and balanced state budgets. He has also worked on expanding healthcare access and improving transportation infrastructure in his district. A passionate servant of the people, LaMarca has worked tirelessly to bring jobs and economic development to Broward County through his position on the Board of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance. Prior to his political career, LaMarca attended Boston University, Broward College, and Florida Atlantic University and was involved in construction management and local organizations.
Representative Kelly Skidmore is a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing District 92, which includes parts of Palm Beach County. First elected in 2020, Skidmore has focused on issues such as education, healthcare, women's rights, and environmental protection. She has advocated for increased funding for public schools, expanded access to healthcare, and policies to address climate change. Skidmore's career experience includes working as a public relations specialist with the Marine Industries Association of South Florida; the director of advocacy, public policy, and corporate giving of the Arthritis Foundation, Florida Mid-east Region; and the CEO of the Palm Beach County Medical Society. Prior to her legislative career, she attended Palm Beach State College and then served as a member of the Palm Beach County School Board and was active in various community organizations.
Dr. Colin Polsky is the Associate Vice President of Florida Atlantic University - Broward Campuses. Dr. Colin Polsky is also a geographer specializing in the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change. He has completed four degrees with majors in four disciplines, plus a two-year postdoctoral training in a fifth field. As part of several interdisciplinary teams, Polsky has received NSF grants totaling close to $18M of which $1.7M has been directed to Clark University. His publications include 26 peer-reviewed articles, 2 co-authored books, 17 book chapters, and 11 other reports; he has delivered close to 100 public presentations in 8 countries. Polsky has served as co-Convening Lead Author for a chapter in the 2013 National Climate Assessment, served on NRC & USGCRP committees, and prepared reviews for several IPCC reports. Polsky also has significant experience with several administrative functions, including: leadership and program-building, both within and across university departments; fund-raising from public and private foundations; staffing of diverse and multi-generational teams; and communicating with varied audiences, for both persuasive and reporting purposes.
Lisa Symons
Regional Response Coordinator, Southeast Region of NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries
Lisa Symons is Regional Response Coordinator for the Southeast Region of NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries, with three decades of experience in marine resource management and protection. She plays a pivotal role in managing major incident responses within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. From July 2016 to September 2018, Lisa held the position of Deputy Superintendent at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Prior to that, she served as the Damage Assessment and Resource Protection Coordinator for NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries since 1998. In this capacity, Lisa was in charge of system-wide coordination for contingency planning, emergency response, damage assessment, restoration, and enforcement efforts. She provided leadership in every stage of the resource injury process, from initial assessments to litigation and the subsequent implementation of restoration projects, including overseeing assessments and restoration work for various incidents involving seagrass and coral groundings in the Florida Keys. Additionally, Lisa collaborated with the Department of Defense to address underwater munitions issues, facilitated hurricane and tsunami preparedness efforts, and conducted impact assessments. She also led a national risk assessment initiative focused on potentially polluting wrecks. Lisa's career with NOAA began in 1991 when she served as the NOAA Regional Liaison in Kuwait, where she played a vital role in identifying, assessing, and responding to environmental impacts resulting from the oil fires and oil spills during the Arabian Gulf War.
Becky Prado
Coastal Resilience Lead, Moffatt & Nichol
Becky Prado is a Coastal Resilience Lead at Moffatt & Nichol. She is a coastal program director, with more than 20 years of experience in resilient coastal zone restoration, management, and policy. She has been responsible for fostering multi-sector consensus and partnership expansion, developing grant and funding strategies, and administering major programs. Over more than 15 years as an environmental scientist with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Becky held positions of increasing responsibility, including deputy director for the Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection. She also served as executive director for the Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation and has worked in the professional consulting industry. Becky received her bachelor’s degree in marine biology from Auburn University and went on to earn her Master of Science in Marine Sciences at the University of South Alabama.
Sherry Larkin
Director, Florida Sea Grant College Program
Sherry Larkin currently serves as the Director of the Florida Sea Grant College Program – a NOAA funded research, Extension and education program hosted by the University of Florida. She earned her Ph.D. in agricultural and resource economics from Oregon State University in 1998 and has been a faculty member at the University of Florida since 2000. As a professor in the Food and Resource Economics Department, her research focused on valuing environmental losses, estimating the value of nature-based recreation, and optimal resource management. Prior to joining Sea Grant in 2020, she served as an Associate Dean for Research and Associate Director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station for UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. She is an appointed member of Florida’s Harmful Algal Bloom Task Force.
Ryan Brushwood
Vice President Environmental Science, Sea & Shoreline
Ryan Brushwood is the Vice President of Environmental Science at Sea & Shoreline. Brushwood manages Sea & Shoreline’s team of biologists and is responsible for all seagrass and other submerged aquatic vegetation restoration projects. He has led highly successful projects in the Indian River Lagoon and its tributaries, Caloosahatchee River, Crystal River, Homosassa River, and dozens more, some with documented survivability rates of over 95%. Ryan manages permitting and works closely with FDEP, USACE, FWC, and state water management districts. He is a PADI certified diver, and holds a B.S. in Marine Science/Biology from the University of Tampa
Paul Hindsley
Chief Economist, Everglades Foundation
Dr. Paul Hindsley serves as The Everglades Foundation's Chief Economist, where he applies economics to measure and communicate the benefits of Everglades restoration and protection. Paul began his career with the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation, followed by roles at the NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Science and Technology, and the Center for Natural Hazards Research at East Carolina University. More recently, he was Professor of Environmental Studies at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, developing a program in coastal resources management. In his research, Paul has applied coastal and marine resource economics to the South Atlantic Region and Gulf of Mexico and focused on economic methods to value coastal and marine ecosystems. He investigates how changes in the quality of coastal and marine resources influence economic consequences for property markets, recreational users, and tourists. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, and his research has been supported by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, as well as private foundations and businesses. Paul earned a B.S. in Resource Conservation from the University of Montana, a master’s degree in Applied and Resource Economics, and a Ph.D. in the interdisciplinary Coastal Resources Management program at East Carolina University.
