Mr. Hanrahan has more than 47 years of industry experience. In addition to presentations in Canada, Taiwan and the Dominican Republic, he has also presented at the national level for many organizations, including the International Erosion Control Association, the Land Improvement Contractors of America, the Geotechnical Fabrics Institute, the National Working Waterfront Network, and the American Water Works Association. Mr. Hanrahan’s articles have been published in many magazines, including Erosion Control, Land & Water, Geosynthetics, and Landscape Architect & Specifier News. He has produced webinars for the International Erosion Control Association, the International Association of Hydroseeding Professionals, the New York State Society of Professional Engineers, and Forester University. Mr. Hanrahan has also served as a guest lecturer at the University of Mississippi, Ohio Northern University, University of New England, and Vermont Technical College. He has also been active in industry organizations. He was national president of the International Management Council in 1991-92 and served four terms as president of the Northeast Chapter of the International Erosion Control Association. Mr. Hanrahan is also a member of the Senior Advisory Committee of Envirocert. He has developed and delivered training events throughout his career. From 2008 to the present, he has organized coastal erosion control training events up and down the New England Coast, with multiple seminars in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Event co-sponsors for these events have included the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Maine Sea Grant, the Rhode Island Coastal Management Council, the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center, Connecticut College, and Connecticut Sea Grant. Mr. Hanrahan has also assisted with the development of erosion control standards with the Illinois Tollway Authority, and the State Departments of Transportation in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois.

Ms. Harden, ensures the safety and maintenance of the Florida coastline through Coastal and Civil Engineering services. She serves the coastal communities of Florida in many ways from erosion control, environmental monitoring, dredging, and other marine construction measures. Ms. Harden has 10 years of professional experience on projects all over the coastal U.S., working in Alaska, California, Louisiana, Washington, and her home state of Florida. Prior to starting her own consulting firm, Ms. Harden worked for Manson Construction, one of the leaders in the U.S. dredging and marine construction industry, Orion (another large marine construction company), as well as a freelancer in the same field ensuring that large scale dredging and marine construction projects were completed on time, as planned, and within budget. She has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of North Florida, and is registered to sit for the Florida PE exam in August of 2025. She plans to expand her company, Coastal Engineering Services LLC, to find new ways to create coastal resiliency all over the United States and beyond.

Dr. Katie May Laumann is the Associate Director of Research at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences. She earned a PhD in Marine Science (Virginia Institute of Marine Science) and an MA in Conservation Biology (Columbia University). Her research experience includes sturgeon phylogenetics and seafood sustainability. Before IAN, Ms. Laumann worked as a science outreach educator in Maine. She has also worked in fisheries management, sustainability certification, and grant writing.

Dr. Jonathan Lefcheck is a Research Scientist at University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. His work focuses on developing and implementing coastal conservation and restoration and improving our understanding of the central role of biodiversity in maintaining healthy ecosystems. He regularly interacts with scientists, managers, and volunteers around the world to better understand, monitor, conserve, and restore coastal ecosystems for the benefit of both nature and people. Dr. Lefcheck has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles in the scientific literature, including in top-ranking journals such as Nature and Science, and his work has been featured by the Washington Post, New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, and NPR. He has an enduring affinity for seagrasses, but has worked in an array of habitats, from coral and oyster reefs to mangroves to hydrothermal vents to agricultural crops and terrestrial forests. Dr. Lefcheck has received the Cozzarelli Prize from the National Academy of Science for his work on restoring the Chesapeake Bay, and the Secretary’s Prize from the Smithsonian Institution for his study demonstrating the global importance of maintaining reef fish diversity. He received his Ph.D. in Marine Science from the College of William & Mary in 2015 and was a post-doctoral researcher at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. Before his current post, he served as the Coordinating Scientist for the MarineGEO program at the Smithsonian Institution.

Mr. Nechamen was the Floodplain Coordinator for the State of New York Department of Environmental Conservation for 21 years. During that period, he helped to promote higher floodplain standards in New York, including enacting a two foot “freeboard” requirement in New York’s building code, saving property owners millions of dollars in flood losses and flood insurance premiums. One of the founders of the New York State Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association (NYSFSMA), a professional association with over 600 active members, He was their first Chair and currently serves the Association as its treasurer.

Mr. Nechamen has been a Board member of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) at various times for 13 years. ASFPM represents over 15,000 professionals across the United States and internationally and is a key national voice in policies designed to reduce flood risk while preserving the natural and beneficial functions of floodplains. He served as chair (2013-2015), vice-chair (2011-2013) and treasurer (2008-2010) and is currently co-chair of the Floodplain Regulations Committee. Mr. Nechamen has received the ASFPM Meritorious Lifetime Achievement in Floodplain Management Award.
In his capacity as Floodplain Coordinator, he has led workshops and training sessions on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), floodplain management and regulations, understanding and interpreting flood maps, flood insurance and the Community Rating System.

Mr. Slovinsky is a Marine Geologist with the Maine Geological Survey, where he has worked since 2001. He leads Maine’s beach and nearshore mapping programs, and is an expert in coastal erosion, sea level rise, and conducting vulnerability assessments and resilience and adaptation planning. Mr. Slovinsky helps communities visualize coastal hazards and develop viable local and regional adaptation strategies and enjoys making technical science understandable to a variety of different stakeholder audiences. He is a past co-author of the sea level rise chapter for the Scientific Assessment of Climate Change and Its Effects in Maine report by the Maine Climate Council’s Scientific and Technical Subcommittee, is a lead author for the same section for the 2024 update and also serves on the Climate Council’s Community Resilience Working Group and Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission.

Dr. Carter Smith is an Assistant Professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. Dr. Smith is an interdisciplinary coastal ecologist whose interests lie at the intersection of multiple disciplines including community ecology, conservation and restoration science, and coupled human natural systems research. In particular, she strives to pursue sustainable and adaptive conservation and restoration solutions that benefit people and the environment and enhance coastal community resilience. Dr. Smith has a B.A. from Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.