Major General William (Butch) H. Graham, Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations Graham, received his commission from the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1989 from the University of Pittsburgh. He is an Engineer Officer who has commanded Soldiers at all levels up to division.
Previous assignments also include: Platoon Leader, B Company and later Executive Officer, A Company, 23d Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 3d Armored Division, United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany, and in support of OPERATION DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM, Saudi Arabia; Assistant Operations Officer and later Assistant Division Engineer, Engineer Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Riley, Kansas; Battalion Operations Officer, 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Riley, Kansas; Operations Officer and later Deputy Commander, United States Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Plans and Operations Officer, Division Engineer Section, G-3, 4th Infantry
Division, Fort Hood, Texas; Executive Officer, 588th Engineer Battalion, 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Hood, Texas, and in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, Iraq; Executive Officer, Engineer Brigade, 1st Armored Division, United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany; Division Engineer, 1st Armored Division, United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, Germany, and in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM, Iraq; Director, Coalition-Joint Engineering Directorate, Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan, and in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan; Chief of Staff, United States Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC; and Director, Task Force Enhanced Security Zone, OPERATION
RESOLUTE SUPPORT, Afghanistan.
Graham is a graduate of the Senior Service College Fellowship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Joint and Combined Warfighting School, and United States Army Command and General Staff College. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from the University of Kansas.
His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with one bronze oak leaf cluster), Bronze Star Medal (with four bronze oak leaf clusters), Meritorious Service Medal (with three bronze oak leaf clusters), Army Commendation Medal (with one bronze oak leaf cluster), Army Achievement Medal (with one bronze oak leaf cluster), and the Combat Action Badge.
Collin O’Mara serves as President and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, America’s largest wildlife conservation organization with 53 state and territorial affiliates and nearly six million hunters, anglers, birders, gardeners, hikers, paddlers, and wildlife enthusiasts. Under O’Mara’s leadership, the National Wildlife Federation is focused on recovering America’s wildlife ranging from bison and bighorn sheep to pollinators like monarch butterflies and native bees, improving management of and access to public lands, restoring America’s water bodies, advancing environmental education (including publishing Ranger Rick® magazines), and connecting every American child with the great outdoors.
O’Mara serves on the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council, is a professional member of the Boone & Crockett Club, and represents the National Wildlife Federation as a member of the American Wildlife Conservation Partners and the Blue Green Alliance. In 2015, O’Mara was named Bass Pro Shop’s Conservation Partner of the Year. He is regularly called before Congress to testify about wildlife, water, and sportsmen issues.
Prior to the National Wildlife Federation, O’Mara led the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control as Cabinet Secretary from 2009 through 2014. In that position, Secretary O’Mara served as the state’s top natural resource official, and led the state’s efforts to conserve and restore wildlife and fishery habitat, improve air quality and public health, ensure access to clean water, expand outdoor recreation and environmental education opportunities, and enhance the state’s resilience to extreme weather and other climate impacts.
When O’Mara was appointed in 2009, he was the youngest state cabinet official in the nation. He spearheaded a range of initiatives, including Delaware’s “No Child Left Inside”/ Children In Nature campaign, a comprehensive strategy to introduce children to the outdoors; the First State Trails and Pathways Plan, a multi-year initiative to expand and connect the state’s trail system; and the Delaware Bayshore Initiative, an effort to establish the region as a world-class conservation and outdoor recreation destination for hunting, birding, fishing, hiking, canoeing, and kayaking.
His previous board service includes a term as Co-Chair of the Natural Resources and Agriculture Subcommittee of the President’s Task Force on Climate Adaptation and Preparedness, Chair of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Chair of the Ozone Transport Commission, Chair of the Climate and Energy Subcommittee of the Environmental Council of the States, and the Executive Council of the Chesapeake Bay Program.
A native of Syracuse, New York, O’Mara was a Marshall Scholar at the University of Oxford, a University Fellow at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and a Presidential Scholar at Dartmouth College. He is a Catto Fellow at the Aspen Institute, a U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited professional, and completed Stanford Business School’s Executive Management Program in Environmental Sustainability.
O’Mara lives in Delaware and spends every possible moment in nature fishing, hunting, hiking, and birding with his wife Krishanti and daughters Riley and Alana.
Mark Osler is the Senior Advisor for Coastal Inundation and Resilience for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). His leadership advances coastal inundation science and the ability of decision makers to prepare for and respond to changes affecting the nation’s coastlines.
Mark’s inter-agency leadership includes:
US Government representative to the G7’s Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance
NOAA representative within various White House interagency fora including the National
Security Council, Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the Council on Environmental
Quality.
Prior to joining NOAA Mark worked for 17 years in the private sector. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Lehigh University and a master’s degree in coastal engineering from the University of Delaware’s Center for Applied Coastal Research.
As Chief of the Strategic Resources Program, Dr. Megan Carr directs a varied portfolio. She oversees development and implementation of the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program; the assessment and inventory of oil, gas and other mineral resources; maintenance of official maps and geographic data; economic evaluations to ensure the receipt of fair market value for offshore resources; and the identification and mitigation of financial risks associated with leasing activities.
She joins the headquarters staff after serving for three years as BOEM’s Regional Supervisor for the Office of Resource Evaluation in Alaska. In that role, she worked extensively with stakeholders and partners on numerous projects to achieve common goals, primarily in the area of reservoir management oversight, data management, and helping to build the foundation for BOEM’s expanding role in the management of critical minerals.
Before joining BOEM in 2017, Dr. Carr worked for BP Alaska, a hydrographic surveying company, and multiple geologic and environmental consulting groups.
She holds a BA in Geology and MS in Environmental Science, both from Baylor University, as well as a PhD in Geophysics from the University of Tennessee.
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Nicole Elko, Ph.D. has 20 years of experience managing/assisting with more than 20 beach preservation projects along the U.S. Southeast and Gulf coasts. Dr. Elko received her Ph.D. (Geology) from the University of South Florida after working with the USGS Coastal Marine Geology Program, St. Petersburg, and while serving as the coastal coordinator for Pinellas County, FL.
Coastal Engineer for Applied Technology & Management, West Palm Beach, FL, Mr. Seidle is a project manager with over 20 years of experience providing domestic and international clients with effective shoreline and inlet solutions.
Thomson is an Associate Principal and Senior Coastal Engineer at Baird & Associates. He has designed, permitted and constructed a wide array of beach nourishment, marsh restoration, and coastal structure projects along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Thomson has developed numerous reports and federal documents combining coastal principles and numerical modeling. He is a licensed professional engineer in eight states and is accredited by COPRI as a Diplomate in Coastal Engineering. He received a B.Sc.Eng and an M.Sc.Eng from Queen’s University, Canada.
Stick around and join a coastal conversation with one of ASBPA’s Officers! Select a name to open a short biography and view the link to their Happy Hour.
Tony Pratt is the retired Administrator of the Shoreline and Waterway Management Section within the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control where he oversaw programs related to beach nourishment, beach construction regulation, coastal hazards mitigation, waterway management, and flood mitigation. He was a member of the National Research Council Committee on Beach Nourishment and Protection, and the Heinz Center Panel on Risk Vulnerability and the True Costs of Coastal Hazards. He served elected office in Lewes, a coastal town in DE, four years of which were as Deputy Mayor. He currently serves on the Advisory Board to the Department of Homeland Security Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence based at UNC, Chapel Hill.
As Water Resources Engineer, Roehrs leads the City of Virginia Beach’s Coastal and Storm Water Engineering Divisions. Programs under his supervision include beach replenishment, shore protection works, maintenance of navigation channels and marine facilities, storm water system capital improvements, storm water quality initiatives, and the City’s National Flood Insurance Program. Roehrs is a past-president of the Virginia Shore & Beach Preservation Association and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Public Works Association and the Engineering Club of Hampton Roads.
In 2012, Joan retired from US Army Engineer Headquarters after a career with the Corps involving a variety of practicing coastal geology and engineering, research, and management positions. At the time of her retirement she oversaw the Corps water resource research and development Program. During her career she directed several major projects including the development of the Coastal Engineering Manual, the National Shore Erosion Demonstration Program, and Regional Sediment Management. Since retiring she has been employed as a consultant with the Corps.
A Senior Scientist with the Woods Hole Group since 1989, He has more than 40 years’ experience in the fields of oceanography, coastal engineering, sediment transport, ecological restoration, environmental impact assessment, and project/program management. Prior to joining the Woods Hole Group, he was employed by the USACE Waterways Experiment Station (now ERDC). Dr. Weishar specializes in coastal engineering and wetland/marsh restoration and the integration of biological, ecological, and hydraulic data into wetland restoration designs to ensure that the design will meet the restoration objectives.
Thomson is an Associate Principal and Senior Coastal Engineer at Baird & Associates. He has designed, permitted and constructed a wide array of beach nourishment, marsh restoration, and coastal structure projects along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Thomson has developed numerous reports and federal documents combining coastal principles and numerical modeling. He is a licensed professional engineer in eight states and is accredited by COPRI as a Diplomate in Coastal Engineering. He received a B.Sc.Eng and an M.Sc.Eng from Queen’s University, Canada.
As Director for the County of Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors, he is responsible for 30 miles of non-contiguous coastline in Los Angeles County, including Marina del Rey, the largest small craft harbor in the U.S. Jones has 25 years of experience in real estate, development and urban planning. Educated in Great Britain, he received his B.S. degree in Biology from Southampton University and his M.S. degree in Real Estate Studies from De Montfort University in Leicester.
Perry is the Coastal Practice Lead with HDR Engineering, Inc. A graduate of Texas A&M University Galveston with a B.S. in Maritime Systems Engineering, Perry spent six years working in Florida and the Caribbean on various beach nourishment, dredging, and coastal projects. In early 2004, he joined HDR Engineering, Inc. in Corpus Christi, Texas and has been performing numerous shoreline protection, nourishment, numerical modeling, coastal design and marsh restoration projects. Perry also serves on the board of directors for the Texas Chapter of ASBPA.
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