Leadership

Derek Brockbank is Executive Director of Coastal States Organization (CSO), which represents the nation’s Coastal States, Territories, and Commonwealths on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes issues. With two decades of experience in Washington DC on coastal adaptation policy and organizational development, Derek is connecting state coastal management programs with federal agencies and resources in order to address the greatest coastal challenges facing society. Derek previously served as Executive Director for the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) where he led the strategic planning and outreach, government affairs, and development goals of the nation’s leading organization advocating for beach and coastal restoration. Prior to starting with ASBPA, Derek worked as campaign director for a coalition effort to restore the Mississippi River Delta and Coastal Louisiana, and was part of a gulf-wide campaign to pass the RESTORE Act, securing billions of dollars for Gulf Coast restoration. This followed up on his work with National Wildlife Federation on climate adaption. Derek grew up in New York City and got his coastal education from an early age playing on the beaches of Long Island, and kayaking and fishing in Peconic Bay.

Brandon Hill is currently the Coastal Resource Manager for the City of Galveston Texas. A Certified Coastal Practitioner (CCP), he has experience in the planning and implementation of coastal community management plans, channel dredging, BUDM, and RSM Projects. Brandon’s Green Belt in Six Sigma practices and experience in private consulting, municipal government and a NASA-funded academic research lab provide him a unique perspective that complements his focus on holistic natural resource management. As a coastal resource professional Brandon has overseen dynamic projects such as coastal wetland mitigation plans, the creation of a digital parking inventory which allowed the City of SPI to achieve compliance with state laws, over 1.7 million dollars in coastal infrastructure projects, and a groundbreaking collaborative particle tracing sediment study through the USGS and USACE.

Karina Johnston is the Science Director for The Bay Foundation, a non-profit organization based out of Los Angeles, California, and is the Director of Programs for Loyola Marymount University’s Coastal Research Institute. Karina is a coastal marine scientist with expertise in implementing nature-based solutions to improve coastal resilience from climate impacts such as sea level rise and erosion, specifically through beach and dune restoration projects. Karina has led implementation of several beach and dune restoration projects in Los Angeles, and is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She has extensive experience studying and rehabilitating coastal ecosystems including beaches, dunes, wetlands, and kelp forests. She is also a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner and Board Certified Environmental Scientist.

Founder and president of Coastal Science & Engineering (Columbia SC), Kana has 35 years’ experience in coastal erosion assessments and has written over 300 reports and publications relating to coastal processes, sediment budgets, beach nourishment, impacts of sea-level rise and tidal inlet sediment dynamics. Dr. Kana has served as project director on more than 30 beach nourishment projects in the Carolina’s, Georgia and New York, and is the 2015 recipient of ASBPA’s Morrough P. O’Brien Award.