Future Coastal Leaders Fellowship

A critical component to climate resilience is to ensure a well-trained, diverse, and inclusive workforce that represents the many perspectives and lived experiences of residents. In pursuit of that, the Center has partnered with the Program for Local Adaptation to Climate Effects (PLACE) at Mississippi State University to create the Future Coastal Leaders Fellowship.

The Approach

The Center and PLACE secured funding from the NAS Gulf Research Program to establish the Future Coastal Leaders Fellowship - a full-time fellowship opportunity for young adults (ages 18-24) from traditionally underrepresented groups in climate resilience. Six early-career professionals were selected to gain hands-on experience in coastal climate resilience in Coastal Mississippi. The Fellows were matched with host offices across the Mississippi Gulf Coast working in a variety of climate resilience contexts including workforce development, education, affordable housing, wrap around services for immigrant and non-English speaking residents, conservation, and ecological research. In addition to the fellows working with a host organization, they also attend monthly training sessions to expand their knowledge of climate change and resilience actions. Throughout the duration of the fellowship, they will also collaboratively design a communication campaign on climate resilience targeting other 18-24 year olds.

Read more from NASEM Gulf Research Program

Read more from PLACE

Related Documents

Future Coastal Leaders Application Information

KEY TEAM MEMBERS

Renee Collini

Director, Community Resilience Center at The Water Institute

Primary Investigator VIEW TEAM MEMBER
Nastaran Tebyanian

Decision Scientist

Primary Investigator VIEW TEAM MEMBER
Brooke Mehney

Planning Associate & Future Coastal Leader Fellow

VIEW TEAM MEMBER