About SGM Summit
The State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit is an event hosted by the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies located at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. SGM offers all stakeholders in the Gulf of Mexico the opportunity to assess where we are and how we all work together in the future. SGM 2011 Prospectus (PDF)
Objectives
- Shared vision of a healthy and resilient Gulf of Mexico
- Criteria to evaluate the health of the Gulf
- Platform to initiate implementation of the President's Gulf Restoration Plan
- Mechanisms to promote marine and coastal protection and restoration
- International cooperation template for ocean management and ecosystem issues
Outcomes
A Gulf of Mexico stakeholder roadmap, identifying the steps necessary to achieve a healthy Gulf for the U.S. and for international cooperation with countries that border the Gulf.
Strategy to build a process for the Report Card on the State of the Gulf of Mexico.
Planning Committee Members and Bios
Rebecca Allee is a Senior Scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operating out of the Gulf Coast Services Center in Mississippi. Dr. Allee is a co-facilitator for the Ecosystem Integration and Assessment team for the Gulf of Mexico region. Her consultation and guidance focuses on coastal resource management, ecosystem assessment and habitat classification.
Porfirio Alvarez-Torres is the Chief Technical Advisor for the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine Ecosystem Project. Dr. Alvarez-Torres advises the National Interministerial Commisssion for the Sustainable Development of Oceans and Coasts (CIMARES) and leads the design and implementation of the commission. He advises on matters of marine and coastal area resource management, fisheries, aquaculture and environmental policy, among other topics.
Phil Bass is the State Policy Coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency/Gulf of Mexico Program (EPA/GMPO). Mr. Bass serves as Acting Director for the Gulf of Mexico Alliance where he collaborates with the EPA. He serves on many boards and committee's including the Agriculture Aviation Advisory Board, Mississippi Water and Pollution Control Board of Governors, and the Lower Mississippi Conservation Committee.
Jorge Brenner is the Associate Director of Marine Science for The Nature Conservancy in Texas. Dr. Brenner is a member of the National Academy of Science Committee Gulf Oil Spill Study that examines the effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. His work has been focused on marine conservation issues.
George Crozier is the Executive Director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) in Alabama. Dr. Crozier is involved with the northern Gulf of Mexico coastal zone issues through The Northern Gulf Institute, Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant and the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program. His expertise lies in the areas of coastal resource management, natural and man-made hazard mitigation and coastal development.
Christopher D'Elia is a Professor and the Dean of the School of the Coast and Environment at Louisiana State University. Dr. D'Elia has been a member of many boards and committees such as the Estuarine Research Federation and Board of Directors of the Council of Scientific Society Presidents. He focuses on nutrient dynamics in aquatic systems, estuarine ecology and coral reef ecology.
Lee Hunt is the Chief Executive of the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC). Dr. Hunt and IADC strive to improve industry health, safety and environmental practices. He sits on the Executive Committee for the Environmental Policy Advisory Panel with IADC.
Susan Kaderka is the Regional Executive Director in the South Central Regional Center for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) in Texas. Ms. Kaderka developed the Texas Living Waters Project and is an advocate for the restoration of Louisiana's coastal wetlands. Her expertise is in environmental program management and policies.
Larry McKinney is the Executive Director for the Harte Research Institute (HRI) for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Dr. McKinney effectively interacts with the many stakeholder interests in the Gulf of Mexico and through his education and experience, he has the unique perspective to balance a healthy Gulf and a healthy economy. Through his hands-on research and committed leadership, he has developed a reputation for taking on difficult and controversial environmental issues such as endangered species conservation, water resource development, and habitat loss throughout the state of Texas.
Richard McLaughlin is the Endowed Chair of Marine Policy and Law at the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. Dr. McLaughlin's expertise lies in marine policy, ocean energy policy, and marine ecosystem-based management. He is a member of several research teams such as the CAMEO Project and Texas Coastal Program Assessment and Strategies Report.
Roger McManus is Senior Counsel for the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He has extensive experience in developing and implementing U.S. conservation policy in the private non-government sector as well as the public sector including the Executive Office of the President of the United States.
Charlotte Moser is Deputy Vice Chair for North America & the Caribbean for the Commission on Ecosystem Management of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). A Senior Policy Advisor for the Ecologic Institute in Washington, D.C., she provides support with external relations, fundraising, partnership building and project development throughout the Institute's policy activities. She has worked for other policy related organizations such as World Bank and the Development Gateway Foundation.
Stanley Senner is the Director of Conservation Science for the Ocean Conservancy. Mr. Senner was previously the Executive Director of the Alaska Audubon Society where he focused on coastal and marine conservation issues. He has also worked for the Wilderness Society and was on the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.
Gail Sutton is the Assistant Director for the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. Ms. Sutton manages the Institute's finances and operations and also assisted in starting the first oyser restoration program in Texas. She managed the first Summit and is the coordinator for the 2nd State of the Gulf of Mexico Summit.
Wes Tunnell is the Associate Director for the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. Dr. Tunnell's research mostly focuses on the Biodiversity of the Gulf of Mexico including coral reefs and coastal area studies and his instruction, insight and interests, his depth of experience and understanding of the Gulf of Mexico have reached throughout the world. He was also an early advocate for strong relationships between the United States, Mexico and Cuba to research and support the Gulf of Mexico.
Phil Turnipseed is the Director of the National Wetlands Research Center in Louisiana. Mr. Turnipseed is responsible for data collection, research and outreach for the Forest and Wetlands Ecology and Geospatial Analysis. He has been a member of many boards and committees such as the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, Board member of the Gulf Coast Joint Venture, and National Committee on Levee Safety.
David Yoskowitz is the Endowed Chair for Socio-Economics at the Harte Research Institute. Dr. Yoskowitz focuses on research and policy work on environmental, ecological and natural resource economics. He has worked on research inventories and values of ecosystem services in the coastal zone of the Gulf of Mexico.