About Us
Coastal Resilience Center
A U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill leads the Coastal Resilience Center of Excellence (CRC). It was launched in 2015 and made possible through a $20 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate, Office of University Programs.
The CRC expands on work conducted through the DHS Coastal Hazards Center of Excellence, which was co-led by UNC-Chapel Hill and Jackson State University from 2008 to 2015.
Strategic Objectives:
- Expand understanding of coastal resilience through rigorous, integrated, interdisciplinary, and actionable research.
- Develop new tools and methods to assess and enhance physical, economic, environmental, and institutional resilience.
- Transfer the resulting knowledge, tools, and methods into widespread practice.
- Educate and train the next generation of scholars and practitioners.
Research and Education Capabilities:
- High-resolution coastal flood, storm surge and wind forecasting
- Hazard mitigation and recovery planning
- Education and training for the current and future homeland security workforce
Our Leadership Team
Advisory Board
Doug Bellomo, Lead for Flood Risk Management and Resilience Practice, AECOM
Chad Berginnis, Executive Director, Association of State Floodplain Managers
Dr. John Cooper, Jr., Associate Professor of Practice, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning Department, Texas A&M University
Dr. Jae Park, Associate Vice President, Risk Management & Resilience, AECOM
Dr. John Pine, Director, Research Institute for Environment, Energy & Economics, Appalachian State University (retired)
Ellis Stanley, Executive Vice President, Hammerman & Gainer International and former General Manager, City of Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Department
Dr. Lee Weishar, Senior Scientist, Woods Hole Group, Inc.
Our Partners
The Coastal Resilience Center has more than 30 university, industry and government partners.
University Partners
- Colorado State University, CO
- Cornell University, NY
- East Carolina University, NC
- Florida State University, FL
- Jackson State University, MS*
- Johnson C. Smith University, NC*
- Louisiana State University, LA
- North Carolina State University, NC
- Old Dominion University, VA
- Oregon State University, OR
- Rensselaer Polytechnic University, NY
- Texas A&M University, TX
- Tougaloo College, MS*
- University of Central Florida, FL
- University of Maryland, MD
- University of North Florida, FL
- University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, PR*
- University of Rhode Island, RI
- University of Texas – Austin, TX
*Minority Serving Institution
Enterprise Partners
- ARCADIS
- Seahorse Coastal Consulting
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- AECOM
- WaterWonks, LLC
- American Planning Association
- American Red Cross
- Association of State Floodplain Managers
- International Association of Emergency Managers
- National Association of Emergency Managers
- Salvation Army
- American Shore & Beach Preservation Association
“The Planned Integration for Resilience Scorecard™[PIRS] is an effective tool allowing us to evaluate our existing plans and policies against the backdrop of resilience.”
George Homewood, Director of Planning & Community Development, City of Norfolk, VA
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number 2015-ST-061-ND0001-01. The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S Department of Homeland Security.