Michigan Sea Grant welcomes new Coastal Resilience Extension instructor

Make connections

“We are thrilled to have Kat Cameron join our team full-time,” said Dr. Heather Triezenberg, Michigan Sea Grant’s deputy director and program manager. “She has already worked extensively on the topic of coastal resilience and we know she will help bring more connections and communication to the region.”

Cameron most recently served as Coastal Resilience Coordinator for Michigan Sea Grant, where she organized a Coastal Resilience Workshop and developed the Michigan Coastal Resilience Hub, a website that connects coastal managers with Michigan-specific resources, case studies and local Extension educators.

“Partnerships are key to NOAA GLERL’s work – and this role helping to foster that partnership and relationship between GLERL and Sea Grant is an important one. We are excited to have Kat on our team and bring Sea Grant and her mission to our work,” said Jennifer Day, regional coordinator of GLERL’s Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Team.

In addition to her current position at Michigan Sea Grant, Cameron worked as an urban planner for private planning and architecture firms in Ann Arbor and Detroit, focusing on climate resilience and water resources planning. She was also a research associate at the University of Michigan’s Cooperative Institute of Great Lakes Research, where she began her work on coastal resilience.

Cameron earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Planning, and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Michigan.

offer help

“My work so far has been about figuring out how to best fill the role of ‘missing middleman’ for Great Lakes coastal communities seeking support,” Cameron said. “Fortunately, in this role, I will be supporting these wonderful Sea Grant Extension educators who are working to build resilience and equity across the basin, as well as supporting GLERL’s research and getting it into the hands of people who can use it.”

Having grown up along Wisconsin’s wild and scenic St. Croix River, Cameron knows how important a body of water is to a community and is grateful that her work helps communities reaffirm their commitment to a vibrant and resilient shoreline.

“I believe everyone has something to do to promote good stewardship of our Great Lakes and all waters. I hope that by providing GLERL resources and Sea Grant support, communities will be able to build resilience for many generations to come,” Cameron said.

When Cameron isn’t thinking about the Great Lakes, she can be found biking, dancing, kayaking, hiking, and volunteering at her nearby nature center. She is also passionate about improving her community by making it more livable, accessible, and resilient for all.

Cameron can be reached at [email protected].

Michigan Sea Grant promotes economic growth and protects resources along Michigan’s coast and Great Lakes through education, research and outreach. Michigan Sea Grant is a joint project of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University and its MSU Extension and is part of the NOAA National Sea Grant network of 34 university-based programs.

This article was prepared by Michigan Sea Grant under grant NA22OAR4170084 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce through the Regents of the University of Michigan. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Commerce, or the Regents of the University of Michigan.