Natalie is a national results-driven leader with 20+ years in climate resilience governance, policy and planning, science, communications and community engagement. Extensive experience in innovative and creative leadership of collaborations and guiding systems thinking strategy development. Natalie has a visceral lived experience in disasters from Louisiana, as well as possesses technical expertise in both physical and social sciences. For the last 10 years, she worked as Associate Vice President, Climate Resilient Coasts and Watersheds at Environmental Defense Fund, where she led a 35+ interdisciplinary team using a systems thinking approach to increase the use of nature-based solutions to support equitable community resilience. Prior to EDF, she was with the Louisiana Coastal Protection & Restoration Authority as well as the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. Natalie graduated from Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Management and a M.S. in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences. She obtained her PhD from UMCES in Marine and Estuarine Environmental Science.