Welcome to Kate Skaggs

Kate hikingKate comes to IAN through a partnership with UMCES and MD DNR. She is serving as DNR's new CoastSmart Communities Planner. Kate will be coordinating Maryland's CoastSmart Communities Initiative, helping local communities identify and implement strategies to protect life and property vulnerable to coastal hazards and climate change. Kate received a BS in Environmental Science from Lynchburg College in 2006 and an MS in Environmental Studies, with a Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning, from the College of Charleston, SC in 2010. After graduating, Kate accepted a two-year NOAA Coastal Management fellowship in Olympia, WA with the Washington State Department of Ecology. The final deliverable for the fellowship was a guidebook for local governments in WA to help plan for sea-level rise adaptation. Outside of coastal work, Kate picked up a great interest in many stereotypical PacNW activities such as yoga, rock climbing, hiking, a huge appreciation for sunshine, as well as a love for good coffee and smoked salmon.