Resilient Virginia’s Resiliency Academy series was established in 2020 and continues to deliver timely and relevant resiliency topics via webinars. Past topics include resiliency planning “how-to’s” for local governments; disaster mitigation funding; economic impact and opportunities; resilient building and infrastructure design; and the role of ecosystems in community resilience.
Members have access to our entire video library of Academies, along with presentations and video from our past Conferences. Click here for a full list of membership benefits.
Fall 2024 Resiliency Academy Session 3
Hazard Mitigation Tools:
Saving Lives, Building Resilience
November 12, 2024 • 1:00–2:30 PM EDT
Join us November 12th for a look at where to find data for Hazard Mitigation Plans and how you can include social vulnerability in your planning process.
Let’s save lives and build community resilience!
Speakers
Baja
Originator of the Resilience Hub Concept
Developer, New and Improved All Hazard Mitigation Plan
Baja (she/ki) is an energy rooted in empathy, love, and compassion. She coaches, facilitates, and leads workshops, retreats, and trainings that nurture heart-centered self- and collective-liberation while supporting deeper connectivity to nature’s genius and shifting of power. Baja is the originator of the Resilience Hub concept and has been working on Resilience Hubs for over a decade throughout North America and Internationally. She also developed the New and Improved All Hazard Mitigation Plan which integrates social, ecological and climate elements into Hazard Mitigation Planning and Process. Baja most recently served as the Senior Director of Direct Support and Innovation with USDN and was also the Climate Resilience Planner and Floodplain Manager with the City of Baltimore. She holds a Masters of Urban Planning and a Masters of Science from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Biomimicry from ASU. In 2016, she was recognized by the Obama Administration as a Champion of Change for her work on climate and equity.
Melissa Finucane
Vice President of Science & Innovation
Union of Concerned Scientists
Melissa Finucane is Vice President of Science & Innovation at the Union of Concerned Scientists. In her role, she ensures UCS positions and solutions are informed by robust, independent, and equity-informed scientific analysis, and works with their technical staff and outside experts to identify leading-edge research opportunities that contribute to the organization’s mission. Prior to joining UCS, Dr. Finucane was a senior social and behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation, where her research focused on understanding the human dimensions of environmental health risks, and designing policies that take them into account. She also co-directed the RAND Climate Resilience Center, whose work helps decisionmakers address the impacts of climate change, and was a principal investigator with the NOAA-funded Mid-Atlantic Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (MARISA) program. Dr. Finucane earned a BS, MS, and Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Western Australia.
Krista Romita Grocholski
Physical Scientist, RAND Corporation
Lead Principal Investigator, Mid-Atlantic Climate Adaptation Program (MARISA)
Dr. Romita Grocholski is a physical scientist at the RAND Corporation, a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and serves as the lead principal investigator for the NOAA-funded Mid-Atlantic Climate Adaptation (formerly RISA) program (MARISA). Her work on climate adaptation and resilience includes developing decision- and user-centered climate data tools and incorporating climate projections into stormwater management and hazard mitigation planning processes. Dr. Romita Grocholski is committed to co-development of these climate tools, iteratively updating their content to address users’ real-world needs and suggestions. Prior to joining RAND, she completed her Ph.D. in observational astronomy at the University of Florida. Romita Grocholski received her M.S. in astronomy from the University of Florida and her B.A. in astronomy and physics from Vassar College.
The 2024 Resiliency Academy is offered free of charge
thanks to funding from MARISA.
Attention APA Planners
The September 5 session of the Resiliency Academy has been approved by the Virginia Chapter of the APA for 1 CM. Use Code 9295780.
Attention Certified Floodplain Managers
Each 2024 Resiliency Academy session has been approved by ASFM for 1 CEC. If you attend any of the sessions, please let us know and we will send you a proof of attendance to submit for your credit.
Upcoming Fall 2024 Academy Events
Save the Date for our December Academy Event!
Previous Fall 2024 Academy Events
The Latest on Climate in the Mid-Atlantic
September 5, 2024
The Fall 2024 Resiliency Academy kicked off with a look at current and projected climate risks for the Mid-Atlantic region.
As our climate is changing, we are experiencing more extreme events, such as heat waves and storms, which are impacting the way our communities need to plan. The first session of the Fall Resiliency Academy discussed climate risks for the Mid-Atlantic region, including a high-level overall view of risks and a closer look at risks from extreme precipitation and heat. We also take a look at how extreme events are impacting the coast.
Watch the webinar or view the Event Slideshow.
Jeremy Hoffman
Director of Climate Justice and Impact
Groundwork US
Rodney Bahner
Community Planner
FEMA Region 3
Art DeGaetano
Professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Cornell University
Jessica Whitehead
Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience
Old Dominion University
Rodney Bahner
Community Planner
FEMA Region 3
FEMA Regulations: Requirements and Benefits
October 8, 2024
Session 2 of our Fall Resliency Academy explores how to integrate climate in your planning efforts and the benefits it will bring.
Knowing what climate changes our communities are likely to experience and integrating them into their planning efforts can help localities properly plan for the future. But that’s not the only benefit of integrating climate into planning efforts. It also opens up funding opportunities that can help communities implement actions to achieve their resilience goals.
Watch the webinar or view the Event Slideshow.
Jeramie Calandro
Emergency Management Specialist
FEMA
Rodney Bahner
Community Planner
FEMA Region 3
Katie Vugdalic
State Hazard Mitigation Officer
Virginia DEQ
Spring 2024 Academy Events
Understanding Climate in Virginia
March 26, 2024
Get acquainted with future climate projections for Virginia in the first session of the Spring 2024 Resiliency Academy. Jeremy Hoffman, Director of Climate Justice and Impact at Groundwork USA and lead author of the Southeast Chapter of the 5th National Climate Assessment, presents a summary of the most recent projections for this region and additional speakers discuss how the changing climate will impact their communities.
Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how communities across Virginia are going to be impacted by climate change and what they will need to consider in their planning efforts.
Watch the webinar or view the Event Slideshow.
Jeremy Hoffman
Director of Climate Justice and Impact
Groundwork US
Jessica Whitehead
Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience
Old Dominion University
Brent Wills
Wills Soil & Stream
Montvale, Virginia
Integrating Climate in Hazard Mitigation Planning
May 2, 2024
Hear from Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on the new requirements for Hazard Mitigation Plans and available resources. In addition, you’ll hear directly from some who have already updated Hazard Mitigation Plans according to the new guidelines.
Gain a better understanding of what is now required when updating Hazard Mitigation Plans and what resources are available.
Watch the webinar or view the Event Slideshow.
Rodney Bahner
Community Planner
FEMA Region 3
Dave Mandell
Deputy Director
City of Annapolis Office of Emergency Management
Debbie Messmer
Deputy Director of Grant Management and Recovery
Virginia Department of Emergency Management
Anna Kimelblatt, CFM,
Project Planner and Certified Floodplain Manager
Weston & Sampson Engineers
Janet Moonan, PE
Senior Project Manager
Weston & Sampson Engineers
Tools for Climate and Hazard Mitigation Planning
May 26, 2024
In this session we discuss tools from MARISA, DCR, FEMA, and USDN for Climate and Hazard Mitigation Planning.
It’s essential to gather the right data for your region when planning for climate risk and hazard mitigation.
Fortunately, there are tools available to help with this task. We have a great line-up of speakers for this session who cover a variety of tools that can be used in your planning efforts.
Learn more about:
- DCR’s Coastal Resilience Web Explorer;
- MARISA’s suite of data and tools;
- FEMA’s Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool (RAPT), National Risk Index, and HAZUS; and
- USDN’s Hazard Mitigation Planning Guidance document.
Watch the webinar or view the Event Slideshow.
Matt Dalon
Program Manager, Office of Resilience Planning
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Baja
Originator of the Resilience Hub Concept
Developer, New and Improved All Hazard Mitigation Plan
Bill Bohn
Acting Chair of Resilient Virginia
Chief Executive Officer, Community Resilience Consulting, LLC
Krista Romita Grocholski
Physical Scientist, RAND Corporation
Lead Principal Investigator, Mid-Atlantic Climate Adaptation Program (MARISA)
Using CHaMP for Local Hazard Mitigation Planning
June 18, 2024
In this session we take a deep dive into using the Climate and Hazard Mitigation Planning tool (CHaMP) for Local Hazard Mitigation Planning.
The first three Spring 2024 Resiliency Academy sessions have taken a look at climate projections for Virginia, how we can integrate these projections into our climate and hazard mitigation plans, and some tools that can help us do this. This final session will provide a closer look at one of the tools — the Climate and Hazard Mitigation Planning tool (CHaMP), developed by the NOAA-funded Mid-Atlantic Climate Adaptation (formerly RISA) program.
Watch the webinar or view the Event Slideshow and discover how you can use CHaMP to help with your Hazard Mitigation Planning.
Krista Romita Grocholski
Physical Scientist, RAND Corporation
Lead Principal Investigator, Mid-Atlantic Climate Adaptation Program (MARISA)
Lena Easton-Calabria
Program Manager
MARISA
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