Florida is a state of waterways.
Whether it’s a spring, river, bay, or ocean, you’re never far away from water.
Our economy, politics, health, and even our culture are deeply connected to water. Presently, all of those areas are being impacted by changes to our coastal ecosystems. Red tide algal blooms, coastal subsidence, ongoing hurricane mitigation, river rights, flood map rezoning, and the collapse of generational fisheries have loomed in the headlines for years, becoming even more prominent as Florida’s population growth continues to push the limits of our state’s resources. Solutions to many of these issues have been attempted by localized endeavors by various municipalities, but to truly make headway on solving the “big picture” of the problems impacting the statewide coastal ecosystem, we need an interdisciplinary effort by a multitude of experts.
Collaborate FL-RDA: Water (held on 2/24/22) featured presentations from 30 researchers at Florida institutions who introduced themselves and their research in short, 3-minute presentations— encouraging the discovery of individual researchers’ skills, interests, and assets, as well as their values, expectations, and interest in collaboration.
Keynote Speakers
Andrea Wesser-Brawner is Orange County’s first Chief Innovation & Emerging Technology Officer where she builds upon Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings’ vision of “Orange Tomorrow” and creating a culture of innovation, collaboration and inclusiveness. In her role, she focuses on creating public and private partnerships throughout the entire organization to leverage technology to keep up with global trends and position Orange County as a leader in the innovation industry. Through the development of strategic plans and collaborating with a variety of critical stakeholders, Wesser-Brawner believes Orange County is set to be a regional, national, and international powerhouse of cutting-edge technology through championing large-scale projects bringing positive impacts to Orange County residents and visitors for years to come.
Angela Chelette, P.G. serves as the Environmental Administrator at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Agricultural Water Policy. She has over 25 years of experience in water resource management and, in her current position, is responsible for presenting agricultural perspectives and data to other state agencies, the water management districts and stakeholders while coordinating water supply and nonpoint source water quality issues statewide.
Steve Davis, Ph.D. is the Chief Science Officer for the Everglades Foundation. Dr. Davis is an aquatic ecologist with 25 years of research in the coastal Everglades. He draws upon his past professional experience, including 10 years as professor of wetland ecology at Texas A&M University, to lead The Everglades Foundation’s Science Department and science communication efforts focused on advancing Everglades restoration, tracking ecosystem health, and understanding the impacts of sea-level rise. Davis has authored or co-authored 70 peer-reviewed science publications, holds a Courtesy Associate Professor appointment in Florida International University’s College of Arts, Sciences, and Education, and is a Coordinating Editor for the journal Restoration Ecology.
Research Profiles
