1:10 – 2:00 pm Session 3 – Planning Context 3.1 Update from the State: The Approach to the River, the State Master Plan and its Relationship to this Effort Kyle Graham The 2012 Master
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January 13 - 14, 2014
New Orleans, LA
Trang 48:00 – 8:30 am Breakfast and Registration
8:30 – 8:5o am Session 1 – Introduction
1.1 Welcome and Congratulations
Steve Cochran
Welcome from the competition
1.2 Welcome from the Port of New Orleans
Gary LaGrange
Welcome from Port hosts
1.3 Competition and Coastal Context
Don Boesch
Historical and current perspectives on the Mississippi River, its delta and the coastal communities and industries that rely on it
9:00 – 12:40 pm Session 2A – Team Interviews (4 teams)
Individual presentations to Technical Team and Leadership Team members
15 min presentation, 35 min Q&A
Presentation topic: Presentation of a project that illustrates creative or
innovative technical (engineering and ecological), economic and community interventions of a similar nature and scale to those most likely to be involved for the Lower Mississippi, and how lessons drawn from this work can be successfully applied in Changing Course.
1:10 – 2:00 pm Session 3 – Planning Context
3.1 Update from the State: The Approach to the River, the State Master Plan and its Relationship to this Effort
Kyle Graham
The 2012 Master Plan and relevant projects underway; the competition
as additive to the Master Plan Approach and key updates and changes to modelling for the 2017 Master Plan; the importance of river diversions; and how the competition can influence future plans.
Day 1 - Introductions and Interviews
Moderator – Kate Ascher
Trang 5Session 3 – Planning Context (continued) 3.2 Update from the U.S Army Corps of Engineers: Management of the River, Key Challenges and Opportunities
Edward Belk
Present challenges faced by the USACE in the maintenance of the River (dredging, structures, policy on river diversions); key lessons and opportunities from LCA, MRHDMS and other key studies undertaken/underway
2:10 – 5:50 pm Session 2B – Team interviews (4 teams)
15 min presentation, 35 min Q&A 2:10 – 3:00 Baird & Associates
Day 1 - Introductions and Interviews
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8:00 – 9:30 am Breakfast and Registration
Please note: Prior to the start of Day 2 there will be a separate 8:30 – 9:30 am breakfast briefing held with competition management and representatives of each candidate team
to answer procedural and logistical questions regarding the competition process, RFP submission contents and Phase 1 Framework Design Technical Team and Leadership Team attendance is optional.
9:30 – 9:45 am Opening Address: Designing for the Future
Stephen Cassell
Discussion of why Changing Course is pursuing the issues of coastal land loss, river sustainability, delta function issue as a design competition and how the design process can encourage robust engineering solutions that address the human, economic and ecological resources/needs of the lower River and delta landscape
9:45 – 10:45 am Session 4 – The Delta’s People: Communities and Culture
Facilitated panel discussion with audience questions
Facilitator: Laurie Johnson
Panelists: Bob Gramling, Jeffrey Hebert, Walter Leger Jr., Douglas Meffert Perspectives of and from communities and culture along the lower River; present and forecast demographic and social change; vulnerability and environmental justice; key considerations from communities; cultural landscapes.
Day 2 – The Big Issues
Moderator – Clint Willson
Trang 7Session 5 – Briefing: The Delta’s Industries (continued) 12:00 – 12:30 5.2 Fisheries
Facilitated panel discussion and audience questions with non-profits and State and Federal agency representatives
Facilitator: John Lopez Panelists: Kim de Mutsert, Glenn Thomas, James Wilkins Key issues and considerations for the fishing industry in relation to potential design interventions.
12:30 – 1:15 pm Lunch
1:15 – 2:30 pm Session 6 – Building with Sediment: The State of the Science
Facilitated panel discussion with audience questions
Facilitator: Clint Willson Panelists: Mead Allison, Gary Brown, Alex McCorquodale, Ehab Meselhe The River and the Basin: changing sediment budgets; land building and evidence of sediment delivery and delta dynamics; current studies and models including MRHDMS; Master Plan projects: sediment dredging, pumping and diversions, etc.
2:30 – 2:45 pm Break
2:45 – 4:00 pm Session 7 – Towards a Solution: Key Challenges and the Workings of a
Dynamic System
Facilitated panel discussion with audience questions
Facilitator: Sandra Knight Panelists: Marco Cocito-Monoc, Sean Duffy, Denise Reed, Charles Shadie Developing holistic design interventions for the Lower River requires an understanding of critical factors and how the dynamic natural and human systems work together Major issues and considerations around flood risk reduction, the ecosystem, navigation and socio-economics to be considered for design team interventions.
4:00 – 4:15 pm Closing
Closing remarks: Clint Willson Day 2 – The Big Issues
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Mead Allison
Director of Physical Processes & Sediment Systems, The Water Institute of the Gulf
A world-renowned expert on river sediment processes, Mead Allison, Ph.D., has researched river delta systems for nearly 25 years He is one of the foremost experts on the Mississippi River’s sediment transport processes His areas of expertise include sediment availability & management, subsidence and soil & water quality
Prior to joining The Water Institute of the Gulf, he served the University of Texas as Associate Director and Senior Research Scientist at the Jackson School of Geosciences’ Institute for Geophysics
Dr Allison has held faculty positions at Tulane University’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and at Texas A&M University’s Department of Oceanography
He earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from the College of William & Mary, a master’s in geology from East Carolina University and a doctorate in oceanography from State University of New York, Stony Brook He studied at the University of Paris as a J William Fulbright Fellow and was a post-doctoral scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
In addition to his responsibilities at The Water Institute of the Gulf, Dr Allison is a professor at Tulane University’s Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Her public sector work has involved overseeing major infrastructure and master planning projects for the NY metropolitan region,
including the development of waste, telecommunications and energy plans in cooperation with community, environmental, business and other advocacy groups She has also been responsible for navigating and completing a series of major waterfront redevelopment projects in Manhattan and in the Red Hook area of Brooklyn
In the private sector, she has worked in management consulting and corporate finance in London, advising government and private companies on private-public partnerships and strategic planning, and at Vornado Realty Trust in New York, where she oversaw the
negotiation of mitigation, subway bonus and community benefits agreements associated with several commercial office projects in midtown Manhattan
Dr Ascher holds a doctorate from the London School of Economics and is the author of books on urban infrastructure and municipal service delivery and the executive producer of a PBS documentary on the impact of technology on the working waterfront She serves on the Board
of the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center and the Friends of the Hudson River Park
Gary L Brown
Research Hydraulic Engineer, U.S Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC)
Gary L Brown is a Research Hydraulic Engineer in the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory at the U.S Army Engineer Research and
Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, Mississippi He received both his B.S (1993) and M.E (1995) in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida
Since that time, he has worked at ERDC, in the development and application of multi-dimensional numerical models to investigate
hydrodynamics, salinity, and sediment transport in estuaries and rivers His past work has included investigations of the Colorado River Diversion in Matagorda Bay, Texas; coastal wetland restoration efforts in Biscayne Bay, Florida; and the restoration of salt ponds to coastal wetlands in South San Francisco Bay, among others More recently, he has worked on ERDC studies in the Lower Mississippi River,
including an investigation into the causes of river shoaling in the vicinity of the West Bay Diversion, and an investigation into the sediment diversion efficiency of the Old River Control Complex
Mr Brown is the principle author of “A Simplified Analytic Investigation of the Riverside Effects of Sediment Diversions”, a recently published technical document that applies basic hydraulics and geomorphic analysis principles to provide a framework for understanding the potential impacts of diversions on the river He is currently the Federal Co-Leader for the multi-dimensional modeling effort associated with the Mississippi River Hydrodynamic and Delta Management Study
Speakers
Trang 9Debra Colbert
Senior Vice President, The Waterways Council, Inc (WCI)
Debra A Colbert is Senior Vice President of Waterways Council, Inc (WCI), the national public policy organization that advocates for a
modern and well-maintained system of ports and inland waterways In this role she manages internal and external communications,
and media relations She has worked with WCI since its inception in 2004, and developed the communications program of its
predecessor organization, Waterways Work!
Prior to her work with WCI, Ms Colbert served as Director of Public Affairs for the American Waterways Operators, Manager of
Communications for the Telecommunications Industry Association, and Assistant Manager of Communications for the Aerospace
Industries Association
From 1995 to 2012, she served as President/CEO of Colbert Communications, a communications consultancy practice that offered media
relations, communications, public affairs, marketing and advertising counsel to a variety of clients, primarily in the maritime industry
Jeffrey Hebert
Executive Director, New Orleans Redevelopment Authority
Jeff Hebert is the Executive Director of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority where he is responsible for redevelopment projects
for the City of New Orleans and the successful disposition properties that were acquired through the state’s Housing Recovery Program
in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Prior to joining NORA, Mr Hebert served as Director of Blight Policy and Neighborhood Revitalization for the City of New Orleans
where he oversaw the development and implementation of Mayor Landrieu’s blight reduction strategy and the operations of the
consolidated Code Enforcement and Hearings Bureau
Before joining the Landrieu administration, Mr Hebert was the Director of Planning for Concordia, LLC, where he oversaw planning
and community development projects in New Orleans, San Antonia, and the East Bay area of Northern California
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Mr Hebert started serving as the Director of Community Planning for the Louisiana
Recovery Authority where he was tasked with working with local governments throughout the state to develop recovery plans –
including the Unified New Orleans Plan
A graduate of New York University, where he achieved a Bachelor’s degree in Urban Design and Architecture Studies, he completed his
graduate studies in City Planning at M.I.T., where he received a Master in City Planning (M.C.P.) degree with a concentration in City
Design and Development
Mr Hebert is currently a board member of the Young Leadership Council and the United Way Vision Council in New Orleans and is a
trustee of the St Mark’s historic Landmark Fund in New York City
Gary P LaGrange
President and CEO Port of New Orleans
Gary LaGrange has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Port of New Orleans since 2001 Mr LaGrange’s leadership
brought the Port of New Orleans back into operation two weeks after Hurricane Katrina, the most extensive natural disaster in U.S
history
Mr LaGrange serves on the Boards and Executive Committees of the Waterways Council, Inc and National Waterways Council He
also serves on the Boards of the Gulf Ports Association of the Americas and is past chairman and past president of the Gulf Intracoastal
Canal Association He serves on the executive committee of the Transportation Research Board He is a member of the Louisiana
Committee of 100 He was named the Maritime Person of the Year by the Propeller Club of New Orleans in 2003, and Maritime Person
of the Year by the Propeller Club of the Port of Gulfport in 2001 He received the Leadership Award and named to the Hall of Fame by
the International Maritime Association at the United Nations in New York He serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Advisory
Council on Trade and Transportation and the U.S Department of Transportation Maritime Administration’s Port subcommittee He also
serves on the Board of Directors of the World Trade Center of New Orleans
Speakers
Trang 10Gary P LaGrange (cont.)
Before taking leadership at the Port of New Orleans, Mr LaGrange served as the Executive Director of the Mississippi State Port Authority, the Port of South Louisiana and the Port of West St Mary
Mr LaGrange received his B.A in Geography/Economics from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette He completed a Master of Arts
in Urban Planning, with honors from USL, as well as the Professional Port Manager Certification (PPM) from the American Association
of Port Authorities
Walter J Leger, Jr.
Partner, Leger & Shaw , Vice-President and former President of the New Orleans Zephyrs Triple A Baseball Team
Mr Leger has spoken widely on legal issues at Harvard Law School, Tulane, LSU, Loyola and others Mr Leger was a finalist for the
“National Lawyer of the Year” Award, has been named to Louisiana “Superlawyers” and Citybusiness Newspaper’s “Leaders in Law Hall of Fame.” He received the “President’s Award” for leadership and public service from the New Orleans Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association and the Louisiana Association of Justice After Hurricane Katrina Mr Leger was appointed by Governor Kathleen Blanco and reappointed by Governor Bobby Jindal to the Louisiana Recovery Authority(LRA) as Vice Chairman and the Louisiana Land Trust(LLT) as its Chairman He serves as Chairman of the LLT and served as Vice-Chairman of the LRA and was appointed by Mayor Mitch Landrieu to the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority
He has testified before the U.S Senate Sub Committee on Disaster Recovery whose participants included Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu, Senator Joseph Lieberman, and then Senator Barack Obama Mr Leger has appeared on behalf of the homeowners of
Louisiana before five Congressional and Senate committees and sub committees He has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, and Associated Press He has also made appearances on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CNN, PBS, LPB and numerous local and national television and radio stations
Alex McCorquodale
Freeport McMoRan (FMI) Professor of Environmental Modeling, University of New Orleans
Alex McCorquodale, Ph.D., is the Freeport McMoRan (FMI) Professor of Environmental Modeling in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New Orleans He holds a Ph.D in Hydraulic Engineering from the University of Windsor, Canada His Bachelors’ degree in Civil Engineering is from the University of Western Ontario where he was awarded the Board of Governors Medal He is an Athlone Fellow and obtained a M.Sc in Fluid Mechanics from the University of Glasgow He also has a Diploma in Fluvial Geomorphology from Colorado State University
His research interests include physical and numerical modeling of environment processes involving flood control, hydraulics of water and waste water treatment systems, transient analyses of force mains and water distributions systems and shore protection He has developed 2 and 3-D hydrodynamic and mass transport models for complex flows
Professor McCorquodale’ s recent work involves the hydrodynamic modeling of the Lower Mississippi River as well as the
Pontchartrain and Barataria Estuaries He was a participant in the eco-hydrology component of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan for Louisiana He supervised field studies and numerical modeling of pathogens and nutrients in storm water discharges and tributaries that impact the shoreline of Lake Pontchartrain He has also been involved in riverine and lake modeling as a part of the Ontario Source Water Protection program He has conducted 1-D and 3-D modeling of several waste water outfalls and water intakes in the Great Lakes and the Connecting Channels
Jay McDaniel
Sr Port Captain, Kirby
Mr McDaniel is a Sr Port Captain at Kirby, and has worked in the navigation and shipping industry for over 30 years He holds several inland waterways endorsements and serves on several trade association committees, including Co-Chair of the Lower Mississippi River Committee
Speakers
Trang 11Douglas J Meffert
Executive Director, Audubon Louisiana, Vice President, Audubon
In his role, Dr Meffert leads all of Audubon Louisiana’s administration and programming which includes large scale coastal
conservation and landowner engagement through the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign and the Rainey Conservation
Alliance, chapter engagement through Bird Friendly Community and other initiatives, and climate change adaptation and mitigation
initiatives
In addition, he and his team lead the management of the Paul J Rainey Sanctuary, Audubon’s oldest and largest sanctuary and steward
the protection of Louisiana’s 23 Important Bird Areas throughout the State in coordination with Audubon’s Mississippi Flyway and Gulf
Initiative programs Dr Meffert is also a faculty associate at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy based in Cambridge, MA Dr Meffert
has a B.Sce in Engineering and an MBA (Marketing & Finance) from Tulane University and Doctorate in Environmental Science &
Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles
Prior to joining Audubon in February 2012, Dr Meffert was most recently Director of Project Development and Associate Professor at
Tulane University’s Payson Center for International Development as well as Executive Director of RiverSphere, an initiative to develop
a new campus for the university oriented to water resources and renewable energy Other prior posts include Deputy Director for the
Tulane/Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research, Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (Baton Rouge, LA), Topanga
Las-Virgenes Natural Resource Conservation District (Malibu, CA), TechLaw, Inc (Washington, DC), and the U.S Department of Energy
(Washington, DC) Dr Meffert received a Loeb Fellowship at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design
Spencer Murphy
Vice President, Risk Management at Canal Barge Company Inc.
Prior to joining Canal Barge Company in 2006, Mr Murphy worked as Contracts Director for Intermarine, LLC, and as an associate at
Phelps Dunbar, LLP in New Orleans Mr Murphy received a B.A in History from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993 and graduated
from Tulane University Law School in 1996
His responsibilities at Canal Barge include regulatory issues, claims and litigation, contract administration, business planning, and
governmental affairs Mr Murphy is active in a number of civic and industry efforts focused on water management; he is the President
of the Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association and served on the Framework Development Team for the State of Louisiana’s Coastal
Restoration 2012 Master Plan
John L Pennison
Deputy Director, Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District
Mr Pennison attended High School in Buras, La at Delta Heritage Academy and college at LSU Baton Rouge, majoring in Business
Administration After leaving LSU, Mr Pennison worked in the retail inventory auditing business for twenty-five years as an Area
Manager, District Manager, and Regional Manager Mr Pennison began his career with Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District
in 2004 on the Port’s Rescue Boats, serving as Engineer and Rescue Boat Captain until 2007, giving him valuable insight into the
Mississippi River navigation in Plaquemines Parish He assumed the position of Port Assistant Manager in 2007, basically responsible
for all operations of the Port Mr Pennison was promoted to the position of Port Manager in July of 2009, and served in that capacity
until April of 2013, at which time he was promoted to Deputy Port Director Mr Pennison currently maintains a USCG Masters License,
and is active in the maritime navigation industry, serving as a Navigational Consultant, particularly in areas in Coastal Plaquemines
Parish serving the shallow draft oil industry
Mr Pennison was appointed to the Louisiana Coastal Ports Advisory Authority as the Plaquemines Port Harbor & Terminal District
representative in 2013, an advisory board to make recommendations for improvements to the ports of Louisiana In August 2013, he was
appointed by the Secretary of the U.S Department of Homeland Security as the Port’s representative on the Lower Mississippi River
Waterways Safety Advisory Committee
Speakers
Trang 121979 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, and in 1980 earned his master’s degree from Purdue University in civil engineering (hydrology and hydraulic engineering) He earned a master’s degree in 2007 from the University of Florida in water resources planning and management He is a registered professional engineer in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi and is a Member of the American Society of Civil Engineers
In 1982, Mr Shadie transferred to the New Orleans District and worked on a number of water resources studies and projects related
to flood risk reduction, navigation, and environmental restoration Since 1997 he has provided technical expertise to the Watershed Division of MVD and its districts on a wide range of studies and projects, including the Mississippi River & Tributaries Project, the Louisiana Coastal Area study, and the Louisiana Hurricane Recovery Projects Mr Shadie has been Chief of the Watershed Division since March 2010
Glenn Thomas
Fisheries Research Director, Louisiana Department of Wildlife And Fisheries
Glenn Thomas received his B.S in Biology from Augusta State University, Georgia, and his M.S in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the University of Tennessee, writing his thesis on recreational fishing on freshwater artificial reefs Dr Thomas holds a Ph.D in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Louisiana State University
Prior to joining the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, he was an associate professor at the LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources and Marine Extension Director at Louisiana Sea Grant College Program
Dr Thomas has been with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for 20 years Sample research topics include: Invasive Fish Species in Louisiana, Critical Issues in Louisiana Fisheries, Hook-Release Mortality of Spotted Seatrout in Louisiana, Coastal Restoration and Fishery Production in Louisiana
James Wilkins
Director, Louisiana Sea Grant Law & Policy Program
Mr Wilkins is a Professor in the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program where he is the Director of the Sea Grant Legal Program Jim Wilkins received his B.S in biology from Centenary College, M.S from Texas A&M in marine biology, and a Juris Doctor from the LSU Law Center Mr Wilkins teaches a course in Coastal Zone Management and does research on a wide range of legal issues affecting the use and conservation of ocean and coastal resources
Speakers