The UF Center for Coastal Solutions (CCS) held its second annual strategic planning retreat at the Austin Carey Forest Campus on January 12.  

“The purpose of this process is to keep CCS on a clear path to being a stronger organization with positive impact,” said Sharon Ryan, associate director of communications and strategy for CCS, who co-facilitated the daylong retreat with Dawn Newman of Blackhawk Facilitation and Jess Stempein of Rooted In Process. “Throughout the day, we harvested valuable insights and new ideas from the team, a diverse group of people who are dedicated to finding solutions that help keep Florida’s coasts beautiful and healthy.”  

During the retreat, team members celebrated wins, talked about the obstacles they encountered, and reflected on what they learned from both experiences.  

“We accomplished many of the goals that we articulated during the development of our first strategic plan last year,” said CCS Director Christine Angelini, Ph.D.  “We focused on building team cohesion, maturing and sharing our tools with decision-makers, cultivating productive partnerships and raising the visibility of our programs inside and outside UF. At the same time, we faced challenges in building a strong financial foundation for the organization.”

Led by facilitators, the team worked together to identify key priorities and plans for this year for strengthening financial sustainability and building on areas of excellence in research and product development that meet the needs of coastal communities. A second priority for 2024 will be to enrich the real-world learning experiences of its students, for example, through a new educational partnership with the US Army Corps Engineering With Nature program.   

“I am inspired by the trajectory of the CCS,” said CCS Director Christine Angelini, Ph.D. “From our students to our advisory board, the individuals engaged in the CCS are working as a real team to prioritize how we can apply our expertise and institutional resources to deliver real-world benefits for the health of our coastal waters, ecosystems and communities in 2024.”

The day closed with a celebratory cake, and a renewed sense of connection and commitment to the mission of the CCS.   

“I am thrilled to be a part of the work that the Center for Coastal Solutions is doing to make our coasts more resilient,” said CCS advisory board member Jen Lomberk, Esq., and executive director of Matanzas Riverkeeper. “St. Augustine is regularly impacted by hurricanes as well as sunny day flooding. The research that CCS is doing will help to ensure that northeast Florida’s coasts are resilient to impacts in a way that is sensitive to preserving the natural resources that residents and visitors know and love.”