December 2008

Dec. 22 — Schiavinato Elected President of The Coastal Society

Lisa Schiavinato, North Carolina Sea Grant’s coastal law, policy and community development specialist, has won the position of president-elect of The Coastal Society, a non-profit organization comprised of private sector, academic, and government professionals and students to address emerging coastal issues. She will assume the role of president-elect on Jan 1, 2009 and become the president in 2011.

Schiavinato serves on the society’s board of directors, and she will co-chair the group’s 2010 meeting in North Carolina along with Todd Miller of the N.C. Coastal Federation. Previously, she was program chair for the society’s 2008 conference, where she received the Robert W. Knecht Award for Professional Promise. The award recognizes “a rising professional in the field of coastal and ocean management who best emulates the vigor, dedication, vision and generosity” of Knecht, a pioneer in the coastal zone management efforts across the country.

“It’s an honor to have been selected as president-elect and I am happy to serve in this role and as president,” Schiavinato says. “I’m glad to have earned the confidence of my peers and will work very hard to serve the society and promote its continued growth.”

At Sea Grant, Schiavinato develops partnerships with federal, state and local agencies to address North Carolina’s coastal and ocean policy issues. She is leading work on an ocean policy report to the N.C. Division of Coastal Management.

Schiavinato also serves as co-director of the N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center, where she coordinates and applies the legal, planning, and policy expertise of the University of North Carolina System and Sea Grant to the state’s pressing coastal issues. She edits the Center’s Legal Tides newsletter.

“We are very proud of Lisa and happy that The Coastal Society has recognized her leadership and organizational skills,” says Jack Thigpen, Sea Grant extension director. “She is one of the leading coastal policy specialists in our region and an integral part of the North Carolina Sea Grant team.

October 2008

Oct. 24 – Shape of the Coast: 2008, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., New Bern, N.C.

The annual “Shape of the Coast” Continuing Legal Education Program, sponsored by the North Carolina Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center and the University of North Carolina School of Law, will be held Friday, Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The program will be at the Riverfront Convention Center, 203 South Front Street in New Bern.

Each year, this continuing legal education program examines topics important to coastal North Carolina.  This year’s program explores issues such as climate change and the southeastern coast of North Carolina, emerging ocean resource issues, federal wetlands regulation, and coastal stormwater rules.  Program speakers include:

Registration is required. Program fees are as follows:

To register for the program online, visit http://www.law.unc.edu/cle/register.aspx. Click on “Register Online” and then “Shape of the Coast.” If you prefer to mail in your registration, please fill out the form in the online brochure and include payment.

July 2008

Sea Grant’s Lisa Schiavinato Earns Coastal Society Honors

The Coastal Society has named North Carolina Sea Grant’s Lisa Schiavinato as the 2008 recipient of the Robert W. Knecht Award for Professional Promise. Schiavinato is Sea Grant’s coastal law, policy and community development specialist and serves as co-director of the N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center.

The award recognizes “a rising professional in the field of coastal and ocean management who best emulates the vigor, dedication, vision and generosity” of Knecht, a pioneer in the coastal zone management efforts across the country.

The award was presented at the society’s 21st biennial conference, for which Schiavinato served as program chair. She serves on the society’s board of directors. Along with Todd Miller of the N.C. Coastal Federation, she will co-chair the organization’s 2010 national meeting to be held in North Carolina.

“We are pleased that Lisa’s peers have recognized her leadership in coastal issues at the local, regional and national levels,” said Michael Voiland, North Carolina Sea Grant executive director.

Kristen Fletcher, society president and executive director of the Coastal States Organization, agrees. “Both in her work with The Coastal Society and Sea Grant, Lisa has contributed energy and thoughtful perspective for her colleagues in the coastal management field. It’s been a pleasure to have her on our board and as conference program chair.”

At Sea Grant, Schiavinato develops partnerships with federal, state and local agencies to address North Carolina’s coastal and ocean policy issues. She is leading work on an ocean policy report to the N.C. Division of Coastal Management.

As co-director of the inter-institutional coastal law center, she coordinates and applies the legal, planning, and policy expertise of the University of North Carolina System and Sea Grant to the state’s pressing coastal issues. She is also the editor of the Legal Tides newsletter, which can be viewed and downloaded from www.nccoastallaw.org.

Schiavinato’s work has appeared in a number of publications, including The Coastal Management Journal, and she has written and presented extensively about legal issues surrounding land-use planning, waterfront access, aquaculture issues, natural disaster response and rebuilding.

Previously, she served five years as the legal coordinator for the Louisiana Sea Grant Legal Program. Schiavinato holds a law degree and a certificate in environmental and land-use law from the University of Florida. She earned a bachelor’s in political science from the University of South Florida.

The memorial award honors Knecht, who served as the first assistant administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce. There, he began implementation of the Coastal Zone Management Programs and National Estuarine Research Reserve Program that are now well established throughout the coastal states.

June 2008

June 29 – July 8 – The Coastal Society’s 21st Biennial Conference, Redondo Beach, Los Angeles, Calif.

The Coastal Society invites panel sessions and oral and poster presentations for its 21st Biennial Conference that:

Preference will be given to presentations, panels, and posters that fit within one of the seven conference tracks and complement the conference’s theme of solutions to coastal issues that minimize human impact and maximize stewardship. The conference tracks are:

For more information, view the conference Web site.

January / February 2008

Schiavinato Selected for Coastal Society Board

Lisa Schiavinato, North Carolina Sea Grant coastal law, planning community development specialist, has been elected to the board of directors for The Coastal Society. Schiavinatio also is a co-director of the North Carolina Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center.

The Coastal Society is an international organization that is dedicated to addressing marine and coastal issues. Its membership is comprised of academic, government and private sector professionals and students.

“I’m happy to be a part of the board of directors for The Coastal Society and look forward to working with them,” Schiavinato says. TCS is a strong organization of dedicated coastal professionals, and I likewise look forward to help furthering the mission of TCS as a member and as one of the board of directors.”

A native of Tampa, Fla., Schiavinato holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of South Florida in Tampa. She graduated with a law degree and certificate in environmental land-use law from the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Before joining North Carolina Sea Grant, Schiavinato was the legal coordinator for the Louisiana Legal Program for nearly five years. There she focused on issues such as land use, property rights, taxes and international trade laws. She also served as writer and co-editor of the Louisiana Coastal Law newsletter, and helped draft state management plans and grant proposals.