Coastal Advisory Council

GCMP logo

In 1992, the Governor of Georgia appointed a two-year, 25-member Coastal Zone Advisory Committee, representing a diverse cross-section of the coastal Georgia citizenry, to provide public input throughout the development of the Georgia Coastal Management Program. A new Coastal Advisory Committee was appointed in 1994 by the Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources to review the draft Program Document, to assist with public education throughout the program development process, and to provide technical assistance. In 1997, the committee was expanded to increase participation from interested local governments. In 2003, the Committee was revamped and re-authorized by the Commissioner of DNR as the Coastal Advisory Council (CAC) with a set of by-laws and an appointed membership.

Most recently in 2019, with the term of Governor Brian Kemp, the CAC was re-appointed with a 20-member Council. The CAC is charged with providing advice to the staff of the Georgia Coastal Management Program in the development of programs and projects to guide the conservation and management of natural, cultural, and historic resources within the coastal area, serving to communicate issues and activities of the Georgia Coastal Management Program to individual constituencies and provide feedback to the Program to improve the use of information for coastal management, the CAC will facilitate public understanding of the value and vulnerability of coastal natural resources and of the mission of the Georgia Coastal Management Program, and provide advice regarding theme setting for the annual Coastal Incentive Grant Program at the annual meeting.

Click here to view the CAC bylaws as amended in October 2022.

Coastal Current

The Coastal Current is the newsletter of the Coastal Advisory Committee. Click the links below to read PDF versions of the newsletter to learn about the ongoing activities of the Georgia Coastal Management Program.

August 2019: Vol. I, Issue I

November 2019: Vol. I, Issue II

January 2020: Vol. I, Issue III

November 2020: Vol. I, Issue IV

April 2021: Vol. I, Issue V

The following is a list of Coastal Advisory Council Members and their respective affiliations.

Local Government Representatives include;
- John Hunter (City of Brunswick)
- Shawn Jordan (McIntosh County)
- Dr. Clay Montague (Camden County)
- Alan Robertson (City of Tybee Island)
Regional and State Representatives include;
- Ebony Simpson (Department of Community Affairs)
- Kate Hargrove (Georgia Emergency Management Agency)
- Michael Blakely (Chatham County Floodplain Administrator)
- Vacant
Environmental Organization Representatives include;
- Stacia Hendricks (Little St. Simons Island)
- Christi Lambert (The Nature Conservancy)
- Charles McMillan (Georgia Conservancy)
- Vacant
Research/Academia Representatives include;
- Dr. Matthew Bilskie (University of Georgia)
- Tony Giarrusso (Georgia Tech)
- Katy Smith (University of Georgia Marine Extension)
- Dr. Steve Vives (Georgia Southern University)
Citizen-at-Large Representatives include;
- Alton Brown
- Scott Hendricks
- Buddy Sullivan
- Vacant