Coastal Advisory Council

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.

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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.

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)
- Vacant
- Alan Robertson (City of Tybee Island)
Regional and State Representatives include;
- Dan Quinn (Jekyll Island Authority)
- Kate Hargrove (Georgia Emergency Management Agency)
- Michael Blakely (Chatham County Floodplain Administrator)
- Doug Chamblin (Georgia Department of Transportation)
Environmental Organization Representatives include;
- Stacia Hendricks (Little St. Simons Island)
- Christi Lambert (The Nature Conservancy)
- Courtney Reich (Georgia Conservancy)
- Tony Robinson (Glynn Environmental Coalition)
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
- Amy Spinks
- Hyde Post