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2026 Annual Meeting

The 2026 SECOORA Annual Meeting will be in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina on May 20 – 21 at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton Hotel Atlantic Beach Oceanfront.

Program

When

May 20 – 21, 2026

Where

Atlantic Beach, North Carolina at the DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton Hotel Atlantic Beach Oceanfront

Register

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Register

Registration is $150* and closes on May 6. The registration fee includes the welcome social and lunch on both days. For an additional $12, join us on a field trip to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores (May 20).

Registration has closed, please email communications@secoora.org for assistance.

Hotel and Travel

The meeting venue is the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Atlantic Beach Oceanfront (2717 West Fort Macon Road,Atlantic Beach, NC 28512).


The closest airport is Albert J. Ellis Airport (OAJ), approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes away.

Sponsor

Support the 2026 SECOORA Annual Meeting and position your organization alongside leaders in coastal and ocean science, resilience, and regional collaboration. Sponsorship provides meaningful visibility while demonstrating your commitment to strengthening coastal communities across the Southeast. Contact communications@secoora.org for questions.

Sponsors:

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

 

Agenda

Subject to change. Click for program.

Wednesday May 20, 2026

Board Meeting | 10:30 AM – 12:10 PM

Location: Hatteras/Pamlico

10:30 – 10:40 AM
Welcome
Patrick Barrineau, SECOORA Chair
  • Introductions / Roll Call
  • Approval of Agenda
  • Minutes Approval | March 24, 2026
  • 20th Anniversary Annual Meeting (2027)
10:40 – 10:45 AM
Board Meeting – Treasurer Report
Jeff Copeland, SECOORA Treasurer 
  • Review of FY26 Budget as of March 31, 2026
  • Audit Review
10:45 – 10:50 AM
 Special Election – Academic / Research / Education Seat (vote)
10:50 – 11:35 AM
SECOORA Progress and Plans
Debra Hernandez, SECOORA
  • Branding Updates (feedback)
  • Fundraising Strategy
    • Grants and Proposals
    • Membership Drive / Structure (feedback)
    • Brainstorm connections to major donors/foundations
11:35 – 12:05 PM
 Board Executive Session (closed)
12:05 – 12:10 PM
Closing Remarks and Adjourn
Patrick Barrineau, SECOORA Chair

Members Meeting | 12:10 – 1:30 PM

Location: Hatteras/Pamlico

12:10 – 1:00 PM Lunch (open to all)
1:00 – 1:05 PM Welcome
Patrick Barrineau, Board Chair
1:05 – 1:10 PM SECOORA Status Update
Debra Hernandez, SECOORA
1:10 – 1:15 PM Strategic Plan Updates
Debra Hernandez, SECOORA
1:15 – 1:20 PM Fundraising Updates
Debra Hernandez and Claire McGrath, SECOORA
1:20 PM – 1:26 PM Committee Updates 

  • Education and Outreach – Dwayne Porter, Chair
  • Executive Committee – Patrick Barrineau, Chair
1:26 – 1:30 PM Election and Voting Results

  • Election Results
  • Operational Budget
  • Board Member Recognition

Stakeholder Meeting | 1:45 – 5:00 PM

Location: Hatteras/Pamlico

1:45 – 2:00 PM Welcome
Patrick Barrineau, Board Chair
2:00 – 2:45 PM Using Surface Elevation Table (SET) Data to Guide Decision-Making
Objective: Provide a broad overview of the role of SETs in coastal management, prioritizing investments, and local decision-making.

Moderator: Brandon Puckett, NOAA NCCOS

Speakers (confirmed): 

  • Debra Hernandez, SECOORA 
  • Dr. Nisse Goldberg, Jacksonville University
  • Jenny Davis, NOAA NCCOS 
  • Wilhelmina Bradway, City of Jacksonville, NC
2:45 – 5:00 PM  Optional Field Trip: North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores (pre-registration required)

Social | 5:30 – 7:30 PM

Location: Hatteras/Pamlico and Foyer

5:30 – 6:30 PM Social
6:30 – 7:30 PM Principal Investigator Lightning Talks
Moderator:  Patrick Barrineau, Board Chair

  • Emily Hall, Mote Marine Laboratory
  • Dwayne Porter, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina
  • David Kochan, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
  • Yonggang Liu, University of South Florida
  • Lynn Leonard, University of North Carolina Wilmington Center for Marine Science
  • Theo Jass, SECOORA
  • Yuyuan Xie, University of South Florida
  • Amanda Kaltenburg, Savannah State University
  • Nicole Elko, American Shore and Beach Preservation Association
  • Steven Lazarus, Florida Institute of Technology
 7:30 PM Social Closing Remarks

Thursday May 21, 2026

Stakeholder Meeting Continued

Location: Hatteras/Pamlico

8:15 – 9:00 AM Registration
9:00 – 9:10 AM Welcome & Overview of Day 2
9:10 – 10:00 AM Updates from U.S. IOOS and the IOOS Association

Speakers (confirmed): 

  • Kristen Yarincik, IOOS Association (virtual) 
  • Krisa Arzayus, IOOS Program Office (recorded) 
  • Susan Fox, IOOS Program Office (virtual)
  • Emily Patrolia, ESP Advisors (virtual)
10:05 – 10:15 AM  Break
10:15 – 11:15 AM Water Level Impacts on Infrastructure in the Southeast
Objective: Examine the ways water level impacts various infrastructure systems in coastal communities, discuss how water level data is being collected in the Southeast, and ways to improve coastal infrastructure planning.

Moderator: Jennifer Dorton, SECOORA

Speakers (confirmed): 

  • Cotie Alsbrooks, SECOORA
  • Miyuki Hino, UNC Chapel Hill 
  • Lynn Davis, Town of Belhaven
  • Meredith Hovis, University of North Carolina Wilmington
11:20 – 12:15 PM Practical Applications of AI to Ocean Science & Resilience
Objective: Address how the field of oceanography and coastal resilience is evolving to incorporate the use of AI, and how coastal researchers and practitioners can take advantage of advances in AI in their work moving forward.

Speakers (confirmed): 

  • Taylor Shropshire, Fathom Science
  • Greg Dusek, Dusek Coastal Science & Consulting
  • Kelly Knee, Tetra Tech
12:15 – 1:00 PM Lunch (provided)
1:15 – 2:00 PM Principal Investigator Lightning Talks

  • Frank Lopez, North Carolina Sea Grant
  • Natalie Cohen, University of Georgia
  • Mike Parsons, Florida Gulf Coast University
  • Joy Young, FACT Network
  • Eric Montie, University of South Carolina Beaufort
  • Sheri Schwartz, TetraTech
  • Claire McGrath, SECOORA
  • Catherine Edwards, UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography
2:00 – 3:00 PM Beach and Dune Restoration and Renourishment
Objective: Survey subject matter experts in different types of beach-dune work for ways buoy data can be used to augment projects/studies in nearshore/onshore environments.

Speakers (confirmed):

  • Patrick Barrineau, Coastal Science & Engineering
  • Christy Swann, RCOAST
  • Reide Corbett, Coastal Studies Institute
  • Chase Davis, Coastal Protection Engineering
3:00 – 3:30 PM Closing Remarks and Adjourn

Materials

Annual Meeting

2026 Board of Elections and Budget