The project will be co-produced, or jointly created, by the community and a wide group of scholars led by Karen McGlathery as the project’s Principal Investigator. The Community Advisory Committee is a team of Eastern Shore residents, led by Karen Downing and Andre Elliott, that will guide the community’s co-production of participatory research in tandem with interdisciplinary scholars from the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary, and Old Dominion University.
ESVA Climate Equity Project Team
Climate Equity Actor Network
This project brings together scholars and stakeholders with an interest in the Eastern Shore. The goal is to co-produce an open-source data and visualization platform (the Climate Equity Atlas) to enable sustained collaboration and support equitable decision-making and solution adoption on risks of flooding and saltwater intrusion.
The Community Advisory Committee
Karen Downing, Co-Chair
Virginia Organizing; Baptist Church
Andre Elliott, Co-Chair
YMCA
Alex Foxworthy
Eastern Shore Community College Science Department
Kathy Carmody
Accomack County Administration
Kelly Bulin
Eastern Shore Community Services Board
Kellen Singleton
Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission
Donna Smith
Eastern Shore Agency on Aging / Community Action Agency
Robert Sabbatini
Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce
Allison Bradshaw
Eastern Shore Health District, VIrginia Department of Health ; Eastern Shore Healthy Communities
Dawn Byrd
United Way of Virginia's Eastern Shore
Della Jordan
Accomack County Public Schools
Marisa Sanchez
Accomack County Public Schools ; Bridge Network of Baptist Churches
A Unique Model
The ESVA Climate Equity Project also includes an external evaluator. The evaluator provides additional insight that may further broaden participation and enhance science goals within the project.
Researchers
Evaluator
Maryfrances Porter is the external evaluator for the CoPe project. Her role on the project is to understand the quality of the community-research collaboration and support its continued growth. Maryfrances is the CEO and Founder of a small program evaluation firm in Charlottesville, VA: Partnerships for Strategic Impact.
Partnerships for Strategic Impact® empowers small- and medium-sized nonprofits (and their funders) to track and tell powerful impact stories. They build customized structures, systems, and processes for data collection, train staff in data analysis and storytelling, and provide ongoing coaching aimed at ensuring long-term sustainability and success. They also partner with clients to use impact to promote democracy, social justice, equity, and activating the power of those who have been disenfranchised.
Post-Docs and Students
Past researchers who have contributed to this project include:
- Luke Hamel
- Erin Herock
- Mia Rodriguez
- Jenni Rogan