On Our Watch

David Waggonner is the founding principal of Waggonner & Ball, an internationally active architecture and environment practice based in New Orleans. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, David saw an opportunity for New Orleans to reinvent itself as a sustainable city that embraces its lifeblood: water. He championed a process that examines history, soils, biodiversity, infrastructure networks, urban space and habitation, along with the forces of water. This combination serves as a holistic foundation for design, initiated during the Dutch Dialogues®, developed through the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan, and now being implemented in multiple projects.   Waggonner & Ball - https://wbae.com/   To watch our feature length documentary, On Our Watch, visit: https://youtu.be/hTOl5tMKjZw   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vyOPPPSBAfI

Jacqueline Richard is the Director of Coastal Studies & GIS Technologies at Nunez Community College, where she has led the program since 2022. She has decades of experience in the field and the classroom studying Louisiana’s disappearing coast. Jacqueline was also recently named among the winners of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s (CRCL) 2024 Coastal Stewardship Awards.   Nunez Community College Coastal Studies Program - https://catalog.nunez.edu/programs/coastal-studies-gis-technology/   To watch our feature length documentary, On Our Watch, visit: https://youtu.be/hTOl5tMKjZw   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YDXaBN8Ca7U

Jessica Dandridge-Smith is the Executive Director for The Water Collaborative, an organization dedicated to urban water management in the Greater New Orleans region. As Executive Director, Jessica focuses on community led adaptation and mitigation as the core to water justice and climate resiliency strategies. Today The Water Collaborative focuses on water management, hazard mitigation, water justice through access, affordability, and quality, and equitable community transformation through blue/green jobs and the renewable economy.   The Water Collaborative - https://www.nolawater.org/   To watch our feature length documentary, On Our Watch, visit: https://youtu.be/hTOl5tMKjZw   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uXC7zGDGeIY

Peter Waggonner is the Public Policy Director for Greater New Orleans, Inc., Southeast Louisiana’s regional economic development organization. His portfolio encompasses infrastructure, insurance, and the environment at local, state, and federal levels. He also manages the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance (CSFI) and GNO, Inc.’s resilience work.    Greater New Orleans, Inc. - https://gnoinc.org/   Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance - https://csfi.info/   To watch our feature length documentary, On Our Watch, visit: https://youtu.be/hTOl5tMKjZw   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hXV41XhlWws

Halle Parker is the Coastal Desk Reporter for WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio. She reports on a wide range of environmental topics including Louisiana’s coastal landloss crisis, the energy sector, environmental justice issues, and much more. She is also the co-host of WWNO’s Sea Change podcast.    WWNO’s Coastal Desk - https://www.wwno.org/coastal-desk   Sea Change Podcast - https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1172193717/sea-change   To watch our feature length documentary, On Our Watch, visit: https://youtu.be/hTOl5tMKjZw   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NDgDHKIrkFo

Dan Favre is the Director of Environmental Programs at the Greater New Orleans Foundation, an institution dedicated to driving positive impact through philanthropy, leadership, and action in the Greater New Orleans Region. Dan has spent many years working in environmental advocacy. In this position, Dan works to ensure equitable climate change adaptation and mitigation in the region.   Greater New Orleans Foundation: https://www.gnof.org/   To watch our feature length documentary, On Our Watch, visit: https://youtu.be/hTOl5tMKjZw   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4zbNSIAsTg8

Scott Ancar is the Owner and Manager of Jennie V’s Seafood, an oyster distributor based in Houma, Louisiana. Scott is a pillar in the oyster industry, bringing over 35 years of oyster harvesting and farming experience. He runs Jennie V’s Seafood together with his wife, Jennie V Ancar.   Jennie V’s Seafood: https://www.jennievsseafood.com/   To watch our feature length documentary, On Our Watch, visit: https://youtu.be/hTOl5tMKjZw   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zQYkL3K-neU

Renee Collini, Ph.D., Director of the Gulf Center for Equitable Climate Resilience at The Water Institute, brings years of experience in providing tools and support to federal, state, and local entities pursuing adaptation and resilience strategies. In her position, Renee draws from on-the-ground experience working in underserved communities and navigating federal, state, and local governmental processes and systems to help support effective and equitable climate resilience planning and action in communities across the Gulf Coast.   The Water Institute: https://thewaterinstitute.org/   To watch our feature length documentary, On Our Watch, visit: https://youtu.be/hTOl5tMKjZw   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Oicg7tzAiCQ

Erik Johnson is the Director of Conservation Science for the Audubon Delta office of the National Audubon Society. Audubon Delta works across Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and their habitats. Erik joined Audubon in April 2011 as a Conservation Biologist for the Mississippi Flyway and Gulf Coast Initiative, and since then has helped develop many bird monitoring initiatives including Audubon’s Coastal Bird Survey.   Audubon Delta - https://delta.audubon.org/   Urban Native Greens community science nest monitoring initiative -  https://delta.audubon.org/urbannativegreens https://urbannativegreens.fieldscope.org/   To watch our feature length documentary, On Our Watch, visit: https://youtu.be/hTOl5tMKjZw   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Qn_APSDNK0Y

Jessica Henkel is the Deputy Director to the Chief Scientist at the Water Institute as well as the Director of the RESTORE Act Center of Excellence for Louisiana. Jessica brings 15 years of research, collaborative science and planning to her role coordinating technical teams at The Water Institute. Her areas of expertise include science advising and coordination, structured decision making, large-scale restoration planning, and avian ecology.    The Water Institute: https://thewaterinstitute.org/   To watch our feature length documentary, On Our Watch, visit: https://youtu.be/hTOl5tMKjZw   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pGciHQ_jxkg

Dean Wilson is the Executive Director and Founder of Atchafalaya Basinkeeper. A member organization of Waterkeeper Alliance, Atchafalaya Basinkeeper’s mission is to protect and restore the swamps, lakes, rivers, streams and bayous of the Atchafalaya Basin for future generations. Dean is deeply passionate about the Atchafalaya Basin. When he is not out patrolling or educating communities about the Basin and its many threats and treasures, he works with his family-owned and operated swamp tour business, Last Wilderness Swamp Tours.   Atchafalaya Basinkeeper: https://www.basinkeeper.org/   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TWkgMvugoP0

Beaux Jones is the President and CEO of the Water Institute, an independent, non-profit applied research organization that works across disciplines to advance science and develop integrated methods used to solve complex environmental and societal challenges. Beaux has extensive experience in environmental and coastal law and previously served as the General Counsel and Chief of Staff for the Water Institute.   The Water Institute: https://thewaterinstitute.org/   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qNLOsBcJlxU

Alisha Renfro is the Senior Manager for Science Policy & the Gulf Program at the National Wildlife Federation, a conservation organization that’s part of the Restore the Mississippi River Delta’s 5-group coalition. At the  National Wildlife Federation, Alisha works to ensure the best available science is used to highlight the ecological and economic importance of the Mississippi River Delta and the solutions that are needed in the pathway forward to a more sustainable future.   National Wildlife Federation: https://www.nwf.org/   Restore the Mississippi River Delta: https://mississippiriverdelta.org/    For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ghLhGu3XzpU

Mark Schexnayder is the Senior Biologist at Batture, a civil engineering and land surveying firm based in New Orleans that specializes in coastal projects. Mark is a career biologist who has previously held respected roles at the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and LSU AgCenter. Mark also helped craft the Bayou St. John Management Plan and lead several restoration projects in the bayou and in New Orleans City Park.   Batture: https://www.batture-eng.com/   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/cnsO0z3Oefs

Katie is the Executive Director of the Woodlands Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust organized to preserve and restore forested wetlands and other ecologically or historically significant lands in Louisiana. The vision of Woodlands Conservancy is to be the regional model for the conservation of hardwood forests, and a leader in the advocacy and preservation of Louisiana’s coastal forest ecosystems.   Woodlands Conservancy - https://www.woodlandsconservancy.org/   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lGqFzvvfRqA

John Sabo is the Director of the Tulane ByWater Institute, a research institute dedicated to advancing the resilience of water resources in New Orleans, the Mississippi River Basin and in tropical river basins in the developing world. He is also a Professor in the Department of Coastal & River Science and Engineering in the School of Science and Engineering at Tulane University. Additionally, John is the host of “Audacious Water,” a podcast about how we can build a world of water abundance for everyone.   Tulane ByWater Institute - https://bywater.tulane.edu/   Audacious Water Podcast - https://www.audaciouswater.org/   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/   Watch this episode on YouTube :https://youtu.be/ycSp2nEf0Oo

Susan Russell is the Executive Director for Keep Louisiana Beautiful, an anti-litter and community improvement non-profit organization focused on achieving a clean and beautiful Louisiana. Susan has served in this position since 2014. Before leading the state office, she served as the local affiliate director for Keep Mandeville Beautiful.     Keep Louisiana Beautiful - https://keeplouisianabeautiful.org/   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8sjBgNo65G0  

Darilyn Turner is the Executive Director for the Zion Travellers Cooperative Center, a faith-based nonprofit and community development corporation that serves the communities of lower east Plaquemines parish. Zion provides services that are centered around educating, community organizing and leadership, and advocates for healthy, restored wetlands.   Zion Travellers Cooperative Center: https://www.facebook.com/ziontravelerscc/   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VUXZRYA87Fg

Sal Sunseri is the Owner and Director of P&J Oysters, a New Orleans-based oyster company that has been processing and distributing oysters since 1876. P&J has long been a family-run business, with Sal following in the footsteps of several generations of Sunseri’s.   P&J Oyster Co.:  http://oysterlover.com/index.html   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jtWvWOVQ5h8

Seth Blitch is the Louisiana Director of Conservation for the Nature Conservancy, a global environmental nonprofit organization that impacts conservation in 79 countries and territories. Previously the Louisiana Director of Coastal and Marine Conservation, Seth has worked at the Nature Conservancy for over 13 years.   Louisiana Nature Conservancy: http://tinyurl.com/rwvu5hek   For more information and past episodes, visit: https://onourwatch.podbean.com/   Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9n41aBhsfvs