Coastal States Organization Leadership

Steve Couture has worked for New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services for 17 years, with a focus on watershed management policy and implementation, including watershed hazards. Steve currently manages the Coastal Program and previously served for eight years as the NHDES Rivers Coordinator. Steve represented NHDES on N.H.’s legislatively enacted Flood Study Commission and currently serves as the NHDES alternate on the N.H. Coastal Risk and Hazards Commission. He holds BS degrees in Environmental Conservation and International Affairs from University of New Hampshire (UNH) and a Masters in Public Administration from UNH.

Ronda has over 28 years of state service with the State of Michigan and is the Michigan Coastal Management Program Manager for the Office of the Great Lakes, Michigan Department of Natural Resources. She oversees the administration of the federal and state resources dedicated to assist in the development of vibrant and resilient coastal communities through the protection and restoration of the nation’s longest freshwater coastline. Ronda represents Michigan as a delegate in the Coastal States Organization (CSO) and currently serves as the treasurer on the executive committee for CSO.  Ronda earned a Bachelor of Science, Community and Regional Planning, Resource Development, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University and a Master’s in Public Administration, Western Michigan University.

Jill Andrews joined the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division in 2001 as a Coastal Resources Specialist and became Manager of the Coastal and Ocean Management Program in 2005. Jill oversees the Coastal Management Program’s work in the areas of coastal resiliency, quality growth, land conservation/public access, living shorelines and wetland restoration; administers the Coastal Incentive Grant program which funds research and community projects; and supervises beach and shellfish water quality monitoring programs. Jill hails from western New York. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Buffalo, she moved far south in 1998 to pursue her Masters in Marine Affairs and Policy at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science. Following graduate school, Jill interned with the Consortium for Oceanographic Research and Education (now Consortium for Ocean Leadership) in Washington, DC and worked as a technical assistance specialist with the Florida Coastal Management Program. Jill is now located on St. Simons Island, Georgia where she enjoys raising her young family by the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. 

Brian Lynn manages the Coastal/Shorelands Section at the Washington State Department of Ecology. He leads a group of staff who provide policy assistance, regulatory and planning oversight, scientific support, and financial assistance to communities. He also serves as the State’s Coastal Program Manager and represents state interests at the state, regional and national level. He has served on the CSO Executive Committee since 2011, is the past president of the Coastal States Stewardship Foundation, and has worked in the state’s coastal management program for over 30 years. He has spent his entire life in, on, or near Puget Sound and currently lives in Olympia with his wife Valerie.

Leo R. Asuncion, Jr., AICP, is the Director of the State of Hawaii Office of Planning, where he is responsible for the overall administration of the Office of Planning, management, development, and implementation of overall state policy, and coordination and planning support to state and county agencies. Leo is also responsible for the management and implementation of federal and state Coastal Zone Management Acts. Leo has 25 years of extensive experience in planning, policy analysis, and management throughout Hawaii and the Pacific region through previous positions with the Hawaii State Land Use Commission, the Hawaii State Judiciary, SSFM International, Inc., and the Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.
Leo has earned a Bachelor of Arts-Political Science and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning degrees from the University of Hawaii, and a Masters in Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific University. He has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) since 1994, has held various leadership positions with community and professional organizations, and currently serves as a member on a number of advisory and decision-making boards and councils in Hawaii and the Pacific region.

Justine Nihipali is a Planning Program Manager in the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development where she oversees the administration and implementation of the Hawaii Coastal Zone Management Program. She holds a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a bachelors degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Lisa is the Director for the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management where she oversees all agency program areas including municipal technical assistance, local and regional coordination, coastal shoreline/floodplain management and climate resilience, as well as CZM’s regulatory responsibilities. Lisa previously served as CZM’s Assistant Director, and before that as the Boston Harbor Regional Coordinator. Prior to working for CZM she spent four years working for the MassBays National Estuary Program. Lisa holds a Masters degree in Environmental Management from Duke University and a bachelors degree from Colby College. 

Kimberly Cole is the Environmental Program Administrator of the Coastal Section in the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control managing Delaware’s coastal resources through the integrated efforts of a multi-disciplinary team. She oversees the activities of the Coastal Section in areas such as strategic planning, applied coastal research and monitoring, regulatory programs, technical assistance, land acquisition, stewardship, interpretive education, and outreach as well as facility management and construction. Kim has over 25 years of experience working on coastal science and policy and is always trying to find new and better ways to connect people to science in her quest for science-based management of our ocean, coasts and estuaries.

Charles Reulet is a Coastal Resources Administrator for the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Office of Coastal Management. He leads a team that strives to conserve, protect, manage, and enhance the coastal resources of the state while encouraging multiple sustainable uses of those resources and ensuring no net loss of wetlands.  He has had multiple roles working for the Louisiana Coastal Resources Program, over the last 14 years. Charles holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management Systems with a focus on Resource Conservation from Louisiana State University. As a life-long resident and outdoor enthusiast he enjoys the resources of the state just as much as protecting them.

Patty Snow is the Manager of the Ocean and Coastal Services Division with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development. In her position, she manages the Oregon Coastal Management Program and is Oregon’s representative on the West Coast Ocean Alliance. She joined the Department in 2011 after working with land use and waterway issues for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for over 21 years. Prior to that, she worked with Oregon’s Coastal Management Program as a Coastal Specialist and Federal Consistency Specialist. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of California at San Diego and a master’s degree in marine resource management from Oregon State University.