Timothy C. Shea is a University of Rhode Island graduate with a lifelong connection to Potter Pond and Matunuck, where his family has owned property since 1951. A retired U.S. Army colonel and former senior defense intelligence analyst, he completed 45 years of military and federal service and holds graduate degrees from the University of Kansas and National Defense University.

Shea’s current research examines how Rhode Island’s coastal environment—its salt ponds, barrier beaches, fisheries, storms, and changing shoreline—has shaped local communities, and how generations of residents have adapted to and altered that environment. Through his book project, Matunuck: Rhode Island’s Sea Frontier, he hopes to contribute to the Coastal Institute by applying rigorous research and analytical methods, documenting coastal change, translating scholarship for a broad public audience, and strengthening connections among URI, local communities, historical organizations, and environmental partners.