My primary interest in coastal issues centers around access; ensuring that all Rhode Islanders' have equal and protected access to the state's waters. I believe this constitutionally-protected right is an essential element of maintaining healthy, vibrant and resilient waterways for future generations. I want to spend my career ensuring that barriers to coastal access are addressed and overturned for all communities, but especially environmental justice and minority communities.

Biography

Leah Feldman is a Coastal Policy Analyst with the Coastal Resources Management Council of Rhode Island. She came to the CRMC after completing the NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship with the state of New York’s Office of Planning and Development, where she worked within Oceans and Great Lakes department on inclusive community engagement to facilitate better coastal management practices on Lake Ontario.

Her graduate thesis work focused on demographic-based discrepancies in coastal access in Rhode Island and equitable coastal access continues to drive her work with the CRMC. As a Coastal Policy Analyst, she develops technical guidance and policy related to coastal habitat restoration, climate change adaptation and stormwater management, as well as overseeing management of multiple federal restoration grants and projects and working extensively with state, federal, local and non-profit partner organizations.