Coastlines are the front lines in the dynamic exchange between climate change, human development and needs for conservation. As a civilization, coasts are where we build our cities, where we go to relax, and often where we seek our food. Coastal issues are critically important, changing rapidly, and provide an opportunity for interdisciplinary work. To this liminal zone, I bring a dually international and local perspective, a scientific heritage rooted in the geologic record balanced by work experience based on finding socially and environmentally just solutions. I am committed to finding futures for our coasts that accommodate conservation as well as sustainable development and privilege interdisciplinary discourse, especially considering the role of artistic and cultural practices. I am interested in bringing the design community together with the scientific and planning communities to build rationally along coastlines. Drawing on my previous work with UNESCO, balancing the needs of people with heritage conservation in designated sites around the world, I serve on national committees related to geoheritage, geoparks and biosphere reserves.