An Intergovernmental Blueprint for Community Resiliency
Capt. Ray Toll US Navy (Ret)
Rear Admiral Ann C. Phillips, United States Navy (Retired)
Navy Capt. Ray Toll (ret.) and Rear Admiral Ann Phillips (ret.) will present the Hampton Roads “Whole of Government” approach to coastal resiliency. The Hampton Roads region at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, like many coastal communities, is experiencing increased flooding because of climate change and the persistent slow rise of sea level. All echelons of government participated in quest of an integrated regional approach to mitigation and adaptation. As a result, the Hampton Roads region, home to 17 local and state jurisdictions and many federal agencies, including Department of Defense installations and the world’s largest naval base, is at risk.
Biographies
Capt. Ray Toll US Navy (Ret)
Ray Toll is the Director for Coastal Resilience Research at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia where he has been the primary facilitator in developing a whole of government/community approach to regional planning to mitigate and adapt to sea level rise. This pilot is one of several in the country dealing with climate change and resiliency. He also served on Governor McAuliffe’s Climate Change and Resiliency Update Commission.
Mr. Toll is a retired Navy Captain who worked in Naval Oceanography for 26 years. Following his service in the Navy, he worked in the private sector, dealing mainly with earth science programs, models and data bases. He is currently the president of the Marine Technology Society and serves on a number of boards including the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center and the Middle Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System. In October 2012 chaired OCEANS 2012 (www.oceans12mtsieeehamptonroads.org). Mr. Toll has a bachelor’s of science in meteorology from the University of Utah, and a masters of science in meteorology and oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.
Rear Admiral Ann C. Phillips, United States Navy (Retired)
Ann Phillips is a member of the Center for Climate and Security’s Advisory Board. A Surface Warfare Officer, Rear Admiral Phillips has served in every warfare group of the Surface Navy: Destroyers, Aircraft Carriers, Amphibious, and Replenishment Ships.
During her 31 years on active duty she commissioned and commanded USS MUSTIN (DDG 89), and commanded Destroyer Squadron TWO EIGHT, and Expeditionary Strike Group TWO – which included all the Amphibious Expeditionary Forces on the East Coast of the United States. Ashore she was a Senior Fellow on the CNO’s Strategic Studies Group XXVIII, and managed requirements and resources for the Surface Navy as Deputy Director and Director of Surface Warfare Division, (N86) in the Pentagon. While at N86, from 2009-2012 she served on the Chief of Naval Operations’ Climate Change Task Force, and Energy Task Force, where she Co-Chaired the Surface Force Working Group – developing and implementing climate change adaptation and energy reduction strategies for the Navy. In addition, she has served overseas in Guam and Lisbon, Portugal, and operated extensively with NATO and Partnership for Peace nations.
Upon retirement from the U.S. Navy in 2014 she pursued her MBA at The College of William and Mary, Mason School of Business, graduating in 2016. Now an independent consultant, she continues to work to address sea level rise and climate impact on national security at the regional, state, and national level, and speaks about climate security and adaptation strategies to a broad range of audiences. She also serves on local, regional, and national non-profit Boards, and coordinates an evolving wetlands restoration project for her neighborhood in Norfolk, Virginia.
