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Jessica Steelman New Resilient Virginia Executive Director |
Please join us in welcoming Jessica Steelman as Resilient Virginia's new Executive Director! Jessica grew up in Massachusetts, earning her B.A. in Psychology before relocating to Virginia’s Eastern Shore in 2012 to be closer to her family. She eventually built a family of her own in the region. As a mental health counselor, Jessica became deeply aware of the inequities affecting the community and dedicated herself to addressing them. Driven by a passion to tackle these challenges on a broader scale, she began exploring systemic approaches to dismantling the barriers that contribute to rural inequity. It was at this time that Jessica joined the public sector as the region’s Coastal Planner.
During her time as the Coastal Planner for the Eastern Shore, Jessica gained experience and accomplished great milestones managing many local, state, and federal grant programs and projects. In addition to project management, Jessica has participated on state-regulated committees as a member on the Virginia Coastal Resilience Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) (codified by the General Assembly in 2022, under §10.1-659 flood protection programs, providing coordination to assist with developing, updating, and implementing the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan), and the Eastern Shore Groundwater Management Area (ESGWMA) Surficial Groundwater General Permit Regulatory Advisory Panel (resulting in §9VAC-25-910). Additional experience includes participation in various project teams, such as for the Stabilizing Barrier Islands & Enhancing Resilience of Virginia’s Underserved Eastern Shore through Marsh Habitat Construction Project, and the Eastern Shore Climate Equity Project, where Jessica also served on the Community Advisory Committee.
It is in Jessica’s assertive and yet light-hearted nature to think outside the box, challenge common practices, and work towards efficient, sustainable, and inspirational completion of tasks and projects. In her eagerness to try innovative approaches, she aims to always “take a stab” at new initiatives and projects, seeking insight from experts in any given field to develop the most comprehensive solution possible. Jessica believes that by continuing to self-teach and learn from other experts, in addition to engaging in relevant workshops and conferences, she will continue to grow with the times and the challenges, even perhaps be a few steps ahead!
As we move into 2025 with Jessica at the helm, we look forward to making significant strides in strengthening communities through innovative resilience programs and strategic collaborations. You can email Jessica (steelman@resilientvirginia.org) if you would like to get in touch with her.
NOTE: Annette is still with Resilient Virginia as a Senior Advisor for a while! She can be reached at osso@resilientvirginia.org.
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Resilient Virginia Events |
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This summer, we will be hosting our 2025 Resilient Virginia Conference - stay tuned for more information! |
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Did you miss any (or all!) of our 2024 Resiliency Academy sessions? No worries! All sessions were recorded and are on our website. Head over there to watch a session or two and look at the amazing list of resources that were presented by our speakers. |
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Join us at an RVCA Working Group monthly meeting. - Water Infrastructure: Meets 1st Thursday of the month @ noon - Register
- Clean Transportation: Meets 3rd Wednesday of the month @ noon - Register
- Agriculture: Meets 4th Thursday of the month at 11am - Register
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Program and Project Updates |
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Resilient Virginia is working with communities around the state with the VERS project to measure their community energy resilience using the Virginia Community Energy Resilience Workbook and Scoring Tool (created by JMU Center for Advancement of Sustainable Energy). After the pilot testing of the workbook is complete, we will work with 8 communities to develop case study design projects. These case studies will result in a customized engineering design for an energy resilience hub. Read more.
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We're kicking off a project in Lynchburg that will build off the work we did in 2022 in the neighborhoods of White Rock Hill, Diamond Hill, Fairview Heights, and Tinbridge Hill. With this new funding from EPA, we will work with one of the neighborhoods to define a vision statement and develop goals to address flooding and heat-related risks and host community capacity-building and leadership development workshops. Read more. |
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Resilient Virginia is hiring a Community Engagement Consultant for work in Lynchburg, Va. This will be a 20 month contract for work on an EPA Environmental Justice grant starting March 1, 2025. Learn more.
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Resilient Virginia received grant funding to host a 5-session workshop series to advance our effort to draft a Rural Regional Resilience Roadmap for Central and Southwest Virginia. These workshops will be a combination of in-person and virtual events held throughout 2025. More information coming soon! |
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Board of Directors Updates |
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Three members of Resilient Virginia's Board of Directors - Ellen Graap Loth, Steve Sunderman, and Vestal Tutterow - retired at the end of 2024. We would like to thank them for the many years of service and dedication they devoted to this organization. Their advice and guidance during their time with us was invaluable to the growth and direction of the organization. |
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Join the growing number of Resilient Virginia members and receive: - Exclusive discounts to Resilient Virginia events (including the 2025 Conference)
- Networking opportunities through the Member Directory
- Access to our resource library of previous events
- Exclusive monthly Member Briefs full of funding opportunities, resources, and the latest news
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Funding Opportunity: DCR Community Flood Preparedness Fund GrantsApplication Close Date: January 24, 2025 |
CFPF Grant Round 5 applications are due January 24, 2025.
The CFPF was established to provide support for regions and localities across Virginia to reduce the impacts of flooding, including flooding driven by climate change. The fund will prioritize projects that are in concert with local, state and federal floodplain management standards, local resilience plans and the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan. The fund will empower communities to complete vulnerability assessments, and develop action-oriented approaches to bolster flood preparedness and increase resilience. Learn more. |
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Funding Opportunity: VDEM Announces Application Period for BRIC and FMA GrantsApplication Close Date: March 6, 2025 |
FEMA has announced the release of the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) which includes a total of $1.35B in funding for these nationally competitive programs. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is currently accepting pre-applications and applications for these funding cycles. Learn more.
About Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities
About Flood Mitigation Assistance |
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Funding Opportunity: GHHI's Thriving Communities Grantmaking ProgramApplication Close Date: Varies |
GHHI’s Thriving Communities Grantmaking program, in collaboration with the EPA, will award $50 million in grants, flowing from the Inflation Reduction Act, to fund more than 200 eligible projects in historically disinvested communities throughout EPA’s Region 3 (includes Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and 7 federally recognized tribes). Learn more. |
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Funding Opportunity: Climate Smart Communities InitiativeApplication Close Date: March 3, 2025 |
CSCI is accepting applications for grants to advance community-based climate resilience efforts. The proposed work can cover any step in the Steps to Resilience framework, and can be a new or ongoing collaboration. The funds can be used for a range of activities depending on the needs of the community, including climate vulnerability and risk analyses, planning processes, community engagement, project prioritization, and/or the implementation of projects. Learn more.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Applications must be submitted by an "Applicant Team" composed of a climate adaptation and resilience professional ("adaptation professional"), at least one community-based organization ("CBO"), and at least one government partner. The "adaptation professional" must be an organization or sole practitioner that has been accepted into the Registry of Climate Resilience and Adaptation Professionals prior to the start of the project. As of January 2025, Resilient Virginia has been accepted into the Registry. |
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Report: Virginia Heat Watch: Collaboration to assess climate vulnerability at local to regional scales |
Systematic studies of temperature using consistent, field-validated methods are needed to make inter- and intra-urban heat comparisons and to prioritize resources and mitigation strategies. This study investigated spatial patterns of heat hazard across 10 small- to medium- sized cities in Virginia using a community science approach. Air temperature data were collected on a high-heat day in July 2021, employing a network of 213 volunteers. Read more.
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Report: Social and environmental justice implications of flood-related road closures in Virginia |
Environmental justice research historically focuses on assessing and understanding direct impacts of environmental risk on socio-economically varied areas. Limited work has addressed indirect impacts such as how flooding of transportation networks may disproportionately influence different socio-economic groups. This report from George Mason University's Virginia Climate Center addresses this by investigating how flood-related road closures influence Virginians differently across the state. Read more.
Learn more about this report on their website.
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Report: Our Common Agenda: 2025 Environmental Briefing Book |
Virginia Conservation Network has published their 2025 Common Agenda which is a comprehensive overview of Virginia’s environmental policy landscape. A collection of papers written by, vetted through, and voted on by VCN’s 170+ Network Partners, this briefing book explains the Commonwealth’s environmental policy background and potential opportunities for clean water & flood resilience, land & wildlife conservation, land use & transportation, climate & energy, and good governance. Read more.
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Training: Community-Based Facilitation Training |
UVA's Institute for Engagement and Negotiation is excited to offer a new three-part certificate series for participants looking to grow their facilitation skills! Classes 1 and 2 are available individually or as part of the certificate series. The first part of the series, Foundations of Community-Based Facilitation, will be held on March 19 & 20, 2025, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Over two days, participants will learn facilitator roles & responsibilities and practice a range of core facilitator skills, including designing an agenda. This interactive training will provide numerous opportunities for participants to practice the skills they are learning and get feedback. Read more. |
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Training: Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Level 1 Training Winter Session |
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Level 1 Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional certification is a baseline credential in design, installation, and maintenance of sustainable landscapes, with emphasis on how to properly maintain stormwater best management practices. This level consists of a two- or three-day class, access to our online videos, webinar series, study materials, and a written exam. The course incorporates interactive classroom instruction on conservation landscaping topics (soils, native plants, habitat, natural communities, and invasive plant management) and stormwater best management practices (BMPs), with a field-based practicum. Level 1 also teaches visual inspection and verification of BMPs. Read more. |
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Resilient Virginia Resources |
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Thank you to our Annual Sponsors |
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Copyright © 2025 Resilient Virginia. All rights reserved.
resilientvirginia.org
Resilient Virginia is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization focused on accelerating resiliency planning in communities across the Commonwealth.
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