Amanda oversees our Science and Research, Policy, and Education & Outreach teams, as well as key projects and campaigns to help guide our overall strategy focused on clean water, ecosystem protection, and sea level rise resiliency.
Amanda spearheads our groundbreaking Green Infrastructure Accelerator Project (GIAP), a visionary initiative set to generate six to eight innovative green infrastructure design solutions across urban Miami-Dade County. With a targeted approach, the project aims to revitalize underutilized public spaces, strategically mitigating flooding, safeguarding water quality, combating excessive heat, and improving the environmental health of historically vulnerable communities. Beyond these critical objectives, it also seeks to enhance community resilience and provide several fringe benefits, including the creation of recreational spaces and the preservation of habitats.
Prior to joining Miami Waterkeeper, Amanda led a local community-based non-profit organization, Save Calusa, and successfully advocated for the preservation of a rare multi-species bird rookery where imperiled tricolored herons were nesting.
Amanda has over 20 years of experience in program management and educational technology in the private sector. She also taught graduate research methodology and technology courses as an adjunct faculty member at Rutgers University and St. John’s University.
In 2015, Amanda received her Doctorate in Education in Instructional Leadership from St. John’s University in New York. She also has an Executive MBA from Lansbridge University and a BBA from the University of New Brunswick in Canada.
Originally from the Maritimes, Canada, Amanda grew up near the highest tides in the world, with a family history tied closely to nature, from farming to fishing the Atlantic coast. This led to an increasingly strong connection to our environment and commitment to protecting it.