Building a climate-resilient Maryland together

Maryland and the Netherlands are joining efforts to help empower communities to become resilient, to prepare for climate change impacts, and to work in an integrated manner to reduce vulnerabilities.

Both regions will be affected by seasonal droughts and heatwaves, frequent thunderstorms, an increased risk of flooding, and sea-level rise. Maryland and the Netherlands are working together to proactively implement adaptation strategies, exchange lessons learned and best practices, and look for more opportunities to collaborate on climate resilience.

Why attend?

Join this event with Dutch and USA experts to learn about innovative adaptation strategies, exchange your ideas on climate-resilience, and participate in lively group and 1on1 discussions with experts who have helped implement world-renowned and transformational resilience projects.

Who should participate?

This event is designed for organisations in the public and private sector involved with environmental and water management technologies; architecture/engineering; community planning; economic professionals and climate/environment.

The programme will include interactive breakout discussions and a matchmaking session offering 1on1 chats with resilience experts. These 1on1 conversations will be tailored for county and city officials, floodplain managers, community representatives, architects, planners, engineers, applied research institutions, universities, and government agency representatives. With these two formats, participants will be able to discuss in groups and individually about diverse resilience topics.

• Date: Tuesday January 26
• Time:
  • Plenary & breakout sessions: 9 AM – 11:15 AM (EST Maryland) | 3 PM – 5:15 PM (CET Netherlands)
  • 1on1 Chats with Resilience Experts and Businesses: 11:20 AM - 1PM (EST Maryland) | 5:20 PM - 7 PM (CET Netherlands)
• Platform: 
  • Plenary & Breakout session via Zoom, register via the form below
  • 1on1 Chats with Resilience Experts and Businesses via B2Match, register via this link
• Cost: Free

This event is organised by the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) in partnership with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the Maryland Department of Commerce and the Baltimore-Rotterdam Sister City Committee and supported by the Partners for Water programme and the Embassy of the Netherlands in the United States.

Programme 

• 09:00 EST | 15:00 CET Meeting kickoff by the Netherlands Water Partnership

• 09:05 EST | 15:05 CET Opening remarks by Signe Pringle, Assistant Secretary of Commerce, State of Maryland Department of Commerce

• 09:10 EST | 15:10 CET Opening remarks by André Haspels, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Embassy of the Netherlands in the United States

• 09:15 EST | 15:15 CET Building a Climate-Resilience Maryland Together: Russell J. Strickland, Executive Director of the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA)

• 09:20 EST | 15:20 CET Plenary presentations 
  • Adaptation for Small Communities by Saskia Pardaans, Embassy of the Netherlands in the United States
  • Building Resilience in Urban Areas by Klaasjan Raat, KWR Water Research Institute
  • Coastal Adaptation and Resilience by Edwin Welles, Deltares
  • Q&A session & panel discussion
• 10:30 EST | 16:30 CET Breakout Sessions
  • Group 1: Nature-Based Solutions: Experiences using natural Features for Resilience and Adaptation Strategies
    • Henk Nieboer, Director at EcoShape
    • Kelly Leo, Resilient Coasts Program Director at The Nature Conservancy
    • Moderator: Janett Tapia, Dutch Resilience Hub Manager at NWP
  • Group 2: Public-Private Partnerships for Resilience: The How’s and Why’s
    • Allegra Tartaglia, Business Engagement Program Manager at Maryland MEMA
    • Marcel Ham, Principal at Rebel
    • Moderator: Andrew Kreinik, Regional Manager, MD Dept of Commerce
  • Group 3: Citizen Engagement for Resilience Projects: How Firms and Public Agencies Can Improve Community Participation
    • Jaleesa Tate, State Hazard Mitigation Officer/Branch Manager at Maryland MEMA
    • Kyle Overly, Director Disaster Risk Reduction at Maryland MEMA
    • Nanco Dolman, Leading Professional in Urban Resilience at Royal HaskoningDHV
    • Moderator: Kayhla Cornell, Senior Hazard Mitigation Specialist at Maryland MEMA
  • Group 4: Resilience Adaptation Manual for Small Communities: Strategies for Rural Communities
    • Edgar Westerhof, Associate Vice President at Arcadis
    • Anne Baker, Outreach Director at American Flooding Coalition
    • Moderator: Lieske Streefkerk-Arts, Counselor for Infrastructure, Transportation at the Embassy of the Netherlands in the United States
  • Group 5: Knowledge exchange and international cooperation between Rijkswaterstaat and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) on Engineering with Nature: Infrastructure Projects that Use Natural Features for Better Results
    • Hans Pietersen, Senior Advisor International Affairs at Rijkswaterstaat
    • Moderator: Arjan Braamskamp, Regional Manager for the Americas at NWP
  • Group 6: Climate Resilience for Ports
    • Marc Eisma, Advisor on Environmental Management, Port of Rotterdam Authority. Port of Rotterdam
    • Port of Baltimore 
• 11:20 EST | 17:20 CET 1on1 Chats Resilience Experts and Businesses in Maryland and the Netherlands

This event brings the opportunity for organisations in Maryland and the Netherlands to join 1on1 digital video meetings to mutually introduce and learn from each other's work and approaches, exchange best practices, identify synergies of work, and create a lasting connection with counterparts across the ocean. 

Recommended: to register for this 1on1 chats and begin booking meetings, please register via this link.

Registration form