WHOI Sea Grant Welcomes Coastal Resilience Specialist Rachael Hamilton

Rachael is no stranger to the Massachusetts coastline. Originally from Gloucester, she received a Master's degree in Urban Planning and Community Development through the School for the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Rachael has a background in outreach and community engagement, through prior work with Black Earth Compost and as a research assistant for a project funded through the Sea Grant American Lobster Initiative. Her coastal resilience experience includes working as a NOAA Coastal Management Fellow identifying needs for, designing[,] and coordinating a natural hazards technical assistance program [for the State of Maine] and supporting the Maine Climate Council's Community Resilience Working Group in updating the State Climate Action Plan. Rachael returns to Massachusetts from a stint in Santa Fe, NM, where she worked as a land use planner for the city but missed coastal New England too much!

- February 2026