Helene has 30 years of experience building disaster resilience in local and state governmental leadership positions within the State of Florida.  She has also served as a consultant to a range of local, state, and federal public sector clients and internationally as an advisor in the Caribbean. Her professional career has focused on building community capacity and resilience through whole community preparedness and long-term redevelopment in over twenty federally declared disasters. She holds Master’s Degrees from Florida State University (MSP) and Florida Atlantic University (MPA) and has received executive leadership training from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.  She is certified by the International Association of Emergency Managers, served on numerous professional boards, academic advisory council for FAU, and speaker within a range of venues.

Adelaide Bates is the Climate Resilience Manager at the Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman University. Prior to joining the Shi Institute, Bates served as founder and director of the McClellanville Land and Sea Market, now in its seventh season. She also held roles with the South Carolina Environmental Law Project and the College of Charleston. She previously served on the City of Charleston Climate Action Planning Waste Subcommittee and earned her bachelor’s degree in urban studies from the College of Charleston.