Leadership Team
Leadership Team
The leadership team of the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience oversees a multidisciplinary research program with a national profile, helping catalyze the action needed to build vibrant communities, strong economies, and healthy ecosystems across the Commonwealth of Virginia despite natural hazards and climate change.
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Jessica Whitehead
Appointed in 2021, Dr. Jessica Whitehead is the Joan P. Brock Endowed Executive Director of the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience at Old Dominion University. A nationally recognized expert in climate adaptation and using climate information for resilience policy and adaptation action, Whitehead was the first state Chief Resilience Officer for North Carolina, based in the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency. An action-oriented leader, her work helping coastal communities in the Carolinas adapt to climate change has been featured in podcasts, books, newspapers, television, and public radio, including the Washington Post, the New York Times, and The Weather Channel.
Contact Dr. Whitehead: 757-683-5031 jcwhiteh@odu.edu
Contact Dr. Whitehead: 757-683-5031 jcwhiteh@odu.edu
Carol Considine
Carol Considine is the Director of Applied Projects in the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience and a professor of Engineering Technology in the Batten College of Engineering & Technology at Old Dominion University. She has been active in applied research related to sea level rise since 2012 and has funding that spans from the National Science Foundation to Go VA and private foundations. Recent projects include the Launching a Coastal Resilience and Adaptation Economy, Identification and Prioritization of Recurrent Flooding Research, and the Coastal Community Design Collaborative.
Contact Ms. Considine: 757-683-3783 cconsidi@odu.edu
Contact Ms. Considine: 757-683-3783 cconsidi@odu.edu
Andrew Larkin
Andrew Larkin is the Assistant Director for Engagement for the Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (ICAR). Before joining ICAR in 2025, he worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for 27 years in both Washington, D.C. and Norfolk. During his tenure with NOAA, Larkin developed skills in legislative and public outreach, as well as grants management. He played a pivotal role in various coastal resilience, habitat restoration, marine protected area, and Chesapeake Bay initiatives. His work with ICAR focuses on leveraging ODU’s research and expertise in coastal resilience to benefit Virginia communities facing increased risks from flooding and other climate-related hazards.
Contact Mr. Larkin: 757.683.6145 alarkin@odu.edu
Contact Mr. Larkin: 757.683.6145 alarkin@odu.edu
Trang Le
Asst. Research Professor
Institute for Coastal Adaptation & Resilience
Dr. Le specializes in green infrastructure, community resilience, and urban design. She holds a Master’s degree in Urbanism from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and a Ph.D. in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences from Texas A&M University. Her previous research has explored a broad range of questions, offering insights into how coastal localities and communities perceive and engage with green infrastructure. She is passionate about working collaboratively with local communities, integrating their values, knowledge, and visions with scientific research to co-design adaptation strategies and promote the use of green infrastructure and other nature-based solutions across the Commonwealth.
Contact Dr. Le: 757-683-6116 ttle@odu.edu
Contact Dr. Le: 757-683-6116 ttle@odu.edu
Wai Yan Siu
Dr. Wai Yan Siu is a natural resource economist who specializes in applying economics and geospatial analysis to support adaptation, policy evaluation, and resilience. Her work bridges academic research with real-world decision-making --- for example by evaluating shoreline policies, assessing the impacts of coastal flooding, and analyzing the effectiveness of resilience interventions. She also develops metrics to track and value community wellness. With a focus on Virginia's coastal regions, Dr. Siu collaborates with public agencies and local stakeholders to produce accessible, actionable insights. Her approach combines economic modeling, spatial analysis, and non-market valuation to inform adaptation strategies.
Laura Costadone
Dr. Laura Costadone is a broadly trained urban ecologist with expertise that spans from ecosystem services, human-environment interactions, and environmental data science. Her research focuses on identifying ways to enhance resilience in coastal and urban environments. Laura co-designs and co-creates pathways to uptake and implement urban and coastal sustainable development goals by engaging directly with municipalities, practitioners, decision-makers, and citizens. She is particularly interested in bridging knowledge gaps between science and practice to help streamline the implementation of Nature-based Solutions into urban planning and coastal adaptation to tackle major environmental, economic and societal challenges.
Contact Dr. Laura: 757-683-3632 lcostado@odu.edu
Contact Dr. Laura: 757-683-3632 lcostado@odu.edu
Vincent Hodges
Vincent E. Hodges, the Program and Finance Manager for the Institute of Coastal Adaptation and Resilience, directly supports research initiatives on green infrastructure application in built environments, future applications mitigating daytime and nuisance flooding, as well as catastrophic storm and weather event preparation. Hodges has a background in financial management while serving on active duty in the United States military, as well as a U.S. Department of Defense contractor. He has BA in Business Administration and his Master of Social Work from Norfolk State University and has managed various aspects of project management related to advocacy and organizing in communities.
Contact Mr. Hodges: (757) 683-3963 vhodges@odu.edu
Contact Mr. Hodges: (757) 683-3963 vhodges@odu.edu