National Sea Grant
Offshore Wind Energy Liaison Initiative
Science and Knowledge for sustainable ocean planning
Calendar of Events
Calendar of Events
Watch a message about the OWE Liaison Initiative
Welcome to the Sea Grant Offshore Wind Energy Liaison Initiative.
Based out of the Rhode Island Sea Grant Program, the Sea Grant Offshore Wind Energy Liaison Initiative builds the OWE understanding and capacity of the National Sea Grant network and enhances collaboration and communication between Sea Grant and its partners. While this is a national effort, this website is currently focused on the Northeast. We will be expanding the geographic scope of this initiative in the coming months.
Value ($) of commercial fish landed in the U.S. in 2019 (NOAA Fisheries)
Acres of submerged land leased for offshore wind energy in the U.S. (BOEM)
Everything you need in one place.
about offshore wind energy
Everything Sea Grant programs and their stakeholders need to learn about offshore wind from trusted resources, vetted by the Offshore Wind Liaison team.
For commercial fishermen
Learn about how offshore wind energy impacts commercial fishing and how decision-makers are addressing these impacts.
State by State
Offshore Wind Energy Development in the Northeast
ME
MA
RI
CT
NY
NH
Meet the Team
Jennifer Mccann, National Sea Grant offshore Wind Energy Liaison
Director of Extension, RI Sea Grant
Director of Coastal Programs, URI’s Coastal Resources Center
About Jennifer:
Jennifer McCann is the director of U.S. Coastal Programs at CRC and director of Extension Programs for Rhode Island Sea Grant. In her role, she is co-leader for the development and implementation of the Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan (Ocean SAMP), the first formally adopted Ocean Spatial Plan in the nation. She shares her knowledge and experience nationally. Jennifer led the national effort to develop monitoring protocols and modeling tools for improved management of offshore renewable energy. In addition, she leads statewide efforts to improve shellfish management and to minimize the impacts of coastal erosion and inundation. She began her career at the Center for Marine Conservation (CMC), now The Ocean Conservancy, building a strong and diverse educated constituency for the creation and management of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. She represented CMC in the Dominican Republic to build the capacity of local nonprofits as institutions and implementers of integrated coastal management.
Susan Kennedy, Rhode island Sea grant
Communications Specialist, RI Sea Grant, University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Center
About Susan:
Sue joined CRC in 2000. She plays dual roles in the center’s US-based program. As a trained communications specialist, Sue provides public outreach and media relations for the center’s Rhode Island and United States work. She also helps facilitate public processes for coastal management projects, primarily the Aquidneck Island and Ocean Special Area Management Plans (SAMPs). Before joining CRC, Sue worked for the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and served in both reporter and editor capacities at several community newspapers in Rhode Island. Sue has a master’s and bachelor’s in English.
Claire Hodson, Rhode Island Sea Grant
Offshore Wind Energy Extension Specialist, RI Sea Grant, URI’s Coastal Resources Center
About Claire:
As a researcher with CRC’s domestic team, Claire works primarily on Blue Economy projects, specifically on issues of stakeholder engagement and stakeholder needs as they relate to Offshore Renewable Energy. Prior to her role at CRC, Claire worked in a diverse professional sphere as a Communications Manager for a local non-profit, an aquaculturist, a commercial and charter fisherwoman, storm water innovations and as an artist. Her working knowledge of marine environmental issues in New England and her keen interest in holistic and creative management give her a unique lens when looking at local and national blue economy projects.
Abbey Greene, Rhode Island Sea Grant
Offshore Wind Energy and Blue Economy Fellow, RI Sea Grant, University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Center
About Abbey:
Abbey is a graduate student at the University of Rhode Island, where she is studying in the Master’s of Environmental Science and Management program in the environmental policy track. She is the 2021 Rhode Island Sea Grant Fellow based at the Coastal Resources Center, and she was focused on supporting various aquaculture initiatives in the state, as well as bolstering the blue economy. Now, Abbey is dedicating her time to the National Offshore Wind Energy Liaison Initiative, and focuses on disseminating scientific information, managing the website and social media channels, and creating an equitable space for all stakeholders to become involved in offshore wind.
Meet the Partners
To be as responsive as possible to our coastal and ocean stakeholders, we have invited the following organizations and agencies to serve as our partners. We believe this collaboration will identify opportunities and synergies while also minimize redundancies. These partners are advisory.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Shaelyn Patzer
Interagency Partner & Outreach Specialist
Wind Energy Technologies Office
Katherine Ball
Social Science & Stakeholder Engagement Specialist
Wind Energy Technologies Office
NOAA Fisheries
Andrew Lipsky
Fisheries and Offshore Wind Lead
Northeast Fisheries Science Center
NOrth east regional ocean council (nroc)
Betsy Nicholson
North Regional Director (NOAA) and Federal Co-Chair (NROC)
NOAA Sea Grant
bureau of ocean energy management (boem)
Laura Mansfield
Social Scientist
Office of Environmental Programs
Dr. Mary Boatman
Environmental Studies Chief
Office of Renewable Energy Program
