As Island Institute’s Chief Policy Officer, Nick provides proactive and strategic policy support for work across the organization, providing strategic support to our project teams, and increasing our effectiveness in engaging policy makers.

He helps teams identify and take advantage of opportunities to help set the policy agenda at the state and federal level; identify changes to government policy, funding, or regulations that would be further identified community outcomes and help achieve organizational impact targets; he also helps teams engage in the implementation policy so that it better accounts for the concerns of island and coastal communities.

Prior to overseeing our policy work, Nick spent six years as the Marine Programs Director at the Island Institute. In that role, he has helped to give fishermen and coastal communities a stronger voice in the ocean planning process; helped fishermen diversify their income by starting a shellfish or seaweed aquaculture business; and understand how ocean acidification and sea level rise will impact Maine’s communities.

Nick has his Juris Doctor from Roger Williams University School of Law, a Masters in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island, and his bachelor’s degree from Colby College. Nick lives with his wife and daughter in Camden.