Former Governor Ritter, Commissioner Asuncion, and Laurel Blatchford Join American Flood Coalition Executive Advisory Board
The three new Board members bring deep experience and insight, further strengthening the American Flood Coalition’s commitment to addressing flooding and sea level rise.
WASHINGTON, DC — July 20, 2021 — The American Flood Coalition today announced Former Governor Bill Ritter, Commissioner Leo Asuncion, and Blue Meridian Partners’ Laurel Blatchford have joined its Executive Advisory Board to help find proactive solutions to rising seas, stronger storms, and more frequent flooding.
“Governor Ritter, Commissioner Asuncion, and Laurel Blatchford bring a wealth of experience to our current slate of outstanding advisors,” said Melissa Roberts, Executive Director of the American Flood Coalition. “Their diverse perspectives and unique expertise will support AFC’s initiatives to advance action on flooding and sea level rise. We are thrilled to work with them.”
From 2007 to 2011, Bill Ritter served as Governor of Colorado. During his time in office, he established the state as a national and international leader in clean energy and his “New Energy Economy” touted the importance of research and development of sustainable energy to spur economic growth and job creation. Later, Ritter founded the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University, which works with state and federal policy makers to create policy throughout the country. Governor Ritter is the former chair of the Board of Directors of the Energy Foundation and has recently joined the Board of The Climate Group.
“Our climate crisis is exacerbating already serious and tragic flooding issues in many parts of our country,” said Governor Ritter. “I’m honored to join such a prestigious group of people already serving on, or about to join, AFC’s Executive Advisory Board.”
Commissioner Leo Asuncion joins AFC with over 29 years of experience in planning, policy analysis, and management throughout Hawaii and the Pacific Region. Prior to his appointment to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, Asuncion served as the Co-Chair of the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, where he managed planning for sea level rise, carbon sequestration, and carbon credits. He presided over the first statewide assessment of Hawaii’s vulnerability to sea level rise, an extensive report that included recommendations to reduce exposure to sea level rise and drive adaptation. Asuncion is the current President of the American Planning Association’s Board of Directors and previous Chair of the Coastal States Organization.
“As rising seas, stronger storms, and more frequent flooding rapidly become the norm, it is imperative that the various levels of government work together to protect our communities, said Leo Asuncion. “I look forward to joining forces with the already distinguished Executive Advisory Board and Coalition team to tackle these critical issues head on.”
As Managing Director of Policy and Catalytic Supports at Blue Meridian Partners, Laurel Blatchford brings a unique blend of experience igniting organizational change, leading investment strategies and developing scalable solutions to economic and community development. Blatchford is a former Senior Advisor to American Flood Coalition, where she offered insight at the intersection of adaptation, housing, and social equity. Prior to her work with Blue Meridian Partners, she was President of Enterprise Community Partners until early 2020, one of the country’s largest affordable housing and community development intermediaries, where she led the organization’s programmatic and policy work, including its resilience efforts. Before joining the nonprofit sector in 2014, she served in a number of senior government roles, including as Chief of Staff at the Department of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama Administration, and as Executive Director of federal Hurricane Sandy Task Force, which developed the first interagency guidelines for resilient rebuilding while promoting the long-term sustainability of communities in the Sandy-affected region.
“As experts predict yet another active hurricane season, we know more frequent flooding and higher seas will disproportionately impact vulnerable communities and most notably, their access to stable, resilient, and healthy housing,” said Laurel Blatchford. “I’m excited to join the Coalition’s Executive Advisory Board and look forward to working with their team to advance meaningful action on these urgent issues.”
With the addition of Ritter, Asuncion, and Blatchford, the American Flood Coalition’s Executive Advisory Board is now comprised of 8 members, including Carlos Curbelo, Former Florida Congressman; Jay Faison, philanthropist and founder of ClearPath; Michelle Moore, former Senior Advisor to the White House Office of Management and Budget and CEO of Groundswell, Inc.; Walter Revell, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Revell Investments International; and Major General (Ret.) Michael Walsh, former Deputy Commanding General of Civil and Emergency Operations for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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About the American Flood Coalition
The American Flood Coalition is a nonpartisan group of cities, elected officials, military leaders, businesses, and civic groups that have come together to drive adaptation to the reality of higher seas, stronger storms, and more frequent flooding through national solutions that support flood-affected communities and protect our nation’s residents, economy, and military installations. The Coalition has over 260 members across 20 states.
Cities, towns, elected officials, businesses, and local leaders wishing to join the American Flood Coalition or read more about the organization’s work can visit the Coalition’s website (www.floodcoalition.org) to find out more.
