By immersing participants in United States Coast Guard operations through hands-on demonstrations and focused discussions, the program creates an unmatched opportunity to understand the Service’s 11 statutory missions and explore new ways to support them. For ArchTam, participating is both an honor and a responsibility: a chance to listen, learn, and apply decades of expertise to help the Coast Guard execute its mission with agility and confidence.

Immersive learning: Experiencing the United States Coast Guard mission up close

The Coast Guard Industry Academy is designed to embed industry leaders with the Coast Guard across multiple missions and locations. Through interactive sessions and site visits, participants gain firsthand insight into the Coast Guard’s operational challenges and priorities. Now on its fourth cohort, we have participated in the Industry Academy since the program’s inception, sending one representative annually.

Beth Kalapos, ArchTam vice president and federal program leader, who has managed DHS’s Nationwide A/E Services IDIQ for 20 years and led numerous Coast Guard projects, shared her perspective:

Each cohort experiences a series of visits to Coast Guard facilities across the country. During his participation in the third cohort, Nathan Carte, environmental scientist, traveled to multiple locations, including Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington DC, TRACEN Cape May, Coast Guard Yard, Station South Padre Island, Base San Juan, Base Kodiak in Alaska and Base Seattle. These visits offered a firsthand look at the Coast Guard’s diverse missions — from drug interdiction and ports, waterways, and coastal security to search and rescue and protection of living marine resources.

Brendan Grady, project manager and a participant in the Industry Academy’s second cohort, experienced that same mission diversity firsthand. From donning a Gumby suit and jumping into the water at Base Seattle, to observing a helicopter-based search and rescue exercise in Miami, to tactical water training aboard an 87-foot patrol boat, the program offered immersive exposure to the breadth of Coast Guard operations.

A gathering of industry leaders

A hallmark of the Industry Academy is the diverse mix of participating organizations. Leaders from technology, engineering and security sectors work side by side, sharing perspectives and identifying ways to support the Coast Guard more effectively.

Beth reflected on the value of these interactions:

Brendan echoed this sentiment, noting the unusually broad range of industries and people represented — from A/E firms and wireless technology providers to retired military personnel and even public relations professionals.

Looking ahead: Shared commitment to mission readiness

The Coast Guard Industry Academy is more than a training program. It is a forum for shared commitment, where industry partners learn directly from the Coast Guard and identify new ways to contribute meaningful solutions.

For our participants, it deepens our understanding of Coast Guard operations, strengthens relationships and supports our mission to help federal partners operate with confidence.

We are proud to stand with the Coast Guard and fellow partners, bringing the curiosity to learn and the capability to integrate solutions that strengthen security, resilience and mission success.

Header image photo credit: Nathan Carte

The post Understanding the mission: Inside the Coast Guard Industry Academy appeared first on Blog.

A civil engineer by training, he focuses on aligning community development goals with ecological and long-term climate objectives, designing integrated strategies that blend green and gray infrastructure to build safer, more adaptable communities. He has been instrumental in building and leading our coastal resilience team, bringing together engineers, scientists, and planners to tackle complex challenges and expand the group’s impact across the region.

Chris has led major projects for the Texas General Land Office, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), including serving as engineering project manager for the Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan since its inception. From storm surge protection and fast-tracked design following Hurricane Ike in Houston-Galveston to stakeholder engagement across coastal Texas, he brings a collaborative, forward-thinking approach grounded in technical excellence and a deep commitment to community resilience.

Tell us about what inspired you to work in coastal resilience.

I became a civil engineer because I wanted to work on projects that could directly benefit both the environment and the community. I’ve always been drawn to the idea of blending the power of our natural ecosystems with the practical side of engineering, and civil engineering felt like the right fit.

When I began my career, my work focused primarily on flood risk, with a particular emphasis on community resilience to flooding. Over time, I’ve been able to integrate that with my original interest in environmental stewardship. Looking back, that’s where my passion truly started. It’s been rewarding to bring those elements together under one professional umbrella, rather than specializing in just one area. I’ve always held onto the goal of doing work that helps comprehensively when possible, and that’s ultimately shaped the path of my career.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

My favorite project has been the Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan, which has also been a foundational project for our team. We worked with the state on the first plan iteration released in 2017, then updated it in 2019 and 2023, and we’re now working on the 2028 version. It’s been a unique and rewarding opportunity, as we’ve been able to support the Texas General Land Office on this plan since its inception. The plan includes over 367 miles of coast and 3,300 miles of bays and estuaries, addressing challenges such as storm surge, sea level rise, habitat degradation, and coastal erosion. It emphasizes nature- and infrastructure-based solutions, integrating innovative methodologies like living shorelines and sediment management. The plan has resulted in the funding of hundreds of millions of dollars for coastal resilience projects along the Texas coast. I like to think that’s because we’ve put a lot of heart and effort into it, making it representative of the coastal stakeholders and ecosystems of Texas.

This work demonstrates our strong commitment to the Texas coast, its communities, ecosystems, and the complex challenges they encounter. In partnership with the General Land Office, we continuously listen to and learn from the knowledge and experiences of stakeholders, professionals, and academic experts across the entire Texas coast. Through this collaboration, we have created a set of resilient design guides for stakeholder use that translate the plan components into actionable steps.

Through these connections, we find solutions that balance environmental needs with community resilience, addressing current issues while anticipating how challenges will evolve over time. It has been an incredible chance to lead and help shape the long-term vision for the Texas coast. It’s an ongoing opportunity to better serve the state, its communities, habitats, and ecosystems, improving resilience and making the coast as safe, accessible, and sustainable as possible – a coast that many generations can enjoy.

Why is it important to take a proactive approach to coastal resilience?

Unfortunately, it feels like we have a new flood or hurricane-related disaster far too frequently these days. It often seems like we’re stuck in this constant cycle of responding to the latest disaster. Our resilience practice is working to shift that mindset from reactive to proactive. Instead of waiting for worst-case scenarios to happen, many of which are unprecedented and unexpected, we want to think ahead.

Our approach to resilience considers both what has happened and what hasn’t happened yet. How do we develop solutions — whether engineered, nature-based, gray infrastructure, green infrastructure, or a mix — that go beyond traditional methods? It’s about building on our previous knowledge but also pushing the envelope to be more innovative and thoughtful. Recently, we assisted NASA with these specific considerations by working with them at the Kennedy Space Center to assess opportunities for enhancing site resilience against coastal surge and erosion. We aimed to do this by leveraging the natural beach and dune system along the Atlantic shoreline and living shoreline on the estuarine shores.

A big part of this is recognizing that we can’t just build stronger infrastructure. We also need to educate and inform communities, sharing knowledge and helping residents become responsible stewards of their environment — whether that’s the coast, river systems, or flood-prone areas. Fostering that awareness and centering it in a community’s culture is key. As an example, we partnered with FEMA and The Nature Conservancy in Puerto Rico to develop job aids for local communities, providing a technical foundation to assist them in transitioning from traditional infrastructure designs to natural and nature-based solutions along sandy shorelines, riverine streambanks, and urban stormwater systems.

Ultimately, the goal is to reduce the need to respond repeatedly to disasters by implementing measures beforehand. That way, when events do happen, their negative impacts are mitigated because proactive steps were taken. That’s the heart of what we’re trying to do with resilience.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

As an individual member of the public, a lot of the work our team does tends to be expected — or even taken for granted. People don’t expect heavy rainfall to disrupt their ability to get to work on any given day, much less cause loss of life. Often, we’re fortunate enough to expect those kinds of events won’t happen, or at least that they’ll remain extreme exceptions.

What we try to do is make resilience and hazard mitigation fundamental — something that happens quietly behind the scenes. In an ideal world, much of what we do goes unnoticed by the public because it’s so reliable. At the same time, we want people to become more knowledgeable and aware of these issues through education and outreach, whether it’s working with schools, running public campaigns, or providing resources.

It’s about cutting through some of the bigger challenges in society, like politics or funding limitations, and focusing on what matters most: projects that truly benefit the public. What’s critical to us is not just the technical excellence of our work, but also making positive impacts and changing perspectives. That way, awareness of resilience becomes less of an exception and more a part of how communities understand and prepare for their environment.

Share a piece of career advice.

First, as a young engineer, scientist, planner, or any other professional, it’s essential to diversify. Find opportunities that allow you to work in different spaces, take on different types of projects, and learn new skills. That versatility benefits you by keeping your career from becoming repetitive and provides a broader range of exposure to unique projects.

Second, take initiative. Do what’s in front of you, but don’t be afraid to express interest in other areas. If you hear about something that excites you, reach out — whether it’s within your group or another one — and have a conversation to learn more. Authentic interest is what makes a real difference. We want to work with people who are genuinely invested in the work, because that’s when you do your best work.

The post The importance of coastal resilience: Meet Chris Levitz appeared first on Blog.

We’re spotlighting our Veterans Champion and project manager from our Buildings and Places business in the UK, Thomas Westlake, whose experience and continued contributions are helping shape how we support veterans across our organization. Their insight is helping us build a more inclusive, resilient, and supportive workplace for those transitioning from military to industry life.

Thomas Westlake is from our Project Management team in London and works predominantly in the Security and Resilience sector. He has been with ArchTam since 2023, following a career in the British Armed Forces. Thomas works on projects across government, public sector, defense, and disaster management, coordinating with a wide range of stakeholders and teams. His projects have been across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.

After serving in the British Army for eight years, I was eager to find a career where I could apply the skills I had developed and continue doing work that made a real difference. A friend who was working at ArchTam at the time introduced me to the company. What stood out was the scale of the projects, the global footprint, and the opportunity to contribute to work with real-world impact, particularly in areas like infrastructure, security, and resilience. Project management felt like a natural transition from the armed forces, and ArchTam offered the structure and opportunities to grow in that space. My role within the defence and government sectors allows me to contribute to meaningful projects in the UK and overseas. It’s rewarding to be part of efforts that help safeguard communities and protect national interests while supporting international efforts to foster resilience and enhance security.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

One of my most fulfilling projects was delivering a resilience assessment of six emergency shelters in the Turks and Caicos Islands. These shelters are crucial during hurricane season, providing protection to local communities when extreme weather hits. I led the assessment on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), working closely with some outstanding specialist consultants, local government representatives, and community leaders.

Our team conducted on-the-ground inspections, assessing compliance of six key areas: structural integrity, fire safety, hygiene facilities, security, accessibility, and gender sensitivity. We also reviewed emergency plans and practices and spoke with key stakeholders and residents to understand local needs and context.

What I enjoyed most was the challenge of building trust quickly, navigating cultural differences, and shaping practical, community-led solutions. Based on our findings, we made clear, actionable recommendations, ranging from structural improvements to clearer roles, better coordination between agencies, and enhancements to better support women, children, and other vulnerable groups.

The project helped strengthen local preparedness by addressing key vulnerabilities ahead of the next hurricane season and empowering local teams to lead the changes. It was a project where the impact was clear, the collaboration was strong, and the work genuinely helped improve readiness on the ground. That made it a particularly rewarding experience for me.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

After being appointed Veterans Champion for ArchTam, I have taken a leading role in organising the ArchTam Armed Forces and Veteran Industry Insight Programme in the UK and Ireland. This initiative was developed to support individuals transitioning from military to industry careers by providing a platform to explore opportunities and access a dedicated support network.

The event highlighted diverse career pathways and demonstrated our ongoing commitment to veterans, service leavers, and reservists through targeted training, mentoring and advocacy. It underscored the wide range of roles available across the organisation and the broader industry — from project management to leadership positions — many of which align closely with the skills veterans bring from their military service.

The event also created a valuable space for attendees to connect with industry professionals, gain insights into civilian work environments, and explore new career possibilities. A key focus was on recognising and translating the transferable skills veterans possess — such as leadership, problem-solving, resilience and teamwork — into meaningful opportunities in the industry workforce.

The event’s success was reflected in the positive feedback we received and the stories of participants who left with renewed confidence, many now actively considering careers in project management. Looking ahead, we are committed to building on this momentum. I have begun developing an internal veterans’ network to foster a sense of community, provide peer support, and ensure that the voices and experiences of veterans are reflected across the organisation.

Share a piece of career advice

Embrace transferable skills and be open to new opportunities. My transition from the British Army to project management wasn’t straightforward. No matter where you start or what your background is, the experiences you’ve gained and skills you have developed are often more transferable than you realise, trust in them and don’t hesitate to step outside your comfort zone.

The post People Spotlight: Meet Thomas Westlake appeared first on Blog.

Jon Short began his career journey as a graduate engineer with Scott Wilson, which later became part of ArchTam. Over the course of 16 years, he has advanced through various roles, and today he leads the coastal team within the Water Resources division. His extensive experience and dedication have made him a key figure in coastal management and water resources projects across the region. 

What inspired you to join the industry? 

I was inspired to join the industry due to my deep-seated passion for the sea and coastal environments. From a young age, I have always enjoyed being close to the sea, which influenced my academic pursuits. I studied geography and oceanography as an undergraduate, and I enjoyed the oceanography components the most. This led me to pursue a master’s degree in Engineering in the Coastal Environment at the University of Southampton. 

My academic background and passion for coastal environments motivated me to apply my knowledge in a practical way, leading to a career in consultancy. I was driven by the desire to address significant issues such as climate change and sea level rise and apply my learnings to solve complex problems in what is an ever changing and dynamic environment. Using my skills to help communities and the environment adapt to and manage these challenges is very rewarding. 

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?  

I have had the opportunity to work on dozens of projects throughout my career, which makes it challenging to select a single favourite. Recent coastal management work on the island of Jersey stands out as particularly significant and fulfilling. From 2018 to 2020, I was involved in developing the Shoreline Management Plan for Jersey in Northwestern Europe. This plan aimed to address and mitigate the risks of coastal flooding and sea level rise for the island, and we are now appraising and designing several projects under a shoreline management programme to mitigate coastal flood risk and improve community resilience in the face of climate change on this special island. 

I find this work especially rewarding because it has given me the opportunity to combine my passion for coastal environments with my expertise in addressing critical environmental challenges. The impact of these projects on local communities and their future protection against climate change and sea level rise makes these projects particularly meaningful for me. It is most rewarding helping to raise awareness and educate communities of the risks, and then engaging with them to identify and design solutions, resilience or adaptation measures that deliver wider benefits and leave sustainable legacies in the coastal environment. 

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community. 

One of the most fulfilling projects I managed from inception to completion is the Coverack Coastal Protection Project in Cornwall. This project addressed the imminent threat of coastal erosion to the only access road to a village, which was at risk of being cut off completely. The loss of this road would have isolated the community, making the project critical for their connectivity and safety. 

My team was tasked with assessing, appraising and developing various options to protect the road. Ultimately, we designed a coastal protection programme that included rock armor and a new retaining wall in front of the road. This project involved numerous challenges such as working around a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), balancing community needs and addressing environmental considerations such as the need to minimize encroachment into the intertidal zone and avoid or mitigate the impacts to regionally significant geological interest features.  

The project required navigating technical complexities and managing diverse stakeholder interests. I oversaw the entire process, assembling a multidisciplinary team to take the project from the initial concept through design, consenting and construction support, culminating in its completion in early 2024. As a team, we refined designs to meet statutory, stakeholder and environmental requirements, such as the need to not adversely impact the geological SSSI. Through careful alignment selection, increasing the revetment steepness, and providing the geological watching brief during the works, the project was successfully delivered in line with requirements and overcoming the constraints. The design also incorporated some existing rock from previous works into the project to deliver maximum benefits and help keep the costs as lean as possible.  We also supported the client in engagement with landowners and residents to reduce objections, minimise disruption and successfully negotiate the temporary use of part of a resident’s garden to allow vehicle access to the village to be maintained during the construction works.  

Seeing the project through from start to finish has been incredibly rewarding for me. The successful completion of the Coverack Project means that the community is now better protected from coastal erosion, ensuring their access road remains intact and their connectivity preserved. The project stands as a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, showcasing how thoughtful engineering and project management can make a tangible difference in people’s lives. 

Share a piece of career advice. 

If there’s one piece of career advice that has guided me, it’s this: seize every opportunity. When new chances arise, whether through design, circumstance, or pure chance, embrace them wholeheartedly. I truly believe in the philosophy of “sink or swim.” Throughout my career, I have faced numerous opportunities that allowed me to push and stretch myself beyond my comfort zone. These new challenges, although daunting, allowed me to test and refine my skills. Successfully navigating these opportunities has not only built my confidence but also provided a solid platform for career progression. 

Don’t be deterred by opportunities that seem too daunting or beyond your current capabilities. Often, you will be surprised at what you can achieve when you take on challenges that seem out of reach. Embrace these moments as they can lead to significant personal and professional growth. 

The post People Spotlight: Meet Jon Short appeared first on Blog.

Jason has more than 23 years of experience as an economist for ArchTam projects across business lines. Over the course of his career, he has leveraged his background in resource economics to help evaluate and justify transportation, water, energy and environmental projects for local, state and federal agencies such as the U.S Department of Transportation (USDOT), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), as well as the U.S. government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

His recent projects include an economic impact study for a working waterfront in Portland, Maine where he lives and benefit-cost analyses for dam rehabilitation projects nationwide. He’s currently working with our Environment team to help our clients find ways to generate revenue from the natural capital of their land assets through initiatives like conservation easements and mitigation banking. He has prepared application packages and completed economic analyses for multiple successful federal and state transportation and hazard mitigation grants, including for BRIC, HMA, BUILD, INFRA, CRISI, PIDP and RAISE. He has been an instructor for courses at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute and instructed a pilot course at the National Highway Institute that taught participants (USDOT reviewers) how to evaluate the benefit-cost analyses of applications submitted to USDOT discretionary grant programs.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.

While I earned my undergraduate degree in engineering, I became interested in the best ways to justify environmental-related measures from an economic standpoint. This led me to pursue a master’s degree in resource economics, and economics has been my focus ever since. When completing an environmental-related project, we used different methods to show that people are willing to pay for things like higher water quality, clean air and preserved nature that benefit the community or broader society.

This involves either surveying people who could be impacted or using a benefit transfer, in which we consider values developed through other studies published by academia or in peer-reviewed journals and translate them to our specific study. We provide benefit-cost analyses and feasibility studies for existing projects and grant applications to show that projects are economically feasible and cost-effective.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law have increased available grant funding tremendously, so our team’s grant work has expanded. I work on a broad range of projects at ArchTam — there are always new and interesting opportunities to learn and grow — and this keeps me energized in my role.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

I have opportunities to work on a broad range of projects, so it’s difficult to select one project or area of practice. However, much of my career has focused on hazard mitigation, which aims to reduce or eliminate long-term risk to people and property from future flooding and other hazard events. For more than 20 years I’ve helped federal, state and local agencies evaluate flood mitigation projects using cost-benefit analyses and provided guidance related to resilience and climate change.

For the United States Trade and Development Agency, we looked at ways to help restore mangroves in coastal areas of Thailand. Our proposed solutions needed to protect the ecosystem while supporting local communities that rely on shrimp farming for their livelihoods and food security. We examined and brought forward more sustainable aquaculture approaches that protect mangroves and contribute to mangrove reforestation.

Another subset of my hazard mitigation work is dams, which can have a significant impact if they fail. Working with our Water business line teams across the country, I help the NRCS, FEMA and USAF evaluate dam rehabilitation projects. We use benefit-cost analyses to determine the economic feasibility and value of rehabilitating dams to current day standards.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

In 2018, I took part in a study aimed at improving the wastewater collection system in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital city, for the Millennium Challenge Corporation. One of the study’s outcomes is a newly constructed Advanced Water Purification Plant (AWPP). The AWPP has introduced the latest developments in water purification science and technology to Mongolia and replaced an ineffective water treatment plant that had left water untreated and flowing into a local river with communities struggling under the stench.

The project has made a significant impact, both in terms of the water supply that’s available and the health and well-being of the downstream communities. I was able to spend two to three weeks in Mongolia to develop the benefit-cost analysis that helped justify the AWPP. Seeing the situation in person and then being able to play a part in solving this health issue — putting my resource economics background to use on the ground — was extremely rewarding. Overall, I’ve enjoyed the international projects I’ve worked on because they provide the opportunity to think creatively on how to approach a problem and how to evaluate proposed solutions.

Share a piece of career advice.

Keep yourself relevant in the industry by trying new things and continuously expanding your knowledge base. There are so many great resources here at ArchTam to bounce things off and our people are very willing to help train young professionals to bring them up to speed. So don’t be afraid to say, “yes I can!” when you’re asked to do something new internally or by a client.

The post People Spotlight: Meet Jason Weiss appeared first on Blog.