Development professional with over sixteen years of experience living and working in the Pacific region, namely Samoa. A national-level consultant specializing in project management, rural livelihoods development, community outreach, policy and statistical analysis and digital innovation in various thematic areas related to international development such as agriculture, environment and industry. Over eight years managing public affairs, political, economic, and military portfolios for U.S. Embassy Apia. Experienced managing numerous grants, programs, media campaigns, development projects, budgets, volunteer placements, and humanitarian missions involving various federal agencies, host nation governments, and civil society organizations. Experienced office leader in a cross-cultural setting. Excellent at multi-tasking and delivering quality work in a timely manner.
James Lewis, Director of Intercoastal Consulting, is a certified practicing civil engineer with over 15 years of experience specialising in coastal engineering throughout Australasia and across the Pacific. He has a broad knowledge of coastal protection design, integrated coastal management and surf amenity. James’s skills extend outside the office where he has led large-scale metocean deployments, analysing the data captured in the field to calibrate numerical models used to inform coastal design.
He has focussed the last 10 years of his career on working in Small Island Developing States (SIDs) in climate change adaptation, concerned primarily with developing climate-resilient coastal protection. James aspires to see the design phase through to implementation; having supported procurement, and contracting and undertaken construction supervision on large projects in remote locations. He aims to provide value and support through the complete project lifecycle including the social, financial and institutional aspects of these projects, endeavoring to understand the administrative, governmental and funding mechanisms specific to each country and community and their relation to the delivery of a successful project.
Using his knowledge of coastal engineering, the ocean and the environment, James’ primary endeavor is to assist coastal communities most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Dr George Carter is a Research Fellow at the Department of Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University (ANU). He is also the Director for the ANU Pacific Institute a large network hub of scholars in the university - connecting and promoting Pacific research, teaching and training at the university.
The broad focus of George’s research interest explores Pacific island peoples’ and states influence and agency in international and regional politics. His research interests explore international politics of (negotiations, security, gender, finance, justice, science and traditional knowledge) climate change, geopolitics and regionalism(s), as well as the foreign policy and diplomacies of small island states in the Pacific. Furthermore, he is interested in indigenous philosophy and non-western international relations that focus on the longstanding history, practices, protocols and principles of Pacific political communities, contributing to Oceanic Diplomacy.
He has undertaken research in multilateral forums including climate change, security, ocean, sustainable development negotiations, as well as in regional organisations and national governments across the Pacific. George teaches university and executive courses in international relations, diplomacy, security, environment and climate change, policy, cultural communication, and Pacific studies.
His research and teaching interests are informed by his education, work experience in the Pacific and upbringing through his proud Samoan Tuvaluan, i-Kiribati, Chinese, British ancestry. He serves his family and communities in Samoa, where he holds the matai/chiefly title of Salā.
Member of Linnean Society of London (FLS)
Visiting Fellow of Nottingham Trent University, UK
Officer for Environmental Science for the government of Tuvalu Honorary Ambassador
Project Team Leader for PACE-SD USP, Suva Fiji
Leading the 8 million Euro European Union Global Climate Change Alliance Project. Working in 15 P-ACP countries. http://eugcca.usp.ac.fj/Home.aspx
Principal Supervisor for 7 MSc & 3 PhD students plus 2MSc completions in 2012. Developing and delivering courses for PGDip in Climate Change. Developing a new programme for PGDip Disaster Risk Management. Developing and administering "on-line" resources for full delivery of these courses to studnets in isolated small-island nation states (USP has 12 campuses in nations across the Pacific). Face-to-face teaching on various postgraduate and undergraduate courses as and when required.
Responsible for the proper and timely coordination, management and implementation of the project “Meeting the Challenges of Climate Change in the Pacific Islands through Training, Applied Research and Community Engagement”. The project ambit consists of 15 Pacific nations, 11 of which have a USP campus. CCA adaptation plans and activities in 43 communities.
Member of various committees: Research Committee; Academic Standards; Academic Audit (Research); Faculty Programming (designing new undergraduate "Environmental Science" programme); organizing committee for 4 international conferences (Local Governance and Climate Change; Pacific Climate Services Forum; 12th Pacific Science Inter-congress; 2nd International Renewable Energy and Climate Change Conference).
Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University, UK
Lecturing and development of Undergraduate modules: “Sustainability” and “Rural Communities and Planning”. Lecturing on Post Grad MA International Relations: Theories, Practices and Policy. Supervision of undergraduate students; setting & marking coursework. School of Animal, Rural & Environmental Science Research Committee. Secured SPUR funding for research in Tuvalu
Scientific Advisor for Alofa Tuvalu (French-Tuvaluan NGO)
Author of the renewable energy technology component of the 10-year “Small Is Beautiful” project, Tuvalu.
Currently implementing renewable energy related sustainable development/environmental management & adaptation activities in Tuvalu (biogas, biodiesel, gasification, solar pv & thermal, wind). Selected as one of UNESCO’s decade of achievement projects.
Preparing funding proposals & securing funding.
Programme Manager for Cusichaca Trust, UK
Planning projects and devising/implementing/evaluating strategies for natural resource management, sustainable development & adaptation of rural Highland Peru. Major environmental management project - completed in September 2007 - research, agricultural extension and rehabilitation of land, vegetation, Inca terraces & irrigation systems in the Pampachiri District, Peru. Defining and implementing management structures and systems of an NGO with 40 full-time employees. Directing research and funding programmes, securing funding (1,500,000 Euro - EU, DFID & Community Fund).