Nature Wins Podcast Episode 9: The Neighborhood Resiliency Project
In this episode of Nature Wins, host Maureen Aylward is joined by guests Collin Buckner and Kyle McWilliam-Lopez to discuss TownGreen’s Neighborhood Resiliency Project. This episode provides listeners with an overview of the Neighborhood Resiliency Project. The City of Gloucester’s Office of Emergency Management and the American Red Cross are partners with TownGreen. Discussion will touch on a growing network of nonprofit organizations and programming goals: completing household emergency plans and giving away emergency go-bags. The three entities are embarking on neighborhood-by-neighborhood programs that focus on social connectedness and flood risk information. Brief BiosCollin Buckner, City of Gloucester Assistant Director, Office of Emergency Management Collin originally moved to Massachusetts from Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2018 for a national year of service with the AmeriCorps Cape Cod program, where he served with the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee and Town of Falmouth: Marine & Environmental Services. While there, Collin got hands-on experience with emergency planning and operations. Since then, Collin has lived between New England and the Gulf Coast, working in emergency management and disaster response roles for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the American Red Cross, the water and wastewater industry, and local government. His drive to make lasting, positive changes in systems and the environment is what brought Collin to Gloucester.Kyle McWilliam-Lopez, Executive Director, American Red Cross NortheastKyle is a California native who found his way to Massachusetts through a career dedicated to community and humanitarian service. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia—teaching beekeeping and leading water infrastructure projects—and working in workforce development and renewable energy in California, Kyle joined the American Red Cross in 2017. His eight years with the organization have taken him from hurricane recovery operations in Florida to managing statewide recovery services and government relations across Massachusetts. He now serves as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Northeastern Chapter, overseeing disaster response and emergency preparedness across 62 cities and towns. Kyle holds a Master's in Public Policy and International Relations from the Middlebury Institute and a BA in Sociology from UC Davis. Outside of work, Kyle coaches his son's soccer team and enjoys running, cooking, and cold water plunging in Cape Ann.
