Ann Phillips

“With sea levels rising at nearly twice the rate the rest of the East Coast, the Hampton Roads Region is a crucible for the entire range of climate-related challenges. The region’s extensive and diverse community of 1.7 million people spread across 17 cities and municipalities requires a “whole of government and community” approach to achieve adaptive resilience solutions – a real opportunity, and one we must seize today!”

Biography

Ann Phillips is a retired Navy Admiral who serves as an independent consultant working to address sea level rise and climate impact on national security at the regional, state, and national level.

During her 31 years on active duty, Rear Admiral Phillips commanded a Destroyer, Destroyer Squadron and Amphibious Strike Group, and served in every warfare group of the Surface Navy. Ashore she was a Senior Fellow on the CNO’s Strategic Studies Group XXVIII, and later managed requirements and resources for the Surface Navy as Deputy Director and Director of Surface Warfare Division (N86) in the Pentagon. She served on the Chief of Naval Operations’ Climate Change Task Force and Energy Task Force from 2009-2012, where she co-chaired the Surface Force Working Group, developing and implementing climate change adaptation and energy reduction strategies for the Navy.

Upon retirement from the U.S. Navy in 2014, she chaired the Infrastructure Working Group for the Hampton Roads Sea Level Rise Preparedness and Resilience Intergovernmental Pilot Planning Project convened by Old Dominion University, a project that worked to develop a collaborative, whole of government and community approach to address the impact of sea level rise across the Hampton Roads region.

She continues to work to address a broad range of audiences on climate security and adaptation strategies, appeared in the movie “Tidewater”, and serves as an Advisory Board member for The Center for Climate and Security, the American Resilience Project, as the Vice President of Hampton Roads Naval Historical Foundation and on other local, regional, and national non-profit boards. In addition, she coordinates an evolving wetlands restoration project for her neighborhood in Norfolk, Virginia.

Education

MBA, Mason School of Business, College of William and Mary

National Security Policy Studies, JPME, Naval War College

Bachelor of Arts, French Language and Literature, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill