RÉSUMÉ // ABOUT ME
Mathew D. Sanders, AICP
is a globally-recognized leader in climate-change adaptation and resilience planning, pre- and post-disaster planning and program design, community development, and large-scale public outreach and engagement. Mathew leads the first federally-funded, climate change-induced community resettlement project in U.S. history and developed the first regional resilience planning effort in Louisiana specific to future flood risk attributed to climate change, coastal land loss, subsidence, and sea-level rise. Mathew has extensive experience leading large-scale and high-profile inter-governmental and consultant-staffed special project teams and is a demonstrated high-level public communicator with extensive experience addressing audiences of all scales and types, ranging from fellow professionals to elected officials and the media.
Mathew is currently the resilience program and policy administrator for the State of Louisiana’s Office of Community Development (OCD). Louisiana has received a $92.6M award in conjunction with the HUD-funded National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC), including a $40M award to support its resilience policy framework, Louisiana’s Strategic Adaptations for Future Environments (LA SAFE), and a $48.3M award to resettle the Isle de Jean Charles community in Terrebonne Parish, LA. Mathew was the state’s intergovernmental lead for its NDRC application and is currently the principal in the development of both awarded projects.
Prior to taking on a resilience-specific role within OCD, Mathew served as the organization’s policy advisor, taking on a lead role in the state’s recovery from 2012’s Hurricane Isaac. Among other efforts, Mathew developed the state’s unmet needs methodology and numerous recovery programs. He also authored Louisiana’s Action Plans defining and justifying recovery programs to HUD. In this program design role, Mathew has worked extensively with both elected and appointed political leaders, members of the affected communities and partner federal and state agencies in an attempt to facilitate positive outcomes for both local affected communities and the state itself. Additionally, Mathew has worked in a lead role to triage dormant and ineffective programs within OCD’s Hurricane Katrina recovery portfolio.
Mathew holds degrees from Louisiana State University and New York University in mass communication and as a master of urban planning, respectively. Additionally, he is accredited by the American Planning Association’s American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
Mathew is a native of New Orleans, LA.
is a globally-recognized leader in climate-change adaptation and resilience planning, pre- and post-disaster planning and program design, community development, and large-scale public outreach and engagement. Mathew leads the first federally-funded, climate change-induced community resettlement project in U.S. history and developed the first regional resilience planning effort in Louisiana specific to future flood risk attributed to climate change, coastal land loss, subsidence, and sea-level rise. Mathew has extensive experience leading large-scale and high-profile inter-governmental and consultant-staffed special project teams and is a demonstrated high-level public communicator with extensive experience addressing audiences of all scales and types, ranging from fellow professionals to elected officials and the media.
Mathew is currently the resilience program and policy administrator for the State of Louisiana’s Office of Community Development (OCD). Louisiana has received a $92.6M award in conjunction with the HUD-funded National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC), including a $40M award to support its resilience policy framework, Louisiana’s Strategic Adaptations for Future Environments (LA SAFE), and a $48.3M award to resettle the Isle de Jean Charles community in Terrebonne Parish, LA. Mathew was the state’s intergovernmental lead for its NDRC application and is currently the principal in the development of both awarded projects.
Prior to taking on a resilience-specific role within OCD, Mathew served as the organization’s policy advisor, taking on a lead role in the state’s recovery from 2012’s Hurricane Isaac. Among other efforts, Mathew developed the state’s unmet needs methodology and numerous recovery programs. He also authored Louisiana’s Action Plans defining and justifying recovery programs to HUD. In this program design role, Mathew has worked extensively with both elected and appointed political leaders, members of the affected communities and partner federal and state agencies in an attempt to facilitate positive outcomes for both local affected communities and the state itself. Additionally, Mathew has worked in a lead role to triage dormant and ineffective programs within OCD’s Hurricane Katrina recovery portfolio.
Mathew holds degrees from Louisiana State University and New York University in mass communication and as a master of urban planning, respectively. Additionally, he is accredited by the American Planning Association’s American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
Mathew is a native of New Orleans, LA.
