New coastal studies director at Nunez: ‘What drew me was the impact the program could make on the community

A new semester at Nunez Community College means a new opportunity for Jacqueline Richard, the college’s incoming director of coastal studies. Richard, 41, has spent much of her professional career learning and preparing for this leadership role.

“What drew me most to the position at Nunez was the impact the coastal program could make on the community,” Richard said.   

Coastal restoration will create an array of jobs, ranging from scientists overseeing projects to those actively involved in hands-on restoration efforts, she said, and Nunez’s fledgling program can help prepare students to fill some of those roles.

Much of the coastal restoration performed in and around St. Bernard Parish is done by out of town companies, she added.

“There is a tremendous opportunity to help teach and train local students to gain these jobs to keep these contracts local,” she said.

Nunez offers a number of ways for students to earn technical certificates and diplomas, or a two-year associate degree in coastal studies, which can lead to jobs in maintenance and monitoring of projects included in Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan.

Those jobs include marine technicians, wetlands specialists, modelers, surveyors, environmental planners, and natural resource managers. “There is also the opportunity for students to specialize in water and wastewater, which is more on the urban side of coastal studies,” she said.

GIS technology, also offered at Nunez, is an integral part of coastal studies. A geographic information system is a tool to map and visualize data. In coastal work, GIS helps to visualize wetland vegetation health, the impact of climate change, and changes in water salinity. “We can use this as a tool to help us determine the most efficient way to protect and preserve our coastline,” she said.

A naturalized Louisianian

Although her passion is helping and healing the Louisiana coastline, Richard does not hail from the area. An Illinois native, she moved here in 2003 to earn a master’s degree in geology from the University of New Orleans.  

Most recently, she was an associate professor at Fletcher Technical Community College in Schriever, and the dean of its STEM program.

She jokes that three things have kept her here. “Since there is no snow and the people and food are great, I stayed. I can’t imagine living anywhere else!”

It was during her time at UNO that she was introduced to coastal studies.

“I was interested in the soft, mushy, new sediment,” she said. 

With some of the oldest rocks in the country located near the Mississippi’s headwaters, she refers to their journey as poetic.

“There is something beautiful about rocks that could be over one billion years old eroding into the river, making its way down to the delta, only to become brand-new land again.”

Community college impact

Richard hopes her students are inspired at the community college level as she was.

“It made the most profound impact on me,” she said. “The professors I had during community college were invested in their students. I was given opportunities to help with research, lab work, and field work.”

Richard hopes to provide those same opportunities to her students this fall, while also strengthening relationships with four-year institutions for those who want to continue their coastal studies.

Max Haines and Jordan Verret are two such students. They were members of the first graduating class of Nunez‘s coastal program, each earning an associate of applied science degree.

Haines said his degree has already paid off. “As a result of graduating and having a good understanding of the GIS software, I was offered a job using my newly acquired skills before I even got my graduation gown off.”

Haines teaches a class on drone-flying while preparing to finish his bachelor’s degree in earth and environmental science from UNO.

Verret, 27, said the coastal studies and GIS program gave him insight into the cost, scope, challenges, and opportunities inherent in coastal work. Verret will attend UNO this fall in pursuit of a four-year degree in earth and environmental sciences.

High expectations 

Richard said seeing students fall in love with the idea of helping preserve and protect the coast is the most rewarding part of her job.

“Seeing their connection to place is what inspires me to keep going. It provides a lot of hope,” she said.

Besides hope, Richard cites another trait important to her program’s success — listening.

“It is incredibly important to listen to industry partners to hear about our workforce demands,” she said. “It is important to listen to the community to see where there are gaps that the community college experience can help fill. It is important to listen to the students to hear what they deem as important.”

Richard is in the process of creating a diverse advisory board to help shape the coastal program.

A personal connection

“After Katrina, it became obvious that the coastline was in trouble,” Richard said. “I started volunteering with as many nonprofit agencies as I could that were actively planting trees or putting up dune fencing. … That is truly what hooked me into the coastal scene. It is an amazing feeling to know that you are personally helping the coastline heal.”

This passion means Richard spends most of her time outdoors. “I can generally be found camping, hiking, or kayaking,” she said. She also loves taking her two sons on long road trips, camping and hiking through the National Parks.

But she is happy to be working in St. Bernard.

“St. Bernard is one of my favorite places in Louisiana to explore,” she said. “I like to paddle around the Hopedale Lagoon and out of Shell Beach and explore the margins of Lake Borgne. Seeing our wetlands from the angle of a kayak, moving nice and slow, allows for deeper connection and lots of time to make observations as I paddle through.”