Virginia Lee
Assistant Director,
RI Sea Grant College Program

Biographical Sketch

Virginia Lee is the assistant director of the Rhode Island Sea Grant College Program and is director of the Sustainable Coastal Communities and Environments Extension Program. She also serves as manager of the Coastal Resources Center US Program at the University of Rhode Island (URI). In these roles, Virginia promotes the use of integrated coastal management tools to foster sustainable coastal communities at the local, state, national and international levels. Activities and programs under her direction employ scientific practice, growth management technologies, regional visioning techniques and public-private partnerships to achieve coastal management goals.

Virginia serves on the URI Sustainable Coastal Communities Initiative, the Rhode Island Sea Grant Sustainable Coastal Communities Theme Team, the Grow Smart Rhode Island Advisory Committee and the Rhode Island Save the Bay Board of Directors. Her expertise in the field of sustainable development enables her to play an effective leadership role in advocating growth management tools and policy.

Virginia has been active in public service, serving on the town council, zoning board and conservation commission in South Kingstown, RI, and on the boards of the Aquafund and the Scientific Committee of the Sound Conservancy. She is the author of numerous publications for state and federal agencies. She was nominated for the Walter B. Jones Memorial, the NOAA Awards for Excellence in Coastal and Ocean Management and the 1994 Coastal Steward of the Year award, and received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Environmental Protection Agency for Assessment and Watershed Protection Program.