Advisory Committee

Mike Flynt

Michael Flynt is an At-Large Advisory Board member. He has a BS in Zoology from the University of Florida, a Master of Arts in Community Leadership (Urban and Regional Planning) from Central Michigan University and a Master of Public Administration (Coastal Zone Studies) from the University of West Florida. He has also completed a number of Department of Defense schools including Air War College. Michael completed a 26year Air Force career in December 1993 after serving as a transport and helicopter pilot, staff officer at various joint commands including the Joint Staff in the Pentagon, and he was Commandant of the Air Force Special Operations School when he retired. Michael is currently an Independent Contractor. He served as City Administrator for the City of Valparaiso from 1996 through 2002. In that time he was a member of the Okaloosa County Artificial Reef Committee, Aqua-Lab water quality monitoring program Coordinator with the Okaloosa County Environmental Committee, Technical Coordinating Committee member of the Fort Walton Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization, and a member of the Okaloosa County Comprehensive Plan Committee. He is currently a member of Okaloosa Walton Colleges’ Institute for Senior Professionals and Vice Chair of the South Walton Utility Board of Directors.

Ross E. Hamilton

Ross Hamilton is a charter board member for the CBA. Ross has a BS in Biology from William Carey College with emphasis in Marine Biology from the Gulf Coast Marine Laboratory. He also obtained a MS in Biology with emphasis in Ichthyology from Northeast Louisiana State University. His teaching experience includes Biology, Zoology, Marine Biology and Tropical Biology. Ross is currently a 36 year employee at Okaloosa-Walton College. He was formerly the Chairman/Instructor of the Science Department. Ross is teaching college science to high school students at the Collegiate High School. Ross was also a founding board member of the Focus Science Center. He has directed 7 summer science institutes on Coastal Ecology for public school teachers and was the director of 5 summer camps for middle and elementary students entitled Cool Coast Ecology.

Taylor "Chips" Kirschenfeld

Taylor is a member of the Board of Directors. He attended the University of Alabama where he majored in Biology and Chemistry, and he received his Masters Degree in Coastal Zone Biology from the University of West Florida. Taylor also completed four years of Ph.D. studies in Marine Biology at the Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory. Taylor is currently the Senior Water Quality Scientist for Escambia County, Florida where he has procured over $4,000,000 in grant funding for local stormwater and wetland restoration projects, and for a new water and sediment quality laboratory in Pensacola. Previously, Taylor was the Northwest Florida Natural Resource Program Manager for the environmental engineering firm of CH2M HILL, and he founded and managed the Ecosystem Restoration Section of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Northwest District. At FDEP, Taylor successfully procured over $1,000,000 in grants for the creation of FDEP's tissue culture laboratory and greenhouses at the FDEP native plant nursery in Pensacola, and he directed numerous seagrass, salt marsh, and sand dune restoration projects in the Northwest Florida area. One of Taylor's grants provided funding for the writing of "Breaking New Ground," the guide for managing the Choctawhatchee Bay System. Taylor also is a faculty member at the University of West Florida Environmental Studies Department where he teaches courses in Coastal and Marine Environments and Environmental Law. Taylor chairs the Technical Advisory Committee of the Bay Area Resource Council, and in January 2006, Taylor accepted the position of Emerald Coastkeeper for Northwest Florida, an affiliate of the international Waterkeeper Alliance chaired by Robert Kennedy, Jr.

Monica Autrey

Monica M. Autrey, P.E. is a native to Destin and returned to the area after school in 2000.  She currently lives with husband and daughter in Destin.  As a graduated from UF with a Bachelors (1998) and Masters in Civil Engineering (2000), she currently works as Engineering Manager with Destin Water Users, Inc.  Monica is a graduate of Destin Forward where she was honored with the Destin Forward Leadership award as well as Leadership Okaloosa.  She serves as Secretary for the Destin History and Fishing Museum board.  In addition she is the scholarship chair for the Florida Engineering Society.

Dennis J. Peters

Dennis Peters is the vice chairman for the CBA. His educational experience includes BS in Biology (Aquatic Biology/Limnology/Marine Ecology) from Lebanon Valley College and an MS in BioEnvironmental Oceanography (Marine Chemistry) from the Florida Institute of Technology. Dennis has also studied Marine Ichthyology and Marine Ecology at the Marine Science Consortium. Dennis currently works with the Gulf South Research Corporation (GSRC).   Previously he was the Senior Project Manager and Marine Scientist for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) at Shalimar's Gulf Coast Office. At SAIC, Mr. Peters was responsible for the marine program management, staff and budget oversight, and the preparation of environmental compliance documents (EAs,BAs, EIS, etc.). In addition, he was responsible for marketing, coordination of the client interface, and direct consultation with local, state, and federal agencies. Dennis was also employed through the Florida Marine Research Institute (Research Administrator) conducting marine fisheries stock assessments within the Choctawhatchee Bay. As former owner Gulfstream Aquaculture, Mr. Peters provided aquaculture consultancy services for new marine species development. Dennis' aquaculture experience also led him to Hawaii working for Hawaii Seafood Growers, Inc. (Operations Manager) and to the Bahamas and south Florida with NORAQUA (Broodstock Manager). Mr. Peters began his career in marine fisheries at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, where he was a fisheries Research Assistant.

Dan Robeen

Dan is an Ex-officio board member for the CBA. Dan's educational experience starts at Pensacola Junior College where he received an A.A. He then continued his education at Florida State University and earned BS in Civil Engineering. He continued his education at Florida State and got his MS in Urban and Regional Planning. Dan currently is employed at Eglin AFB as the Chief Environmental Engineer. He is responsible for the environmental management ground, and underground storage tanks, and management of air emission sources. He has also been the Water Quality Manager and an Environmental Engineer at Eglin as well. Dan has also worked as a Civil Engineer for the Federal Highway Administration.

Bill Schultz

Bill Schultz received his Bachelors of Science in Business Administration at the University of Missouri in 1953. After serving three years in the Navy, Bill worked as manager in various positions for AT&T Long Lines (1957-1983); the final position was the State Regulatory Manager for AT&T Communications (1984-1987). A certified management consultant, Bill is the president of Schultz and Associates Ltd., a management and technical consulting firm. Specializing in Organizational Development, Information Technology Management, Business Transformation Solutions & Services, as well as Relationship Based Solutions & Services. Bill is a certified Master Naturalist in Coastal Systems through the University of Florida. His interests are in achieving the balance between growth and development and protection of the environment.

Mark Shaeffer

Mark was born in Texas to a US Air Force Air Rescue helicopter pilot father and elementary school teacher mother. He moved around often, covering 7 states by age 14 (Hawaii and California were in there so it was not as tough as it sounds). Mark graduated from Choctawhatchee High School in Fort Walton Beach and has always considered this area his home. Mark graduated with a Civil Engineering degree from the University of Florida and after a short stint in south Florida, joined Smith and Gillespie Engineers which later became Jones Edmunds and Associates (JEA). JEA is a Florida-based consulting engineering organization (approximately 225 persons). Beginning in the environmental division of JEA in Jacksonville, Mark later became a Vice President and managed their Northwest Florida regional office in Destin before he joined Baskerville Donovan, Inc. While at JEA, he was involved in the replacement of Destin’s harbor pumping station designed to improve water quality in the Harbor lagoon system and assisted in the development of the City’s stormwater master plan. Mark is currently with Baskerville Donovan in their Destin office and has assisted CBA in previous efforts including a basin-wide water quality history and stormwater impact evaluation. He is also assisting two utilities in the Choctawhatchee Bay basin. Currently, spending time with his son Reid (age 17) enjoying shared interests in cars, fishing, skiing and watersports are Mark’s favorite ‘outside of work’ activities. Choctawhatchee Bay has and continues to give to Mark’s family in so many ways and he wishes to give something back and preserve it to benefit the quality of life of others.

Mitch Shank

Mitch received a BS and MS in Meteorology from Penn State University. He then worked as a Naval Oceanographer for 40 years, retiring in March 2003 as the Director of Strategic Planning for the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office at Stennis Space Center, MS. Mitch has served in senior management positions for the last 25 years, principally in underwater acoustics supporting submarine and anti-submarine warfare missions. He was also a U.S. Delegate to the UN Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and to numerous national committees on oceanography.

James Ward

James Ward is currently the Co-Owner, Vice-President, and Sec. Treasurer of the Fort Walton Glass Co., Inc. Educated at the Southern Polytechnical State University in Marietta, Georgia, he received his degree in Architectural Engineering Technology in 1965. Some of his past activities include: Membership in the Florida House of Representatives (1976-1986), Chairman of the Correction Probation Parole Committee (1980-1984), Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee (1984-1986), Vice-Chairman of the Northwest Florida Water Management District Board (1972-1976), Chairman of the Florida Public Service Commission Nominating Council (1986-1989), and a Member of the Southern Growth Policy Board (then Chaired by Governor Bill Clinton) (1985-1986). He is currently involved in the following activities: Executive Board of the Gulf Coast Council, Boy Scouts of America (1984-present), and Trailboss of the Coldwater Trail Ride (1978-present).