Rebecca was awarded an ASFPM Pioneer Award in 2008 and the prestigious Goddard-White Award in 2000. The Goddard-White Award goes to individuals who have had a national impact carrying forward the goals and objectives of floodplain management in the nation and is ASFPM highest award.

Rebecca is also the author of the Floodplain Manager’s Notebook in ASFPM’s Insider newsletter. For decades this must-read column has provided expert guidance to local floodplain managers – distilling complex federal rules and regulations into easy-to-understand language for meeting the necessary NFIP standards.

Rebecca reflects on some of her biggest achievements, in her own words:

1984: I was Maryland’s newly-designated State Coordinator when I attended my first ASFPM conference in Portland, Maine. It was not only an eye-opener, professionally speaking, but was memorable in that I had my first real lobster! It was also the start of a very long relationship with ASFPM that continues nearly 40 years later.

1985 to 1987: I attended ASFPM conferences in New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Seattle — all great experiences, but I didn’t see myself as a regular attendee given everything else on my plate. Little did I know that ASFPM had other ideas.

1987: In a pure example of the power of the personal, I was shocked to be asked to be the program chair for the 1989 conference in Scottsdale, AZ. I remember being surprised that ASFPM leadership even knew who I was!

1988: Chair Bob Cox asked me to help represent ASFPM in Washington, DC. I figured I was an easy mark because my home in Annapolis, Maryland is only 30 miles from Capitol Hill. But sneaky of them, they seemed to know I’d get hooked. They gave me the title Legislative Officer (and business cards!). It was an easy pitch to my agency and my governor who was the chair of the National Governors Association. I was approved to represent ASFPM on the Hill as long as I kept the bosses informed and assured them that any policies promoted by the Association would be good for Maryland. (I don’t recall asking subsequent governors to extend that permission!)

1988: We came in on the tail end of a significant effort that led to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. We were a major player promoting the new authorization for hazard mitigation planning and grants. Working with ASFPM leadership and our DC representative, Martha Braddock, I met with dozens of congressional offices and I represented ASFPM testifying several times before congressional committees.

1989: I served as program chair of the conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. Despite having studied geomorphology, I was surprised during the technical field tours to see named rivers without water and national forests without trees. This conference was the first time we received more abstracts than we had slots — a tough call to turn away interesting sessions.

1989 to 1994: A few years before passage of the National Flood Insurance Reform Act in 1994, ASFPM began advocating with members of Congress for significant changes to the NFIP. I represented ASFPM testifying at more than 25 hearings. Many hearings were “single issue” hearings (mapping, insurance, repetitive loss properties, grant funding, etc.).

One memorable hearing focused on coastal erosion and whether the NFIP should map and manage the risk. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY) was very vocal in his challenge. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) showed aerial photos of Fire Island, NY. The before photos showed several homes on the beach — the after photo showed those homes destroyed by erosion. Mr. D’Amato exclaimed “but those homes were victims of an extraordinary event!” To which Mr. Kerry calmly replied, “I thank the Senator for making my point.”

It took several years and many more hearings to make progress. Starting in June 1993, the weeks-long Great Midwest Flood of the Upper Mississippi and lower Missouri River basins was a catalyst. NFIRA passed in September 1994.

1994 to 2011: As Legislative Officer, I focused on bills and hearings for amendments to the Stafford Act and NFIP. I left the State of Maryland in 1996, after which ASFPM Executive Director Larry Larson, and Chair Chad Berginnis began making more visits to Washington. They picked up a lot of the work of meeting with members of Congress and Congressional committee staffs, and provided testimony on the wide range of programs and issues of interest.

2000: I received the Goddard-White Award. During the typical lead up to the announcement when the presenter offers general comments that become increasingly more specific, I may have been one of the last to realize who was being honored. When Larry mentioned my father’s recent passing and recounted his last words to me, I couldn’t contain my tears. Larry was one of the few people to whom I confided those words. As I told my father of yet another Congressional hearing, he squeezed my hand and said “You’ve done good work.” I have always considered my support for ASFPM to be good work, in all the meanings that it evokes. It is an honor for ASFPM to recognize my contributions.

2011: I resigned as Legislative Officer. As a consultant, I decided I was no longer the best representative in Washington — ASFPM’s strength is its ability to serve as a voice for state and local practitioners. In my resignation letter expressing appreciation for the opportunity to serve, I also waxed nostalgic, “Ah, 1988 — those innocent days when Larry Larson and Bob Cox asked me, then a neophyte in terms of what goes on in Washington (but strategically located within 45 minutes of the Hill!), to do what turned into one of the more satisfying things I have done in my professional life.”

2019: I worked with ASFPM and a committee to produce “Understanding and Managing Flood Risk: A Guide for Elected Officials”