Dr. Cody Stropki has been promoted to Service Line Director – Resilience. In this position, Cody will focus on expanding SWCA’s role in resilience and recovery programs nationwide, with a particular emphasis on coastal restoration, hazard mitigation planning, and grants support.
As a fire ecologist and watershed scientist with more than 20 years of experience, Cody has considerable knowledge in the complex interactions climate change has on wildland and urban ecosystems and the correlating solutions to limit risk and build resilience. Some of his career highlights include building resilience in New Mexico’s watersheds to enhance habitats for threatened and endangered aquatic and avian species. He has also partnered with local governments across the Rocky Mountains to plan against catastrophic wildfires and manage their subsequent post-fire impacts as well as assisted clients in navigating complex regulatory and funding environments.
Cody joined SWCA as a watershed scientist in 2009 and has since advanced his career, holding leadership roles as a natural resources program director in 2017, and most recently serving as the disaster and resilience director of the South region. He holds a Ph.D. in watershed management and hydrology with a concentration in fire ecology and soils from the University of Arizona.
“My vision for this role is to continue advancing how we connect our expertise to resilience and recovery programs across the U.S. and beyond through proactive planning, collaboration, and professional development opportunities. We have such a dynamic team of scientists, planners, geospatial professionals, and more. We owe it to them to push the envelope, expand our resilience services, and provide them the opportunities to grow their careers with meaningful work that makes a difference in our communities,” said Cody.