The Gulf Restoration Network (GRN) is committed to uniting and empowering people to protect and restore the natural resources of the Gulf Region for future generations. Founded in 1994, the GRN’s vision is that the Gulf of Mexico will continue to be a natural, economic, and recreational resource that is central to the culture and heritage of five states and three nations. The people of the region will be stewards of this vital but imperiled treasure, and they will assume the responsibility of returning the Gulf to its previous splendor.

Within this vision, they see the mission of the GRN as one of uniting and empowering people to protect and restore the resources of the Gulf Region for future generations. To this end, the GRN works to provide technical support and mentoring to grassroots groups, to connect our members to developments on national and regional issues of importance to their work, and to provide coordination, when needed, of member activities across the region.

Mark Davis, Tulane Law School

Mark Davis joined Tulane University Law School as a Senior Research Fellow and as the founding Director of the Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy in January 2007. For the prior fourteen years he served as executive director of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana where he helped shape programs and policies at the state and federal level to improve the stewardship of the wetlands and waters of coastal Louisiana, one of the world’s greatest coastal and estuarine resources. He has lectured widely on the topic of water resource management and stewardship and has testified numerous times before Congress on the need for a focused and effective commitment to the viability of coastal Louisiana and other vital natural treasures.

Moving Forward Gulf Coast Inc.

Moving Forward Gulf Coast, Inc. (Moving Forward) is a community-based, nonprofit initiative committed to Restorative Justice for residents of the Gulf Coast region. Since the beginning of our work, during the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our community-based staff has worked with communities of color throughout Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Louisiana to connect to accurate information, develop human rights-based solutions and employ new media solutions to challenge blatant attacks on human dignity in the South. Moving Forward provides programs and trainings that connect new media, community-building, capacity and leadership development, policy strategy and legal-service in support of building civic potential. Through a regional frame Moving Forward works to achieve the long-term goal of restoring the Gulf Coast to a state better than what existed before 2005.

Steps Coalition

The Steps Coalition was formed in 2006, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Steps’ mission is to build a democratic movement to support and create a healthy, just and equitable Mississippi Gulf Coast. Comprised of over 39 non-profit organizations and community members, Steps convenes and provides the space for community to define and advocate for its priorities; to build capacity, leadership, and; to provide a voice to the community by facilitating communication, coordination, and collaboration among its members. The Coalition’s vision is that local neighborhoods will be involved in decision-making processes that affect their lives and the future of their communities. Non-profits, faith-based and civic organizations, and all people who share Steps’ vision, work together for a healthy, just and equitable Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Mississippi Center for Justice

Mississippi Center for Justice is a nonprofit, public interest law firm committed to advancing racial and economic justice. The Center’s team of lawyers and other professionals work with community leaders to support their social justice campaigns and to channel the energies of the legal community to combat discrimination and poverty statewide. With offices in Jackson, Biloxi and Indianola, the Center seeks systemic solutions that promote educational opportunity, protect the rights of consumers, secure access to healthcare, ensure equity in disaster recovery and put affordable housing within the reach of all Mississippians.