MLC’s Lecture Series

Rachael Peabody, New Executive Director of Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission, Shares Overview of VA’s Working Waterfront Grant and 2026 Goals! 

Rachael Peabody previously served as the Assistant Director of Restoration for the Elizabeth River Project in Norfolk and spent six years (2014 –2020) at VMRC working for both its Fisheries and Habitat Management Divisions. “Virginia’s coastal ecosystems support fisheries, wildlife, aquaculture, navigation, carbon storage and tourism, and provide significant naturaldefenses against coastal storms. Sea level rise and climate change is a key threat to the health of our marine environments, fisheries, and economy now and in the future.” 

Rachael’s love for the marine environment and passion for conservation of its natural resources began at the University of West Alabama where she worked as a graduate student at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Her Master’s research focused on the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on intertidal fish communities in an Alabama salt marsh. Her work along the east coast on commercial fishing vessels and building relationships within the fishing and marine industries has engrained in Rachael the importance of balanced and sustainable management of our marine resources to sustain healthy coastal communities.