Charles “Chip” Groat is the founding president and CEO of The Water Institute of the Gulf, a new independent research organization based in Baton Rouge. The entity aims to advance the understanding of coastal systems and the way science and technology can be applied to the coast. Groat grew up in New York and eventually receiving a doctorate in geology from the University of Texas at Austin. From 1978 to 1990, he held positions at LSU and at the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources. He later served as executive director at the LSU Center for Coastal, Energy, and Environmental Resources. In 1998, he was appointed director of the U.S. Geological Survey under President Bill Clinton and retained by President George W. Bush until resigning in 2005. Read the full Q&A with Groat here. Here’s a sample:
What does the average person not know about the Louisiana coast that they need to learn?
“People outside of Louisiana need to understand that in addition to the beauty and productivity of our wetlands and waterways, our coast is a working coast that provides huge benefits to the nation through its fisheries, energy, and industrial output.”
