Who We Are
Our Team
Our team has lived and worked at the coast for decades, giving us deep knowledge of the habitats and resilience challenges of the regions we love.
Since the mid-1990s, we’ve been designing, permitting, and installing wetland and coastal restoration projects — making us the most experienced living shoreline team in the mid-Atlantic. From initial consultation through installation, we work closely with you to address the unique needs of your property.
Team
Mary-Margaret McKinney, RF
Director, Coastal RestorationMary-Margaret has been intricately involved in ecological restoration since the mid-90s. Her experience in field research, regulatory compliance, project management, and stakeholder involvement has led to her current daily focus: ensuring the resilience of our coast to ever more frequent storms and sea level rise. As Director of Coastal Restoration at Native Shorelines, she manages the first company in North Carolina to exclusively design, permit, and install living shorelines. She also co-invented the patented QuickReef® living shoreline system.
Accolades/Memberships
- Recipient of 2022 Pelican Award for Promoting and Increasing the Use of Living Shorelines in North Carolina
- Member, Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Preserve Citizen Advisory Committee (2026 to present)
- Member, South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative Science Metrics Working Group (2021 to present)
- Member, NC Oyster Blueprint (2020 to present), Steering Committee; Living Shoreline and Research Subcommittees
- Senior Member (2nd Lt), Civil Air Patrol (2021 to 2025)
Worth Creech
Director, Innovation & LogisticsAs Director of Operations and Innovation, Worth manages site implementation to ensure projects exceed clients’ expectations. His years of stream restoration experience complement and enhance his coastal restoration initiatives, as does his 20+ years of regulatory permitting and compliance work. Worth continues to think of new ways to protect our coasts by creating new products that look great and work incredibly well using all natural, native materials. He enjoys solving the difficult logistical challenges in the harsh marine environment and co-invented QuickReef®.
Accolades
- Inventor of record on all QuickReef® living shoreline and habitat reef materials
- Recipient of 2025 Pelican Award for Advancing Community Oyster Shell Recycling and Coastal Restoration
- NC Unlimited Building General Contractor’s License #64807
- Rosgen Level I Certification
- NC Stormwater BMP Inspection & Maintenance Certificate
- NCEEP/NCSU Stream Restoration Construction Training Certificate
Grainger Coughtrey
Installation ManagerGrainger has 10 years of hands-on experience managing and constructing living shorelines and wetland conservation projects throughout North Carolina and Virginia. In his current role as Installation Manager with Native Shorelines, he oversees living shoreline projects from planning through construction and planting, working directly with contractors and landowners to ensure projects are completed safely, professionally, and in compliance with permit conditions.
Jeff Corbin
Business Development & Policy (VA/MD)30+ years focusing on restoration and protection of the Chesapeake Bay in nonprofit, state and federal positions. 10 years of experience in the private environmental restoration/mitigation sector. Bachelor and Masters degrees in Oceanography/Marine Science (with honors).
- Appointed by Governor Tim Kaine as the Assistant Secretary of Natural Resources.
- Appointed by the Obama Administration as the Senior Advisor to the U.S. EPA Administrator for Chesapeake Bay (aka Bay Czar)
- Certified Living Shoreline Professional (Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional)
Josh Merritt
Production and Logistics ManagerJosh Merritt is an environmental project manager with over 15 years of experience in ecosystem restoration and mitigation. He has managed living shoreline projects for a combined total of 5 years and has more than 10 years of experience overseeing stream and wetland mitigation projects, including the successful implementation of planting more than 3 million hardwood trees. His expertise includes project management, ecological restoration, regulatory compliance, and large-scale habitat enhancement initiatives and manufacturing.
Josh Mills, MNR, WEDG
Senior Environmental AssociateJosh possesses over 15 years of experience in Florida’s environmental sector, spanning government, nonprofit, and private sectors. He has successfully led diverse coastal resilience initiatives, including launching an innovative oyster shell recycling program that restored 55,000 square feet of reef along with managing infrastructure and policy projects. Today, Josh continues to drive nature-based solutions across Florida, notably securing over $1 million to research nutrient reduction using QuickReef modules.
- Living Shorelines for Marine Contractors Certification in FL, GA, and SC.
- Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines (WEDG) Certification
- Member of Florida Oyster Recover Science (FORS) Working Group
- Member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Southeast Florida/Caribbean Council
- Member of the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals (FAEP)
Lucy Deignan
Coastal EcologistLucy has several years of experience working in coastal resiliency and living shoreline restoration, with a strong focus on field-based site evaluation, permitting, and collaborative project development. In her current role as a Coastal Ecologist, she regularly inspects coastal habitats to assess shoreline condition, ecological function, and suitability for living shorelines and other nature-based solutions. Her work includes engaging directly with landowners and clients, identifying native coastal species and site characteristics, assisting with project design and cost estimation, and supporting the preparation of permit applications in compliance with Virginia and Maryland regulatory requirements.
Accolades/Memberships
- Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals – Shorelines
Morgan Rudd
Coastal EcologistMorgan has worked in the field of coastal ecology and restoration for 8 years. She is actively involved from project start to finish: from initial site visits with landowners to living shoreline design, permit applications, and working with the logistics crew to ensure successful project installation. Morgan works primarily in North Carolina, but provides support to other regions when called upon. She has helped permit over 100 living shoreline projects in North Carolina and Virginia and loves to see the finished project come to life!
Accolades/Memberships
- Certified Therapy Team with her golden retriever, Olive (“Oli”); Coastal Carolina Chapter Love on a Leash(R)
- Specialty areas– Coastal ecology; Project design; Permitting