Nationally Recognized Author and Emmy Award Winner to Discuss Georgia’s Changing Coast

The next installment of Mariner Talks: Voices That Shape the Coast will feature acclaimed author and former Smithsonian Secretary Dr. Wayne Clough on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 6 p.m. The event will be moderated by Jon Goode, an Emmy Award-winning writer and storyteller.

Clough, a native of Douglas, Georgia, is an engineer, educator and author whose family has lived in South Georgia for seven generations. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Georgia Tech and a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. Clough served on the faculties of Stanford University, Duke University, Virginia Tech, and the University of Washington before becoming the first Georgia Tech alumnus to serve as the institution’s president from 1994 to 2008. Following his retirement, he served as secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 2008 to 2015.

A member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Clough continues to lecture on conservation, the Georgia coast and educational access. He is the author of four books, with his fifth, The Ever-Changing Georgia Coast: A Natural History of Its Creation, Transformation and Future, published by Smithsonian Books.

Goode was raised in Richmond, Virginia, and is now based in Atlanta. His work has been featured on CNN, HBO, VH1, MTV, TV One, and BET. He is also the host of The Moth Podcast. Goode has earned multiple industry honors, including a Promax Gold Award, a Gold American Advertising Award, and a Silver Telly Award. He is the author of several bestselling books, including Conduit, Mydas and Black Curio, all of which reached No. 1 on Amazon bestseller lists.

The discussion will explore the history and future of Georgia’s coast, from its natural formation to the challenges it faces in the years ahead. Drawing on a lifetime of scholarship and conservation advocacy, Clough will offer a unique perspective on one of the nation’s most dynamic landscapes. Attendees will gain insight into coastal history, science, and resilience while considering how environmental change continues to shape communities, ecosystems, and public policy.

This installment of Mariner Talks is hosted in collaboration with Righton Books. Copies of Clough’s book, The Ever-Changing Georgia Coast: A Natural History of Its Creation, Transformation and Future, will be available for purchase.

Mariner Talks is a speaker series hosted by the College of Coastal Georgia. The series fosters meaningful connections between campus and community by bringing thought leaders to the region to share diverse perspectives and inspire conversation.

For more information about Mariner Talks, visit www.ccga.edu/mariner-talks.