our Team
Ali rellinger
PLACE Program Director
Ali Rellinger, PhD is an assistant professor at Mississippi State University leading the PLACE coastal climate resilience program. She’s located at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi, MS. Ali has a dual appointment with the coastal resilience team at the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. Since 2018, Ali has worked with the PLACE team in a variety of roles with a special focus on climate education and literacy for audiences of all ages before becoming program director in 2023.
Ali has B.A. in Biology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Marine Sciences from the University of South Alabama (USA). Her graduate research focused on the biogeochemistry of the polar regions, launching a broader interest in climate change related issues. She also taught biology, environmental science and oceanography at the Alabama School of Math and Science for 6.5 years. In addition to these roles, she has a variety of experience in small non-profits and municipal government giving her broad knowledge into the needs of a variety of stakeholders.
Email: ali.rellinger@msstate.edu
Nina Davis
Habitat Resilience Specialist
Nina is a habitat resilience specialist with PLACE and an extension associate with Mississippi State University. Her work focuses on the effects of sea level rise on coastal habitats, including both natural and built infrastructure. Specifically, she works to enhance the way scientific information is shared making it clearer and more accessible to various audiences. Additionally, she focuses on facilitating the development of scientific tools that support effective decision-making in coastal management. She received a B.S. in Biology from Andrews University and a M.S. in Biology from East Carolina University.
Email: n.woodard@msstate.edu
Qiyamah Williams
Community Resilience Specialist
Qiyamah is a Community Resilience Specialist with PLACE and an Extension Associate with Mississippi State University. Her work focuses on building collaboration between researchers and community decision-makers to address flood risk and other environmental hazards. Specifically, she works on community relationship building and providing outreach and technical support for resilience planning and actions. Qiyamah received a B.S. in Marine Science from the University of Hawaii at Hilo and a M.S. in Marine Biology from Northeastern University.
Email: qiyamah.williams@msstate.edu
Larisa Lee
Environmental Resilience Specialist
Larisa is an Extension Associate with Mississippi State University. She is the project coordinator for an interdisciplinary project focused on compound flood modeling in coastal Alabama. Before joining PLACE Larisa was a contractor with the EPA and Undergraduate Program Manager at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Lab. Larisa earned her B.S. from Auburn University and M.S. from the University of South Alabama/Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
Email: larisa.lee@msstate.edu
Jolie Griffey
Education & Outreach Specialist
Jolie Griffey is the Education and Outreach Specialist for PLACE and an Extension Associate at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center. She works on developing educational hands-on activities to use in the local communities and participates in a variety of events in the area to teach the community about the climate, sea-level rise impacts, and solutions.
Jolie has a B.S. in Geosciences and an M.S. in Geosciences with a concentration in Atmospheric Science and Climatology, both from Mississippi State University.
Email: jolie.griffey@msstate.edu
