Tancred Miller will step Monday into his new role as director of the Division of Coastal Management.
The division, under the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, works to protect, conserve, and manage the state’s coastal resources.
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Officials said Wednesday afternoon that Miller, currently chief of the policy and planning section, is becoming director as outgoing director Braxton Davis takes on his new role Thursday as executive director the nonprofit North Carolina Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review.
“2024 is an exciting time in North Carolina’s coastal management program. It’s a time for us to reflect on the accomplishments that the program has had in keeping our coast vibrant, productive and beautiful over the last 50 years, and to look towards future opportunities and partnerships to protect our coastal environment and economy over the next 50,” Miller said in a statement. “I look forward to the opportunity to serve as division director and am lucky to be working alongside some of the finest people in all of state government,” said Miller.
Miller joined the division in 2003 as a policy analyst and was promoted to strategic planning manager, then in 2020 became chief of the Policy and Planning section. He has served as the division’s lead on resilience in addition to duties in rule development, fiscal analyses, five-year strategic plans, and federal funding for special projects.
In 2021 his work on the local, regional, State and national levels earned him DEQ’s Distinguished Employee of the Year Award, the highest recognition among all awardees.
“Tancred’s history with the Division, his expertise in coastal policy and planning, as well as his leadership on local, state and national initiatives will continue to elevate North Carolina’s nationally recognized coastal management program” DEQ Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser in a statement.
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Miller has led the division’s efforts to build the Resilient Coastal Communities Program, which focuses on addressing the needs of coastal communities with technical and financial assistance for planning and project implementation. He secured $5 million in competitive grant funding from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and the program has been awarded $12.5 million in state appropriations.
“Tancred brings a consistently positive and thoughtful approach to coastal issues. His hard work, willingness to listen, and balanced approach to issues have earned the respect of our staff, the Department, and our partners and stakeholders,” Davis said.
Miller facilitated the state’s 2020 Climate Science Report and the development of the 2020 Climate Risk Assessment & Resilience Plan. He has also served in various leadership roles within the State, including serving as a DEQ designee on Governor Cooper’s Climate Change Interagency Council and on the N.C. Sea Grant Advisory Board, and in national initiatives, including as a board member for the Coastal States Stewardship Foundation and serving on a National Academies panel on climate communications.
Miller earned a bachelor’s from Morehouse College in business administration and a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University. Miller worked in consulting and nonprofit organizations before joining the division.
