Kevin Decker

Kevin Decker leads Washington Sea Grant’s Coastal Resilience Team, applying economic analysis and community engagement to the challenges facing Washington’s coastal communities. His work spans labor market research, marine industry economics, coastal hazard resilience planning, and data-driven decision support for local governments and resource managers.

As Team Lead, Kevin supervises a team of specialists working across Washington’s fifteen coastal counties. He co-leads the Coastal Hazards Organizational Resilience Team (COHORT), an interagency partnership with the Washington Department of Ecology, Emergency Management Division, and WSU Extension, and serves on the Resilience Workgroup of the Washington Coastal Marine Advisory Council. Kevin also co-leads the Sea Grant AI Community of Practice, supporting the national Sea Grant network in applying emerging AI tools to coastal research and outreach.

Kevin serves as an economic advisor on the Grays Harbor Marine Resources Committee and sits on the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Committee, bringing a coastal economics perspective to regional resource management decisions.

Kevin produces economic analyses of coastal communities, including regional GDP, employment trends, working waterfronts, marine industries, and recreational boating activity, to inform local and state decision-making. This work is available at his blog, WACoastEconomist.com.

Kevin joined Washington Sea Grant in 2014. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and a master’s degree in Applied Economics from the University of Idaho, a master’s degree in Environmental Management from the University of Maryland, and a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics from Boise State University.

Expertise

• Coastal Hazards Resilience
• Community Economic Development
• Economics of Marine Industries
• Recreational Boating and Tourism

Links