Local Solutions for a Resilient Coastal North Carolina
Moderator: Bonnie Mitchell
Coastal Education Coordinator
Bonnie joined the North Carolina Coastal Federation staff in 2019 after first serving as a dedicated volunteer. As the Coastal Education Coordinator for the southeast region, she leads education and outreach programs, manages the region’s volunteers and interns, and oversees events, the Coastal Ambassador Program, and regional administrative needs.
Originally from Richmond, Virginia, Bonnie earned a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2014. Her passion for environmental education and community engagement was shaped through a variety of roles, including serving as an environmental education intern with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, working as a swamp boat captain and naturalist at Shallotte River Swamp Park, and coordinating volunteers with the Plastic Ocean Project.
Bonnie currently serves on the board of the Young Scientist Academy and is a member of the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Environmental Science Department Advisory Committee.
Panelists
Coastal Economics Specialist, North Carolina Sea Grant & NC Oyster Trail
Dr. Jane Harrison is NC Sea Grant's coastal economics specialist. NC Sea Grant is a NOAA program at NC State University which delivers research, outreach and education for the wise use of coastal and ocean resources. Dr. Harrison is a proponent of the blue economy, conducting economic and social science analysis to advance resilient coastal communities. She coordinates the NC Oyster Trail which drives demand and supply for the state's most sustainable marine protein.
Marae West, PhD.
Executive Vice President of SANDBAR Oyster Company
Marae received her B.S in Biology from Appalachian State and her Ph.D. in the Biology and Marine Biology Department at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She studied winter population biology and impacts of sea level rise on Saltmarsh, Nelson’s, and Seaside Sparrows in tidal marshes in Southeastern North Carolina. Marae is thrilled to be working at SANDBAR focusing on large project development and general business management. She has a passion for conservation and birds and loves going on adventures with her family.
Ruminder Dhillion
Founder & Managing Partner of Carry Venture Capital
Romi Dhillon is currently the Founder and Managing Partner of Carry Venture Capital, which aims to support exceptional founders in North Carolina. Romi is also the Founder and Managing Partner at the Sonoran Founders Fund and the Arizona Founders Fund, Arizona's first-ever Seed Stage investor dedicated to its startups. Mr. Dhillon brings more than twelve years of investing experience in Seed, Series A, and Growth Stage technologies in the Southwest and Mountain West. He brings deep experience in startups, fundraising, management, and board leadership. Prior to Arizona Founders Fund, he served as a Principal in the Office of the CFO of Keap Software and as an investor at Utah-based vSpring Capital & Kickstart Seed Fund, where he made over 70 Seed and Early Stage investments in his career and managed over $350 million dollars in institutional capital commitments.
He is well-experienced in investing, sourcing, diligencing, and negotiating seed and early-stage technology investments, specifically startups in the SaaS, software, mobile applications, and cybersecurity markets. He has significant experience in business development and strategic planning initiatives that have created outsized rewards for growth technologies. Mr. Dhillon holds an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, an MA from Columbia University, a BA from Emory University, and a Certificate in Venture Captial from the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India.
Doug Eisner
NC Biotechnology Center, Director of Investments
Doug Eisner is the Director of Investments for the AgTech loan program at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. In this role, he identifies and evaluates agricultural, industrial and animal health companies for investment and provides strategic guidance to early-stage startups. His mentorship focuses on critical areas such as business planning, intellectual property development and fundraising.
With more than 15 years of experience in the agricultural technology sector, Doug has played pivotal roles in company formation and growth. In 2007, he co-founded GrassRoots Biotechnology – a Duke University spinout later acquired by Monsanto – where he was Chief Operating Officer. He went on to lead two agtech companies, AgroSpheres and AgPlenus, as Chief Executive Officer, driving innovation and organizational development at both ventures.
Doug earned a B.A. from Brown University, a J.D. from Boston University School of Law and an M.B.A. from Duke University.
