The Gulf Coast from Disaster to Prosperity Action Network: Building a Platform for the Reestablishment of Trust

On April 20, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the largest oil spill in U.S. history. To assist the region in moving beyond the disaster, the Gulf Coast Action Network (GCAN) will establish a Secretariat with three primary objectives: rebuilding trust, conserving the environment, and developing and diversifying the regional economy. The Secretariat will convene leaders in business, nongovernmental organizations, and the public sector to address problems that cannot be resolved when these groups operate in isolation. The Secretariat will focus on projects for Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, as these states demonstrate the clearest need for bold action and face similar economic and environmental challenges.

This Capstone focused on using the oil spill disaster as an impetus to create a secretariat of powerful interests that will be able to address widespread and macro-level social, economic, and environmental problems of the Gulf and seek lessons learned to avoid other major disasters beyond the region.