Alyson Flynn lives on Hatteras Island and is a Coastal Advocate and Environmental Economist with the North Carolina Coastal Federation. Her work focuses on the advancement of sustainable policies at the local, state, and federal level that support and ensure protection of our water quality, coastal environment and economy. Alyson holds a Master of Science in Applied and Natural Resource Economics from East Carolina University and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. In 2014 she achieved PhD candidacy from ECU, where her research examined the economic implications associated with coastal management decisions in Dare County. Alyson loves live music, traveling, and running, but her favorite pastime is sharing home-cooked meals with friends and loved ones.