Community Corner
Tim Dillingham: Advocate for the Coast
American Littoral Society's executive director brings to his conservation work memories of loyalty to a lifetime of thriving coastline living.
After spending his boyhood adventuring around the world's coastlines, from Spain to Japan, from California to Maryland, Tim Dillingham, executive director of the American Littoral Society (ALS), decided to make its conservation his life's work.
Dillingham ended up taking the place of Derry Bennett, the organization's former longtime director (from 1968 to 2003). Bennett died in 2009, leaving a legacy of his work with the society.
The Littoral Society promotes the study and conservation of marine life and habitat, protects the coast from harm, and empowers others to do the same. Since 1961, the year the organization was founded by scientists, scuba divers and fisherman, the American Littoral Society has sought to empower people to care for the coast through integrated programs focused on advocating, conserving and learning.
Find out what's happening in Rumson-Fair Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Dillingham began his career as a defender of the coast in Rhode Island. There he was consultant to the state's Coastal Management Council and a senior policy analyst for the state.
During his years in Rhode Island, Dillingham also spent some time as an environmental planner for The Nature Conservancy.
Find out what's happening in Rumson-Fair Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Dillingham began his work in New Jersey as director of the New Jersey Chapter of the Sierra Club, after which he assumed the executive director post at the then newly-created state Highlands Coalition.
In 2003, he joined the American Littoral Society, first as its assistant director and, soon after, as its executive director. Since then, he has focused on laying the groundwork to continue the Society's more than 40 years of successful advocacy, education, and conservation in the 21st century.
Patch correspondent Steve Rogers shared some time with Dillingham out on at ALS' headquarters. Click on the video above to learn more about Dillingham and the work of ALS.
