Heather Moretti said her top priority as waterfront coordinator will be “to help usher in a new phase for a thriving, dynamic waterfront in Portland, preserving our heritage industries while also welcoming innovation in the blue economy.”
Heather Moretti, the former business development manager at Bristol Seafood who’s spent her career in marine-related industries, is the new waterfront coordinator for the city of Portland.
She started in the role in late December, succeeding Bill Needelman, who joined the city as a senior planner in 2000 and became waterfront coordinator in 2013.
“Currently I’m learning as much as possible about Portland’s waterfront history and evolution, and holding meetings with any and every waterfront stakeholder,” Moretti told Mainebiz by email on Monday.
Heather Moretti has been named Portland's new waterfront coordinator. PHOTO / COURTESY CITY OF PORTLAND
She said her top priority will be “to help usher in a new phase for a thriving, dynamic waterfront in Portland, preserving our heritage industries while also welcoming innovation in the blue economy.”
The job entails organizing, facilitating, and promoting balanced coastal economic development and administering the Portland Fish Pier Authority’s board of directors, as well as representing the city on various boards and committees dealing with waterfront and maritime activity.
Moretti brings a decade of experience in marine resource management, fisheries, aquaculture and the seafood industry to the position.
Marine-focused experience
Besides her previous job as development manager at Bristol Seafood on Portland’s Fish Pier, Moretti has served as a seafood advisor with Sustainable Fisheries Partnership for large retail corporations and worked with fishermen and sea farmers during her time at Maine Sea Grant.
She led the development of a 10-year aquaculture roadmap for the state, has written and served as a reviewer for numerous grants, and helped revive the Maine Oyster Trail.
Moretti has also worked with the salmon industry in Alaska, fisheries management in the Caribbean and in the global seafood industry.
She holds a master’s degree in coastal zone management from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Florida State University.
