Meet the Team

Dr. Frank Hopf received his PhD in Coastal Geomorphology in 2011 from Texas A&M University, adding to earlier degrees in Civil Engineering from Lafayette College and an MBA from Boston University. He has been a registered Professional Engineer in Texas since 1987. Frank Hopf pursued a doctorate in his first intellectual love, geography after he retired from a 35-year career as an engineer and manager in the petroleum industry. While pursuing his doctorate and after graduating, he taught geology and geography courses at Texas A&M. His research interests include fluvial and coastal flooding, dune and beach processes, natural and nature-based restoration of coastal dunes, and public policy-making. He is a member of the American Shore and Beach Protective Association (ASPBA) and its Science and Technology committee, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the Association of State Flood Plain Managers. He is a founding member and Director of Conserve Nassau, (CN) a 501-C organization dedicated to helping protect and restore the environment and resilience of Nassau County Florida. As a member of CN, he plans to continue the efforts of the Dune Science Group (DSG) that he help organize in 2020 to promote natural and nature-based methods for restoring the beach and dunes for property protection and habitat value of the beach/dune system.

These efforts led Frank to the recognition that the pressure treated wooden dune walkovers so important to providing beach access over health dunes dump tons of toxic arsenic and chromium into the environment. And yet to prevent them from quickly becoming hazardous and unsightly requires constant maintenance structures with short lives. With partner Ed Hintlian, Frank has developed improved designs and established materials suppliers relationships so that Eco-Pathways can offer non toxic, 50-75 year life walkovers and boardwalks for coastal communities and also docks/marina, golf and trail bridges and other pedestrian and light vehicle elevated pathways.