Board of Directors

Michael Hare

President

Michael Hare serves as Executive Director of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA). He brings nearly two decades of experience in government affairs, coastal restoration, environmental markets, and strategic communications to the role.

Before joining CPRA, Hare founded WILDHARE Solutions, a consulting firm supporting clients in the environmental markets industry with a focus on compensatory mitigation and coastal restoration opportunities. He also served as Director of Government Affairs and Business Development for Resource Environmental Solutions, LLC (RES), a national leader in ecological restoration. At RES, he led government affairs initiatives at the federal and state level, managed teams of consultants and lobbyists, developed strategic communications, and supported growth opportunities in coastal restoration.

Earlier in his career, Hare spent over a decade working for Congressman Charles Boustany. He served as a senior legislative assistant in Washington, D.C., focusing on agriculture, defense, trade, and infrastructure, and later as Deputy District Director in Lafayette, LA, addressing coastal, wetlands, and infrastructure issues across southwest Louisiana. He also managed major congressional and senatorial campaigns and served as Vice President for Policy at One Acadiana, where he advanced education, transportation, and workforce policies for the region.

Michael serves on the board of directors for the Coast Builders Coalition and is the immediate past president of the Ecological Restoration Business Association (ERBA), a national trade association representing more than 65 companies in the restoration industry. He earned dual undergraduate degrees in political science and economics from Louisiana State University (LSU), a master’s degree in U.S. foreign policy from American University, and an Executive MBA from LSU.

He and his wife, Jamie, live in Lafayette with their three children, William, Carter, and Gavin.