Mark Rains is an ecohydrologist with a B.A. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution, an M.S. in Forestry, and a Ph.D. in Hydrologic Sciences. He is a Professor of Geology at the University of South Florida, Chief Science Officer for the State of Florida, and Associate Editor for Wetland and Watershed Hydrology at the Journal of the American Water Resources Association. His research is focused on hydrological connectivity from ridges to reefs, especially between hillslopes, wetlands, and headwater streams; the roles that hydrological processes play in governing ecosystem structure and function; and the roles that science plays in informing water-related law, policy, and decision-making. He has extensive experience in consensus building at the intersection of science and policy in wetland regulatory programs, including past and ongoing work providing the scientific justification underlying the federal definition of waters of the US subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act. As the Chief Science Officer, he is charged with ensuring that science underlies sound environmental policy and protection, including coordinating and prioritizing scientific data, research, and analysis to ensure alignment with current and emerging environmental concerns and cultivating and maintaining relationships with public- and private-sector stakeholders. Though charged with a broad, statewide portfolio, his primary foci have been restoring water quality, enhancing flood resilience, and developing the data and analytics strategy necessary to support these and other statewide environmental initiatives.