Born in Key West, Florida, Robbin Peach said rising sea levels may drown her hometown, and that’s what set her on a career course to prepare cities for climate change.

“When my son has children he won’t be able to show them on a map where I was born,” Peach said. “I’ve always had a strong affinity for coastal living and understand that many shores are threatened.”

A Mattapoisett resident for 20 years, Peach was appointed as the Massachusetts Port Authority’s first program manager of resiliency two years ago. As manager, she’s tasked with ensuring that Logan Airport and public terminals in the Port of Boston are ready for increasingly intense storms.

On Oct. 29, she will present “Boston Waters Rising” at the New England Aquarium. The event focuses on upcoming challenges such as higher sea levels, safety planning and climate change adaptation.

The Boston-based Women Working for Oceans will host the event. The group promotes healthy and sustainable oceans through advocacy and action. The presentation, held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., also features Dr. Ellen Douglas, from the University of Massachusetts School for the Environment.

Peach described 2012’s Hurricane Sandy as a wake up call for state officials and the impetus for creating her position.

“The last three major storms have hit at low tide,” Peach said. “Had they occurred at high tide we would have been as bad off as New York or New Jersey…We can’t continue to plan on good luck.”

Currently, Peach is creating and implementing policy to make Logan Airport and the port able to withstand extreme storms and flooding. Priorities include making sure the military is able to land at the airport and port and getting operations up and running as soon as possible.

The plan also involves preparing residents for evacuation.

“We’re not only protecting our buildings, our bricks and mortar, but also human lives,” Peach said.

She has a lengthy resume that includes a masters degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. Peach is also the founder of the Collaborative Institute for Oceans, Climate and Security think tank. At UMass Boston, she co-founded the Massachusetts Ocean Partnership that developed a groundbreaking ocean management plan. That plan was used as the blueprint for national ocean management operations.

She credited events such as “Boston Waters Rising” for raising awareness of the need for cities to prepare for climate change.

“The interest of those involved really speaks to the intelligence and foresight of Women Working for Oceans,” she said. “We call it planet Earth, but seventy percent of the surface is covered in water.” For more information on “Boston Waters Rising”, visit www.womenworkingforoceans.org.