Chief Program Officer, Climate Central, Princeton, NJ, USA

AGU embraces the global community and welcomes leaders representing various identities, voices and perspectives. List any identities, voices and perspectives you would bring, including but not limited to nationality, regional representations, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and anything else you feel comfortable sharing.

When I was three, I announced to my parents that I wanted to be a marine biologist. This was a bold goal for a small child growing up on the plains of Nebraska. Fortunately, they are loving people who helped nurture a love of the ocean in me that has defined my career.

My career has been more varied than I imagined. My degree is not in oceanography, it is in ecology. My first teaching gig had nothing to do with plankton (my thesis topic), it was teaching data science before data science was cool. I’ve been a researcher, a professor, a non-profit leader, and a science communicator. I have spent most of my career working at the intersection between research and application, first in ocean conservation and fisheries and now in climate change.

As an AGU Council member and leader within the Ocean Sciences sector I would bring a 360 degree perspective on Earth and ocean sciences. While I think my broad experience will make me an effective partner for AGU leadership as they navigate the rapidly changing science landscape, I think I will be especially useful as a resource for our early career community.

Volunteer experience that you feel relates to this position:

My most relevant experience was serving as the lead author of the Oceans and Marine Resources chapter of the Fourth National Climate Assessment. That gave me a broad perspective on the value of scientific assessments. I also served as a member of the board of directors of the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems and as a member of the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the New England Fishery Management Council.

Section presidents and presidents-elect serve as members of the AGU Council and lead their sections. The AGU Council is a diverse forum of perspectives that meets throughout the year to provide input to the AGU Board, staff, and other parts of the organization. Three communities within the Council - committee chairs, section leaders, and students and early career scientists - serve different roles in AGU and bring unique viewpoints to ongoing discussions.

This role aims to catalyze community and build AGU as envisioned by the strategic plan. This leadership position is a dual role: helping to advance AGU’s strategic plan as a member of Council; and leading your section. How would you support the Board, staff and other sections to achieve AGU’s vision, values, mission, and goals? How will you engage with members of your section to execute AGU’s strategic plan?

AGU’s strategic plan recognizes that advancing science requires both scientific excellence and public trust. Ocean scientists have an increasingly important role to play as society grapples with climate impacts, carbon removal, and other emerging uses of the ocean. The pressures to develop new industries will become increasingly intense, and AGU scientists will be at the forefront of developing and testing interventions. I am excited to work on these and other issues with AGU leadership. For example, I want to ensure that AGU’s “Ethical Framework Principles for Climate Intervention Research” becomes embedded in the culture of Earth science. I also want to apply my expertise as a science communicator to grow support for Earth and ocean sciences and for the use of science as the basis for sound decisions.

One of the most appealing parts of the President-Elect position is the opportunity to learn from section members about their interests, needs, and concerns. The ability to listen is critical for the role of representing ocean sciences within AGU leadership. While AGU and Ocean Sciences meetings provide great opportunities for in person discussion, creating compelling ways to meet virtually will be increasingly important given the decline in research funding. I am especially interested in helping early career members navigate this very challenging job market. I want to ensure that Ocean Sciences welcomes researchers across disciplines and career stages and helps keep our talented members engaged in ocean sciences.