Professor, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

AGU embraces the global community and welcomes diverse leaders from around the world, 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 any other identity you feel comfortable sharing.

I am a female scientist and mother of two who has worked on climate change for almost three decades. Having lived and worked in South Florida for the last 20 years, a city that is currently struggling to adapt to multiple ongoing climate threats, in a state that has some of the worst income inequality in the country, I feel I can bring an important perspective on the challenges of climate justice, and the roles that scientists can play in addressing those challenges.

Volunteer experience that relates to this position:

Recognition committees: the first AGU Atmospheric Science Section Awards Canvassing Committee (member), AGU Fellows (member), AGU Macelwane Selection Committee (member), American Meteorological Society (AMS) Atmospheric Research Awards Committee (chair/member), and AMS Awards Oversight Committee (member).

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Board of Trustees (member); advisory board for National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) NCAR Earth System Laboratory (NESL), Community Climate System Model.

Local climate adaptation work: Chair and vice-chair (current) of city of Miami Climate Resilience Committee, co-founder and co-director of the Resilient305 Research Collaborative, Board of Directors of Miami Waterkeeper.

This leadership position is a liaison role; it is one that aims to catalyze community and build AGU as envisioned by the strategic plan. How will you engage with members of your section to advance AGU’s strategic plan? How will you facilitate engagement with other sections and people outside AGU to support our mission?

I will first and foremost hold town hall meetings at the annual AGU meeting to hear the concerns of our Atmospheric Sciences section membership, and how they would like to engage with advancing AGU’s strategic plan. I will use the Atmospheric Sciences newsletter to continue these discussions throughout the year, and explore new opportunities through social media to elicit ongoing feedback. 

I will work with the AGU leadership and membership to advance new practices to ensure more inclusive representation and recognition. Since the start of our Atmospheric Sciences section awards canvassing committee, we have significantly increased the diversity of the nominations pools for awards and honors. I will continue to support this work, and explore new ways to ensure unbiased recognition of the great work that is happening in our section and within AGU as a whole.

Finally, I will engage partner organizations in discussions about user-based needs in atmospheric science, and catalyze opportunities for engagement for students and early career atmospheric scientists to expand their research outside their specific discipline and expertise. As local communities around the world struggle to adapt to the ongoing and worsening impacts of climate change, atmospheric scientists play an increasingly important role in informed, equitable decision-making. Because of the complexity and intersectionality of these problems, we must engage with other disciplines and multiple stakeholders. My experience leading scientific research on local climate adaptation in Florida has prepared me to facilitate engagement within Atmospheric Sciences, across the sections, and with people outside of AGU.

Section affiliations:

Atmospheric Sciences; Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology