Associate Professor of Earth Science, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 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.

I grew up in rural Maine, rural Montana, and rural Alaska. I received my graduate degrees from the University of Maine, a public land-grant university, and that is where I am now a faculty member. I am proud to serve the students of the University of Maine System and the people of Maine. I therefore bring a perspective that is rooted my experiences living in and serving rural communities and a small public university system, where nearly 40% of those enrolled in the system are first-generation college students.

Volunteer experience that you feel relates to this position:

As an AGU volunteer, I have served as a member of the Cesare Emiliani Lecture committee since 2021 and as a judge for the Outstanding Student Presentation Awards at annual meetings. Apart from AGU service, I have coordinated field-based research-learning experiences for Teens Take on Climate, which “supports youth to advance climate justice through experiential learning, employment, and engagement in their communities.” I also serve on the Research Committee for Baxter State Park in the state of Maine.

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?

A priority that I believe aligns with AGU’s vision, values, mission, and goals is the importance of supporting and advancing the next generation of Earth Scientists, particularly amid the current political landscape. Graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and other early career scientists are particularly vulnerable to reduction or loss of federal funding. We therefore face a situation in which an entire generation could be sidelined due to reduction in federal support that disproportionately impacts public universities and institutions dependent on federal support. These challenges will affect AGU directly through reduction in membership and meeting attendance, which would further deprive the next generation of scientists of the unique opportunity to learn from and network with other scientists from around the world.

Furthermore, in accordance with the AGU strategic plan, I believe that representation matters. Progress in understanding the history of Earth's oceans and climate depends on a range of backgrounds and perspectives as diverse as Earth’s population that has collectively experienced the impacts of past global changes, as well as those of today. I am committed to making sure that all (and especially early career) scientists from under-served backgrounds feel welcome and supported in the Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology section, and within the Earth and climate sciences in general.

For these reasons, I would place supporting, inspiring, and broadening the geosciences workforce as top priority while serving as President-Elect of AGU’s Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology section.