Senior Program Scientist, Schmidt Sciences, New York, NY, 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.

As Secretary of the Global Environmental Change (GEC) section, I would bring a perspective grounded in the belief that strong scientific communities are cultivated through inclusive leadership, meaningful collaboration, and sustained investment in the next generation of scientists and researchers. This philosophy has guided my professional journey since my graduate studies at the University of Michigan, where as part of the College of Engineering Graduate Student Advisory Committee, I helped develop programs and policies that fostered engagement among graduate students from different national, racial, ethnic, and disciplinary backgrounds. That experience reinforced my conviction that students and early career scientists form the bedrock of any global scientific enterprise and that effective leadership must actively create opportunities for their participation, representation, and success. As Secretary, I would use my voice to prioritize engagement with students, early career scientists, women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), and historically underrepresented communities. I would strive to serve as a bridge to connect students across disciplines, institutions and career stages with each other, with the GEC section and AGU leadership teams, and foster communication that is open, inclusive and community-centered – all with the ultimate aim of educating and inspiring the next generation of leaders and role models in geophysical sciences.

Volunteer experience that you feel relates to this position:

Key volunteering experiences include serving as Chair of AGU’s Charles S. Falkenberg Award Selection Committee, member of multiple committees within AGU’s Atmospheric Sciences section and serving as a Conference Co-Chair for the American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting Conference on Atmospheric Chemistry. I would bring to this position extensive leadership experience gained through serving as Co-Chair of the North American Carbon Program Science Leadership Group, co-chairing multiple NASA Science Teams, and volunteering on national and international scientific committees.

The section secretary role is determined by individual sections. If needed, the secretary might be asked to serve as an alternate to the president or president-elect at a Council meeting.

As part of the section leadership team, how will you work in partnership with your president, president-elect, other leaders, and staff to communicate with and engage your members to achieve AGU’s vision, values, mission, and goals?

The Global Environmental Change (GEC) section is unique in its broad interdisciplinary scope, bringing together scientists and researchers working on climate change, sustainability, resilience, environmental justice, adaptation, and human-environment systems. As section Secretary, I will work closely with the section President, President-Elect, other leaders, and AGU staff to help build an engaged, connected, and forward-looking section that advances both scientific excellence and societal relevance.

I see my role as extending beyond administrative responsibilities, i.e., coordinating leadership meetings, supporting section initiatives like the GEC Awards and named lectures, managing communications, and organizing activities at the AGU Fall Meeting. I will aim to contribute perspectives and experiences that complement those of the other members of the section leadership team, strengthen collaboration across the section and support strategic decision-making. A key priority would be fostering inclusive member engagement across career stages, disciplines, sectors, and geographic regions. This includes promoting networking, mentoring, interdisciplinary collaboration, and professional opportunities for students, early career scientists, and underrepresented communities. I would also work to strengthen communication between leadership and our diverse global membership through newsletters, webinars, AGU Connect, and other outreach platforms.

In partnership with the President, President-Elect, and AGU staff, I would help ensure that the section operates as a cohesive and unified leadership team that values professionalism, transparency, respect, and humility and remains responsive to member needs and emerging priorities. Above all, I will support AGU’s mission by advancing section activities that deepen scientific understanding while contributing practical and societally relevant solutions to global environmental change challenges.