People
Members of the Climate Central staff and board are among the most respected leaders in climate science. Staff members are authorities in communicating climate and weather links, sea level rise, climate modeling, engineering assessments, graphic representations of climate data, and other climate science areas. Our journalists have extensive experience in mainstream print, television, digital and social media.
Board
Dr. Pacala is Frederick D. Petrie Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University and Director of the Princeton Environmental Institute. He also directs the...
Decker Anstrom served on the board of directors of Discovery Communications, as well as several national non profit environmental groups (Island Press and Planet Forward) and...
Carl Ferenbach is Chairman & co-founder of High Meadows Foundation and High Meadows Fund. Mr. Ferenbach was a co-founder of Berkshire Partners LLC, a private equity investment...
Randy Hack is a 1969 summa cum laude graduate of Princeton University. He received his MBA from Harvard University in 1972 and began a career in commercial real estate...
Robert Litterman is the Chairman of the Risk Committee at Kepos Capital LP. Prior to joining Kepos Capital in 2010, Litterman enjoyed a 23-year career at Goldman, Sachs & Co.,...
Michael Oppenheimer is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Geosciences and International Affairs in the Woodrow Wilson School, the Department of Geosciences, and the Princeton...
Vivian Schiller joined the Aspen Institute in January 2020 as Executive Director of Aspen Digital, which empowers policymakers, civic organizations, companies, and the public to...
Wendy Schmidt is a philanthropist and investor who has spent more than a dozen years creating innovative non‐profit organizations to solve pressing global environmental and human...
Founding Board
Dr. Lubchenco serves as Administrator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Prior to her Senate confirmation in early 2009, she resigned from the Board of...
Dr. Pacala is Frederick D. Petrie Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University and Director of the Princeton Environmental Institute. He also directs the...
Wendy Schmidt is a philanthropist and investor who has spent more than a dozen years creating innovative non‐profit organizations to solve pressing global environmental and human...
Staff
Leadership
Dr. Benjamin Strauss was elected President and CEO of Climate Central in April 2018 and also serves as Chief Scientist. He is author of numerous scientific papers and reports on...
Jessica Cashdan joined Climate Central as Vice President for Development in September 2020, bringing more than 20 years of professional expertise to this role. Her development...
Dan Dodson returned to Climate Central as Chief Technology Officer in September, 2019, having worked previously at Climate Central as Software Developer for the Program on Sea...
Karen Florini is Vice President for Programs at Climate Central, where her roles include developing and implementing communications strategies that reach and move large U.S. and...
Bernadette Woods Placky is an Emmy Award winning meteorologist and director of Climate Central's Climate Matters program. In her role, Bernadette works with fellow meteorologists...
Development
Josh Arinze, Development Communications Officer, is responsible for crafting and editing a wide range of written materials that enhance Climate Central's engagement with its...
Barbara Charbonnet, Senior Director for Development, is responsible for Climate Central’s giving programs with professional and family foundations as well as with individuals....
Jennifer Durán has served as Senior Major Gifts Officer at Climate Central since January 2022. She brings more than 13 years of development experience, most recently working for...
Anne Hayes is Director of Development, Western Region, where she focuses on increasing support from individual donors. Prior to joining Climate Central, Anne was Director of...
Regie Roth, Development Operations Manager at Climate Central, is responsible for managing the internal operations for the development team. Her role includes managing the donor...
Communications
Peter Girard directs digital communications and media relations for Climate Central. His previous experience includes heading research, audience development, and public relations...
Sarah Jerome is a Digital Content Manager and Web Producer at Climate Central. She has a B.A. in Communications and Digital Media from Rutgers University and has previous...
Editorial
Dr. Erika Freimuth serves as writer and editor focused on Climate Central’s Climate Matters program. Previously, she worked as a scientific editor at Cell Press where she helped...
Allison Kopicki serves as a writer and researcher for Climate Central. Most recently she worked on planning and policy issues concerning economic development, smart growth, urban...
Working closely with researchers in academia, at Climate Central and elsewhere, John Upton leads journalism partnerships with local and national print, radio, television and...
Multimedia
Megan Martin is a Multimedia Designer and Meteorologist at Climate Central. She has a B.S. in Meteorology and a B.A. in Visual Arts, both of which are from Rutgers University....
Science
Amy is a Research and Communications Fellow with the Climate Matters Program. She graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Geosciences and minor in Ethnographic...
Bill Atkins is a Senior Software Engineer at Climate Central. He has had diverse professional experience, including working as a software engineer for a global investment bank and...
Don Bain, P.E., is a climate engineer and expert on climate change, adaptation and sea level rise. Dedicated to building a bright future in a dramatically changing climate, he is...
Shari Bell brings to her role as Senior Director, Special Projects a long and eclectic career in developing and executing new initiatives, telling stories and building...
Jennifer Brady is the Manager of Analysis and Production. In her role she uses data to identify significant trends, patterns and notable climate events, while managing a team of...
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Kristie Falconer is a Research and Communications Fellow working with the Climate Matters program at Climate Central. She recently graduated from Princeton University with a B.A....
Joseph Giguere is a High Meadows Fellow working with the Realtime Climate and Climate Matters programs at Climate Central. He recently graduated from Princeton University with a...
Daniel Gilford, Ph.D., is a meteorologist and atmospheric scientist with a decade of experience in climate science research. He is scientifically interested in answering the...
Dr. Leila Hadj-Chikh serves as Senior Software Developer for Climate Central's Program on Sea Level Rise. Previously, she worked as Software Engineering Lead at Dunbar Security...
Dr. Scott Kulp serves as principal computational scientist, and his research interests include the impacts of sea level rise on coastal communities. He is also focused on the...
Dr. Larson leads energy research at Climate Central. He is a senior research faculty member with the Energy Systems Analysis Group at Princeton University's Andlinger Center for...
Andrew Pershing, Ph.D. is director of climate science at Climate Central, focusing on expanding public awareness and understanding of climate science across disciplines. His role...
Dan Rizza serves as Manager for External Relations and Business Development for Climate Central, Program on Sea Level Rise. Previously, he worked at the Climate Policy Center of...
Jo Sprague serves as a Software Developer for Climate Central's Program on Sea Level Rise. Previously, he worked on NASA Worldview and the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap team.
Dr. Tebaldi collaborates with Climate Central's Climate Science and Impacts group and provides scientific oversight and advice on the organization's programs. She is a scientist...
Kelly Van Baalen is the Project Manager on the Sea Level Rise team at Climate Central, where she communicates Climate Central's research and tools to key stakeholders across...
Kaitlyn Weber is a data analyst for Climate Central's Climate Matters program. She has a B.A. in Physical Geography from California State University, Sacramento and a M.S. in...
Operations
Radoslaw (Rad) Slabinski is Systems Administrator for Climate Central, and is responsible for maintaining and monitoring a wide range of systems from local networks to complex...
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