Ellen Mecray

Ellen Mecray is Climate Central’s Managing Director of Climate Services. As leader of the services team, Ellen is working across the organization to build products that are responsive to the information needs of those making decisions about their risks in a changing climate.

Prior to Climate Central, Ellen served as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Regional Climate Services Director for the Eastern Region (16 states). As a senior leader in NOAA, she focused on the delivery and interpretation of climate information using networks across several critical economic sectors including insurance, transportation, health, energy, and others. Ellen is a recognized climate expert and communicator, having served as the Coordinating Chapter Author for the Northeast regional chapter of the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Fourth and Fifth National Climate Assessments, and a leader for several federal interagency partnerships. Ellen has built a successful reputation for distilling, translating, and coordinating information, services and products for a diverse group of stakeholders across regional, state, and local geographies and specific sectors. She is a champion for climate services and led the team that developed the model for Service Delivery that drove a culture change across NOAA. This work formed the backbone for her successful proposal to fund the Industry Proving Ground and other projects that brought over $100M in new resources. Ellen is known for transparent communication and trust building with customers across multiple levels and works to ensure they can find and use the nation’s authoritative climate information.

Selected publications: Sias, J.E., Dave, E., Underwood, S., Bowers, B., Harvey, J., Henning, T., Tighe, S., Jacobs, J., Pregnolato, M., Qiao, Y., Mecray, E., Golalipour, A., Chamorro, A., and Hendrick, P. (2025). Climate Change Impacts on Roadways. Nature Reviews Earth and Environment. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-025-00711-9

Frazier, A.G., Lustig, A.R., Chang, M., Elias, E.H., McPherson, R.A., Keener, V.W., Grecni, Z.N., Huntington, H.P., Mecray, E.L., Wood, K.M., Dello, K.D., Chard-Maldonado, P., White, D.D. (2025). Reflections on preparing regional chapters for NCA5. J. Climatic Change, v. 178, Iss. 4, Article 72. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-025-03874-y

Whitehead, J.C., E.L. Mecray, E.D. Lane, L. Kerr, M.L. Finucane, D.R. Reidmiller, M.C. Bove, F.A. Montalto, S. O' Rourke, D.A. Zarrilli, P. Chigbu, C.C. Thornbrugh, E.N. Curchitser, J.G. Hunter, and K. Law, 2023: Ch. 21. Northeast. In: Fifth National Climate Assessment. Crimmins, A.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, B.C. Stewart, and T.K. Maycock, Eds. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA. https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA5.2023.CH21

Metchis, K., N. Beller-Simms, M. Hodgins, E. Mecray, and A. Speciale (2022). Our Changing Precipitation: A Conversation on the Science of Precipitation and Planning for the Future. NOAA/OAR/Climate Program Office and the Water Research Foundation. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25923/hh5r-tt07

Jones, Hunter M; Mecray, EL; Birkel, SD; Conlon, KC; Kinney, PL; Silva, VBS; Solecki, W; Rogers, TM Surgeon (2019). Understanding decision context to improve heat health information. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, v. 100, Iss. 8, p. ES221-ES225. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0042.1

Dupigny-Giroux, L.A., E.L. Mecray, M.D. Lemcke-Stampone, G.A. Hodgkins, E.E. Lentz, K.E. Mills, E.D. Lane, R. Miller, D.Y. Hollinger, W.D. Solecki, G.A. Wellenius, P.E. Sheffield, A.B. MacDonald, and C. Caldwell, 2018: Northeast. In Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II [Reidmiller, D.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, K.L.M. Lewis, T.K. Maycock, and B.C. Stewart (eds.)]. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 669–742. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA4.2018.CH18

Zamuda, C., D.E. Bilello, G. Conzelmann, E. Mecray, A. Satsangi, V. Tidwell, and B.J. Walker, 2018: Energy Supply, Delivery, and Demand. In Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II [Reidmiller, D.R., C.W. Avery, D.R. Easterling, K.E. Kunkel, K.L.M. Lewis, T.K. Maycock, and B.C. Stewart (eds.)]. U.S. Global Change Research Program, Washington, DC, USA, pp. 174–201. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7930/NCA4.2018.CH4

Douglas, E., J. Jacobs, K. Hayhoe, L. Silka, J.S. Daniel, M. Collins, A. Alipour, B. Anderson, C. Hebson, E. Mecray, R. Mallick, Q. Zou, P. Kirshen, H. Miller, J. Kartez, L. Friess, A. Stoner, E. Bell, C. Schwartz, N. Thomas, S. Miller, B. Eckstrom, and C. Wake (2017). “Progress and Challenges in Incorporating Climate Change Information into Transportation Research and Design” ASCE Journal of Infrastructure Systems, Vol 23, Iss 4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1061/%28ASCE%29IS.1943-555X.0000377