GCC welcomes new staff!

Kim Smith is GCC’s New Director of Business Operations

In September, we welcomed Kimberly Smith to the GCC staff as our new Director of Business Operations. A key member of the Climate Center’s leadership team, Kim is responsible for managing the Climate Center’s financial, administrative, grants management, and human resources activities. Kim comes to GCC with three decades of experience in research, education and scientific program management, including more than 15 years in higher education, managing federally funded programs. Most recently, Kim served as Assistant Director of the NOAA Cooperative Science Center in Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology (NCAS-M), an award-winning interdisciplinary academic research and workforce development center at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Kim earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology and microbiology at Howard, and she has taught biology at Howard and plant pathology at Virginia Tech.

GCC Welcomes New Climate and Justice Fellows!

We are delighted to welcome Emma Cross and Damian Shapes Padilla, Georgetown Climate Center’s newest Fellows.

Damian Shapes Padilla is a Justice Fellow, working primarily with GCC’s Adaptation Program with an emphasis on GCC’s federal, state, and local resilience work. He will also be engaging with Tribes, Pueblos, and Nations, working to identify and provide resources related to tribal-led climate adaptation practices. Shapes received his B.A. in Political Science at the University of New Mexico, then earned his J.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Law, graduating with a certificate in Natural Resources and Environmental Law. Shapes is a Tribal member of the Pueblo of Isleta, located just south of Albuquerque along the Rio Grande River.

Emma Cross, a Climate Fellow for the Mitigation Program, will be focusing on the implementation of equitable climate policies at the federal and state level within the transportation and power sectors. Emma earned her J.D. from The University of Maryland Carey School of Law with a certificate in environmental law, and also served as a student attorney with the Environmental Law Clinic. She received her B.S. in environmental resources management from Virginia Tech. Previously, Emma completed internships with the Federal Highway Administration and the Automotive Recyclers Association.