Emily Fusco Appointed Deputy University Director
The Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center is excited to announce that Emily Fusco recently joined our team as the center’s new Deputy University Director. In this role, Fusco will help develop our strategic plan, engage and expand our network of partners, oversee our daily operations, and foster collaboration among our researchers and staff. As a member of the center’s leadership team, Fusco will work closely with Bethany Bradley and Jon Woodruff, NE CASC University Codirectors, Carrie Brown-Lima, NE CASC Regional Administrator, and Will Farmer, Acting Assistant Regional Administrator.
An expert in the area of global change science and adaptation, Fusco was most recently a research scientist with the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group. There she partnered with the Northwest CASC to lead a “State of the Climate Science Assessment for Species and Ecosystems in the Northwest". This project built on Fusco’s earlier work as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Postdoctoral Fellow at the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station. In that position, Fusco conducted climate change vulnerability assessments, formed adaptation partnerships, and helped incorporate adaptation science into resource management across the western U.S. A former NE CASC graduate fellow, Fusco holds a PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from UMass Amherst and a BA from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Emily to NE CASC as the newest member of our leadership team,” said Bethany Bradley. “Her wide range of experience–in research, network-building, communications, and administration–makes her a great addition to the center. We’re looking forward to Emily’s contributions in many areas, but especially in helping us strengthen our relationships with our resource management partners so we can continue building a vibrant climate adaptation science community across our region.”
Much of Fusco’s work has focused on addressing the dual threat of invasive species and climate change. Toward that end, she has led research and outreach activities in her former position as Coordinator for the Northwest Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change Network (NW RISCC). Prior to joining NW RISCC, she was a member of the advisory board for the North Central RISCC and a member of the leadership team for the Northeast RISCC. Fusco also played a role in helping establish the RISCC Network, which currently includes five RISCC initiatives in the U.S. and one in Canada.
“I’m very excited to return to NE CASC as the center’s new Deputy University Director,” Fusco said. “By emphasizing a relationship-driven approach to science, the center has built an expansive network of partners and been very successful in helping resource managers integrate climate adaptation science into their planning and management strategies. I look forward to connecting with both current and prospective partners to help expand on this success and encourage anyone interested in collaborating with NE CASC to contact me directly.”
Emily Fusco can be reached at @email.
