The Climate Impacts Group (CIG) has welcomed Susan Dickerson-Lange as its new director. In her role, Dickerson-Lange will provide strategic leadership for CIG, driving financial stewardship and fundraising while supporting the team to deepen partnerships and expand offerings advancing climate resilience in the Pacific Northwest.

Dickerson-Lange comes to the Climate Impacts Group from her role as principal hydrologist at Natural Systems Design, a Washington-based environmental consulting firm. She has deep experience working cross-sector with Tribes, NGOs, agencies, and municipalities to co-design restoration projects and resilience strategies that benefit both communities and ecosystems. She earned a PhD in Hydrology at the University of Washington and is currently an affiliate assistant professor in the UW Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

“Susan’s deep experience collaborating with people to co-design climate resilience solutions is a perfect fit for our team,” said Jason Vogel, who was the CIG interim director and will now be the Group’s deputy director moving forward. “Among many great candidates, Susan’s ideas for how to implement our new strategic plan and her people-focused leadership style felt like the right choice to help lead CIG into our next chapter serving decision makers and communities across the Pacific Northwest.”

“I have appreciated numerous successful collaborations with CIG over the last 10 years and am delighted and honored to join and lead this group,” said Dickerson-Lange. “The Climate Impacts Group has been a go-to resource for planners, government agencies, and community groups for nearly 30 years, and has a well-deserved reputation for producing excellent scientific products and for responding to community-driven needs. I am so excited to get started in working with this great group of professionals and all of our university and community partners.” 

Throughout her varied career, Dickerson-Lange has demonstrated a love of nature, a commitment to action-oriented research, and capacity building that empowers community-centric leadership. She has directed outdoor programs, led teams of scientists and engineers to co-create climate adaptation strategies with community partners, and developed organizational structures that empower multi-disciplinary teams to communicate effectively.

“Susan’s leadership experience working with community on climate resilience and her passion for the work makes her an excellent addition to the Climate Impacts Group team,” said Ben Packard, Harriet Bullitt endowed executive director of EarthLab. “This Group is one of the university’s longest running environmental research centers, and plays a pivotal role in connecting UW expertise to decision makers and community leaders. We look forward to supporting Susan in this important next chapter.”

The Climate Impacts Group is a member organization of EarthLab, an institute that advances climate action by providing shared services to UW research institutes like CIG, investing in climate solutions, training students to become tomorrow’s climate leaders, and creating connections between the UW and the community.

The Climate Impacts Group wishes to thank members of the search committee, including community partners, CIG and EarthLab staff, and the UW College of Environment.

About the Climate Impacts Group

The UW Climate Impacts Group (CIG) is an interdisciplinary research and engagement group at the University of Washington that helps people across the Northwest understand how the effects of climate change — including rising air temperatures, decreasing snowfall, rising sea levels and drier summers — stand to affect life in our region and what to do about it. The Climate Impacts Group hosts two federally-funded climate adaptation programs – the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, funded by the Department of the Interior, and the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Climate Impacts Group also hosts the Washington State Climate Office and acts as a hub for scientific and technical support for climate resilience in Washington state.