Climate Central, a nonprofit group that promotes science about climate change, has appointed Benjamin Strauss CEO, succeeding Paul Hanle, who is retiring from the organization after seven years. Strauss, a member of Climate Central’s staff since its founding in 2008, has held positions including vice president for climate impacts and, most recently, chief scientist. He also created and has directed Climate Central’s program on sea-level rise since 2010.
“Ben Strauss is a visionary and creative thinker who has abundant expertise on climate science and climate communication as well as deep understanding of the organization’s mission and values,” said Stephen Pacala of Princeton University, chair of Climate Central’s board. “His work on sea-level rise has received worldwide attention from the media and policymakers.”
Strauss said in a prepared statement that under his leadership, the group will continue and expand its principal programs on sea-level rise, climate-weather linkages, and media outreach, and will remain a non-partisan, non-advocacy organization.
Strauss has written numerous scientific papers and reports on sea level rise and is the architect of the Surging Seas suite of maps, tools, and visualizations. Strauss has testified before the U.S. Senate and presented to federal, state and local elected officials. He has a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton, a master’s in zoology from the University of Washington, and a bachelor’s in biology from Yale.
Climate Central, 1 Palmer Square, Suite 430, Princeton 08542. 609-924-3800. Benjamin Strauss, president and CEO. www.climatecentral.org.
