RALEIGH — Kathie Dello is the North Carolina Climate Office‘s new director and state climatologist, the office’s first permanent director since 2016 and the first woman to serve in the role.
Dello, who began in the role Tuesday, is the fifth permanent director in the office’s 43-year history. She most recently served as associate director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and as deputy director of the Oregon Climate Service, the state climate office for Oregon. She has also worked extensively at the intersection of climate science and public policy, including positions on Oregon’s Water Supply Availability Committee and Drought Readiness Council.
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Originally from upstate New York, Dello earned her Bachelor of Science in meteorology and Master of Science in geography from the University at Albany and her doctorate in environmental sciences from Oregon State University.
“I am very excited to join the North Carolina State Climate Office this summer,” Dello said. “The office has a long history and stellar reputation of doing top-notch climate services work. I am looking forward to being a part of it, and getting to know North Carolina. I look forward to meeting with partners after my arrival in Raleigh.”
The Office of the State Climatologist for North Carolina was established as part of the University of North Carolina system in 1976.
The office on the campus of North Carolina State University now has 10 full-time staff and six student employees. It features computing facilities, a statewide observing network and engages regularly with the public and public school students. The office’s applied climate research includes $1.7 million in externally funded projects supported by three state agencies, four federal agencies and three nongovernmental organizations.
