This fall, we are excited to announce that the USDA Northeast Climate Hub team is joined by Kristin Benson, Dr. Andrew Bernard, Dr. David Fleisher, Daimon Meeh, and Dr. Kathryn Olson.
ORISE Fellow and Project Coordinator, Sara Kelemen is moving on to an exciting position with American Farmland Trust working in soil health and climate adaptation. And after a long and dedicated role as one of Northeast Climate Hub’s Co-Directors, Dr. Michel Cavigelli is moving on from this position to focus his responsibilities within the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service.
Celebrating Arrivals
With a background in curriculum development and agricultural sustainability, ORISE Fellow, Kristin Benson will create training and resource materials to enhance climate mitigation literacy for USDA and assist NRCS planners in implementing Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry (CSAF) practices in the Northeast. Kristin will lead the Climate Change Mitigation Outreach and Education (CCMOE) project, which aims to improve NRCS staff's knowledge of climate change mitigation. The CCMOE project will be carried out in three phases 1) assess climate change mitigation literacy needs, 2) develop training and support materials, and 3) conduct research on CSAF practices. Prior to working with the USDA Northeast Climate Hub, Kristen received her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from the University of Southern Maine and her Master’s in International Agriculture and Rural Development from Cornell University.
If you’ve taken part in a particularly memorable or helpful climate change or climate mitigation training that would be a great blueprint, let Kristin know!
Also joining us as an ORISE Fellow and with a background as a tropical forest ecologist, climate change biologist, and anthropologist, Andrew Bernard brings both his social science experience and quantitative analytical skills to the Northeast Climate Hub team. Andrew will focus broadly on project management and coordination ensuring the smooth operation of the Hub’s more than two dozen projects. This work is both internal and external; streamlining internal project organization and leading external communication and outreach efforts.
Andrew will also co-lead efforts on two of the Hub’s strategic priorities: climate equity and project evaluation. Recognizing that climate change impacts communities differently, Andrew will engage with stakeholders involved in climate equity and social justice issues on working lands. This effort aims to build effective relationships with underrepresented and vulnerable communities to assess their needs and how the Hub can help meet them. Additionally, Andrew will initiate a program to evaluate performance of Hub projects, and how best to measure outputs, outcomes, and impacts across all Hub work.
Feel free to contact Andrew to discuss project evaluation, climate equity, or interest in partnering with the Climate Hub!
Dr. David Fleisher is a new ARS Co-Director with the USDA Northeast Climate Hub. He concurrently serves as a Research Agricultural Engineer / Lead Scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Adaptive Cropping Systems Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland. Dave’s 20+ year research career focuses on measuring crop responses to climate stress and other production factors. A substantial portion of his research transforms this knowledge into mathematical models and decision support tools to better understand climate-change impacts and identify potential adaptation strategies. He is currently interested in looking at local and regional challenges, and opportunities, associated with a changing climate and providing on-farm management support. Dave has served on various national and international projects and is looking forward to contributing to the Climate Hub mission. He doubled majored in Bioresource Engineering and Philosophy, earning B.S. / B.A. degrees in 1995, a M.S. in Bioresource Engineering in 1997, and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Engineering and Plant Biology in 2001 all from Rutgers University.
Check out his latest article, Warmer Isn’t Always Better: How Rising Temperatures Impact Crop Production.
In addition to serving as the new USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Co-Lead for the Northeast, Daimon is also the NH State Grazing Specialist for NRCS where he supports agency staff and farmers statewide to further quality animal, grassland, and nutrient management. He is also the NH point of contact for the Climate Change and Organic Initiatives. He works extensively with field staff assisting with planning and has field office experience as an acting District Conservationist. Building on his training experience with UNH Extension, he has helped develop and deliver state and regional trainings. Climate change issues are very important to him, so over the past few years he has served on many workgroups and sub-teams for the Climate Change Adaptation Plan Implementation Team and served on a 120-day detail with the Climate Office on the Climate Change Adaptation Technical Team.
Dr. Kathryn Olson is building relationships with Tribal Nations in the Northeast to understand and support their climate adaptation needs and priorities. Kate brings her experience as an educator, sociologist, and climate communicator to an ORISE Fellowship in Tribal Climate Equity. Recognizing that the challenges communities face when it comes to climate change are unequally distributed, the Hub is prioritizing understanding the ways in which past and ongoing harms are informing climate change adaptation in the region. In particular, Tribal Nations have been historically under-served in ways that shape their ability to adapt to the changing climate. At the same time, Tribal Nations have extensive knowledge and expertise about their lands and waters that inform the ways they are responding and adapting to the climate crisis.
Kate will work to strengthen relationships with Northeast Tribal Nations, their partners, and representatives to understand their needs, priorities, insights and expertise so that the Hub can support their climate research and development needs in ways that respect and bolster their Tribal sovereignty. One of Kate’s key projects is developing tools for the Tribal Soil Climate Analysis Network (TSCAN), which seeks to improve data accessibility and use from weather monitoring sites on agricultural lands. Kate will facilitate listening sessions and site visits to learn how TSCAN tools can be improved upon to better serve Tribal needs and priorities.
Appreciating Transitions
After completing her MS in Plant, Soil, and Environmental Science at the University of Maine, Sara joined the Northeast Climate Hub as the Hub Project Coordinator, as well as in an ORISE Fellow leading the Dairy Climate Adaptation and Mitigation program. In her ORISE Fellowship, Sara implemented programming to assist dairy farmers and agricultural advisors in responding to climate change with educational resources and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. As the Hub Project Coordinator, she tracked all Hub projects to ensure success, timely reporting, and information sharing. Previous to her time at the USDA Northeast Climate Hub, Sara contributed to developing the on-farm mitigation curriculum for the Climate Adaptation Fellowship pilot program for vegetable and small fruit producers in the Northeast.
Sara was a true asset to the USDA Northeast Climate Hub team dedicated to helping farmers navigate climate change. Some of Sara’s published work though the USDA Northeast Climate Hub include:
Dr. Michel A. Cavigelli is transitioning from his role as Co-Director of the USDA Northeast Climate Hub to focus on his responsibilities with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS). As Co-Director, Michel provided invaluable expertise on cropping system management and its impacts on greenhouse gas emissions.
He also served as a Research Soil Scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service at the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Lab in Beltsville, Maryland. His areas of expertise include organic and conventional cropping systems, nutrient management, and environmental and microbiological controls on soil nitrous oxide production and emissions. He received a B.A. in Biology at Oberlin College in 1984, a M.S. in Agronomy at Kansas State University in 1990, and a Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Sciences and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Michigan State University in 1998.
The USDA Northeast Climate Hub is grateful for Michel’s many years of service, positive attitude, and humor. Some of Michel’s published work though the USDA Northeast Climate Hub include: