Mary Ann Rozance, former Actionable Science Postdoctoral Fellow with the NW CASC, recently started a new position as Senior Associate at Cascadia Consulting Group!
In her new role, Mary Ann is helping develop climate action plans and vulnerability assessments for cities, counties and other clients. During her time with the NW CASC, Mary Ann led the training and coordination of the NW CASC Research Fellows, helped design and lead two Deep Dive working group processes on emerging climate risks, and progressed the NW CASC’s approach to evaluation and training in actionable science. We are grateful to have been able to experience Mary Ann’s positive energy and passion for making collaborative climate adaptation projects more effective and equitable.
Mary Ann received her PhD in Urban Studies from Portland State University, where she was also a Fellow through a National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program. She received her bachelor’s in Natural Resources Conservation from the University of British Columbia and her master’s in Forest Resources from the University of Washington.
Though we miss working with Mary Ann, we are excited for this next chapter and know she will continue to do great things for the climate adaptation community with Cascadia Consulting Group!
What led you to work in the field of climate adaptation?
I loved spending time outside as a kid and was drawn to a career in the environmental field from an early age, especially from spending my summers with family in Lake Tahoe. My studies and career were shaped by this interest in the “natural” world and through my relationships with people in the community. I became most interested in working directly with communities in program development, engagement and research capacities because community action is such a powerful force for resilience.
While I was getting my PhD in Urban Studies from Portland State University, I got to work directly with students and faculty from different disciplines and backgrounds through a National Science Foundation IGERT program. Through interdisciplinary dialogue with my peers and professors, I became obsessed with how capital and infrastructure investments are made and who wins and loses as a result of those decisions, particularly as investments are made because of climate impacts and resilience-building efforts. Around that time, I read that the City of Miami Beach planned to spend $500 million elevating roads because of the impacts of sea level rise. I had so many questions around how they’d arrived at that decision, how the community was involved (or not) in the planning process, and how their plan would transform the city – and I wanted to participate in that process. I have been working in the climate field ever since!
What does your day-to-day work look like?
I wouldn’t say there is a “typical day” because projects evolve and new phases or projects start frequently, so my day-to-day work is dynamic and interesting! Most of my role is working with clients to help them develop climate action plans and vulnerability assessments for cities, counties and other clients. Cascadia’s climate action plans generally include strategies and actions for both mitigation and climate resilience. My work involves a combination of research, developing and analyzing strategies and actions, and facilitating stakeholder engagement and community outreach to make sure a broad range of people have the opportunity to help shape the plans. Every community is unique, so the work is constantly evolving!
How does your organization support climate resilience in the Northwest?
Cascadia Consulting Group was founded in 1993 and has been involved in sustainability work in the Northwest ever since—but in the past decade it has focused increasingly on climate resilience and mitigation efforts. Cascadia works across all aspects of climate analysis and planning, including data gathering and vetting, emissions analysis and forecasting, goal setting and prioritization of mitigation and adaptation measures. We’ve worked with dozens of clients in the region, including city and county governments, state agencies and multiple Northwest tribes, to develop and implement climate resilience strategies. Through independent research and work with valued partners such as the UW Climate Impacts Group, we stay current on the latest science around climate impacts and use that to inform the climate resilience strategies we elevate to clients.
Cascadia is a full-service climate planning firm, providing research and analysis, decision-support tools, workshops and trainings, program evaluation, and reporting, with a focus on weaving climate justice and community-informed design principles at every stage of our work. We focus on creating resilience plans that are inclusive of local priorities, grounded in stakeholder support, and effective at spurring real-world benefits, including “co-benefits” like public health improvements or increased access to public services.
What is your favorite thing about your work?
It’s hard to pick a favorite thing because there are many things I love about my job, even though I’ve only been here for two months! I really like my co-workers and the teams that I am a part of; they bring so much knowledge, experience, creativity and passion to our work. I also really love community engagement focused on collaboratively developing strategies and actions to advance climate mitigation and resilience goals. Planning requires working directly with communities, and I am so inspired by our clients and the community members I’ve interacted with. To see just how innovative and solutions-oriented people are really makes this challenging work fun.
