Kathie Dello: Breaking Barriers in Climate Science

0:00Kathy Dello just wrapped up six years as North Carolina's state climatologist from 2019 to 2025. Now she is the Assistant Secretary for Resilience at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. She is one of those women-busting stereotypes in climate science, proving it is not just for the guys. The state climate office kicked off back in 1976, but Dello became the first woman to run it. She earned her doctorate in environmental sciences from Oregon State University plus a master's in geography and a bachelor's in atmospheric sciences. From the State University of New York at Albany, as a kid in nursery school, she got hooked on science after debating if the earth really spins, spotting clouds racing by a church steeple. Before North Carolina, she led climate adaptation efforts in her home state of New York, then settled in Raleigh amid all the buzz on climate change, and sustainability. She stepped up big during Hurricane Helene, collecting key data and frontline stories from people in Western North Carolina to guide disaster.

1:02Response. Dello was pushing her journey to spark more women and girls into STEM, reminding everyone these fields welcome all who bring the heat. That wraps Durham News Today, brought to you with AI.