Moderator

Bernadette Woods-Placky

Talking Climate Collaborative

Bernadette Woods Placky is an Emmy Award-winning meteorologist, climate science communicator, and network builder with more than 25 years of experience translating complex science into stories that move people and institutions to act. As Co-Founder and Lead Strategist of Talking Climate Collaborative, she brings a proven model for scaling climate communication through trusted, professional messengers.

Bernadette is best known as the driving force behind Climate Matters at Climate Central, where she served as Chief Meteorologist and Vice President of Engagement. She built Climate Matters into the most widely used climate journalism tool in U.S. local television — growing a network of more than 3,000 meteorologists and media professionals across the country and measurably increasing climate coverage in local news markets nationwide, including conservative and rural markets where traditional climate messaging had never broken through. She also cultivated partnerships with media organizations, nonprofits, academic institutions, and government agencies, and represented Climate Central at major global platforms including UN Climate Conferences, Aspen Ideas: Climate, and Climate Week NYC.

Before Climate Central, Bernadette spent more than a decade as a TV meteorologist — starting in Fayetteville, Arkansas, moving to Lexington, Kentucky, and eventually Baltimore, Maryland, where she became the first female meteorologist in her station’s history and earned an Emmy for Best Weathercaster.

At TCC, she applies the same approach that worked for meteorologists: identify a specific, trusted professional audience, build the tools they actually need, deliver them in the workflow they already use, and measure the result. TCC is now scaling that model to health professionals, faith leaders, educators, and rural communities.

Bernadette is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society, holds the Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation, and has been elected to the AMS Council. She serves on the National Academies Board on Atmospheric Science and Climate, and as an advisor for C-Change Conversations, the Watershed Institute’s Advisory Board, and the Princeton Wrestling Club Board. She holds a B.S. in Meteorology with a minor in French from Penn State 

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Sara Peach

Yale Climate Connections Editor and Chief

Sara Peach is the editor-in-chief of Yale Climate Connections. She is an environmental journalist whose work has appeared in National Geographic, Scientific American, Environmental Health News, Grist, and Chemical & Engineering News. For her reporting on environmental issues, she has earned awards from the National Press Photographers Association, Pictures of the Year International, and the Society of Environmental Journalists. 

Previously, Sara taught for more than five years at the journalism school at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where she led courses in environmental journalism and served as the associate director of the Reese News Lab, a media entrepreneurship program.

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Steven Bowen

Chief Science Officer at Gallagher RE

Steve has always been deeply passionate about science, which he channeled into a career in meteorology, beginning with a role in television. After transitioning to the insurance industry, where he has nearly two decades of experience, he is now the Chief Science Officer at Gallagher Re.
 
His role continually evolves with the advancing nature of atmospheric and oceanic science, the integration of new research into the private sector, and the emergence of new challenges from non-physical risks. His work focuses on establishing strategies to help clients make informed decisions on key themes such as natural catastrophe risk, climate change, sustainability, exposure management, socioeconomics, and risk quantification and qualification. Steve leverages data analytics and advisory services to effectively communicate risks, trends, and broader market challenges impacting the insurance industry and beyond.
 
In leading the Climate and Sustainability division within Gallagher Re and collaborating with teams across the Gallagher enterprise, he provides strategic guidance to help the firm better communicate the complexities of physical and non-physical risks posed by climate change, along with the accompanying regulatory demands. This aligns with a growing focus on sustainability, as clients increasingly seek assistance in transitioning their portfolios to achieve net-zero carbon emissions or reduction goals and insurance solutions in the growing green economy. Additionally, Steve leads post-event damage surveys and collaborates with industry trade groups to identify more effective ways to enhance risk mitigation in communities.
 
Steve frequently collaborates with governmental agencies, academia, and industry groups, and has co-authored or contributed to dozens of peer-reviewed scientific journal articles. He has been invited to speak at the White House and participate in administration initiatives aimed at enhancing awareness, preparedness, and financial strategies related to climate risk. His expertise has been sought in multiple US Congressional briefings, and his work has been cited in U.S. Congressional Committee Reports and by the United Nations, among other international agencies. He regularly attends and participates in the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference – the Conference of the Parties (COP).
 
Select professional speaking engagements include events at the White House, US Congress (House and Senate), the United Nations, various branches of NOAA, the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), the National Safety Council (NSC), the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C., and several international industry conferences. He has also appeared as a featured guest on programs for the BBC, The Weather Channel, PBS, and other multimedia outlets.
 
Steve holds a Master of Science in Business Analytics from the University of Notre Dame and a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Florida State University. He is a member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the National Weather Association (NWA), and Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS). He also serves on multiple committees at the Society of Actuaries as a non-actuarial representative.
 
Steve resides in the Chicago area with his wife and two children.

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Ellen Mecray

Founder and Principal at Aeolus Climate Strategies

Ellen is the Founder and Principal at Aeolus Climate Strategies, LLC. Ellen is a proven leader who works to connect climate science and services with states, communities, and industry sectors, including her long-time work with the insurance and reinsurance sector. She responds to her clients’ needs to understand physical science information, connect with researchers and with industry, and co-develop tools for those making decisions about their risks in a changing climate.

Prior to starting her own company, Ellen was a federal leader for almost 29 years. She served as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Regional Climate Services Director for the Eastern Region (16 states). As a senior leader in NOAA, she focused on the delivery and interpretation of climate information using networks across several critical economic sectors including insurance, transportation, health, energy, and others.  Ellen is a recognized climate expert and communicator, having served as the Coordinating Chapter Author for the Northeast regional chapter of the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Fourth and Fifth National Climate Assessments, and a leader for several federal interagency partnerships. Ellen built a successful reputation for distilling, translating, and coordinating information, services and products for a diverse group of stakeholders across regional, state, and local geographies and specific sectors. She is a champion for climate services and led the team that developed the model for Service Delivery that drove a culture change across NOAA. This work formed the backbone for her leadership of the Industry Proving Ground that brought over $100M in new resources. Ellen is known for transparent communication and trust building with customers across multiple levels, and works to ensure they can find and use the nation’s authoritative climate information.

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Session Chair

Dr. Rob Eicher