NRDC Announces New Chief Science Officer
NEW YORK – Ticora V. Jones, PhD has been named Chief Science Officer at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). Jones will lead the organization’s Science Office which is focused on utilizing science as a tool to inform and help build a broader environmental movement that centers the communities most harmed by environmental and climate impacts, while bridging the gap between science and the people, wildlife, and ecosystems it serves.
“Sound environmental policy must be informed by the latest science—particularly in this moment when we are facing so many huge threats,” said Ticora Jones. “The Science Office at NRDC will give me a chance to bring those tools to some of the most important advocacy fights, at what is arguably the most important time. How science serves society, particularly in partnership with communities that are under-resourced and over-burdened is critical, I am excited to get started.”
Jones most recently was the Agency Chief Scientist and Managing Director for Research at USAID, after having also served as the Acting Director for the Innovation, Technology, and Research Hub. Prior to joining USAID, Jones worked in the office of Senator Russell Feingold as the Materials Societies Congressional Fellow, specializing in energy and environment issues. Jones holds a B.S. from MIT in materials science and engineering and a Ph.D. in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Jones will lead NRDC’s work to use data and scientific analysis to guide and shape NRDC policy and positions, to ensure rigor and accuracy in all work, and to enhance the organization’s scientific capacity and expertise through external partnerships and collaborations.
“Strong science is absolutely essential to building a better world,” said NRDC President and CEO Manish Bapna. “Ticora has spent her career at the intersection of policy and science. That skillset positions her exquisitely to lead NRDC’s unwavering pursuit to center science in everything we do.”
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.