201 Stephenson Parkway, Suite 2100 Norman, OK 73019

Partners & Decision Makers


Affiliate Program

An Affiliate of the South Central CASC is a person whose professional activity, including research or education, contributes to the goals and mission of the Center and who is actively engaging with the Center throughout the year.

Benefits of becoming an affiliate:

Opportunities to network with a multi-disciplinary group of regional climate adaptation leaders with an invitation to the annual South Central CASC Science Workshop.

A listing on our website with a description of research interests.

Potential for your work to be featured on our website, our social media outlets, and/or our monthly newsletter.

Additional Information

Learn More

Current List of Affiliates


Science Advisory Committee

The purpose of the Science Advisory Committee (SAC) is to provide input to the CASC staff on annual funding priorities and on funding decisions about the resulting research proposals to the Director. For a complete list of the South Central CASC Science Advisory Committee, click the link.


Our Consortium

The work of the South Central CASC is accomplished through a collaborative partnership among USGS scientists, resource management agencies, and a consortium of academic institutions from across the region. The South Central CASC is hosted by, and physically housed at, the University of Oklahoma (OU), where space is provided for university, tribal, and federal employees.

Our consortium has broad expertise in the physical, biological, natural, and social sciences to address impacts of climate change on land, water, fish and wildlife, ocean, coastal, and cultural resources. The academic consortium also includes six additional member institutions:


University of Oklahoma

Principal Investigator

Dr. Renee McPherson, University Director & Associate Professor

Area of Expertise: Regional/applied climatology, land/air vegetation interactions, meso-scale meteorology, observing systems


Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Elinor Martin, Associate Professor

Area of Expertise: Precipitation variability, climate variability and change, climate model analysis


Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Mark Shafer, Associate Professor, Associate State Climatologist, & Associate Director, Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program

Area of Expertise: Science policy and climate services


Co-Principal Investigator

Emma Kuster, University Assistant Director

Area of Expertise: Climate science and adaptation, climate education and outreach, stakeholder engagement


Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Berrien Moore III, Dean, College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences

Area of Expertise: Global carbon cycle, satellite remote sensing

Louisiana State University

Principal Investigator

Dr. Chris D’Elia, Professor, School of the Coast and Environment

Area of Expertise: Nutrient dynamics of estuaries and coral reefs, science policy


Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Kristine DeLong, Associate Professor

Area of Expertise: Paleo-oceanography and paleo-climatology, past ocean coral reconstruction, global circulation and sea surface temperature shifts, coastal research


Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Victor Rivera-Monroy, Assistant Professor

Area of Expertise: Estuarine & coastal ecosystems, landscape/ecosystem models, coastal management and aquaculture

Texas Tech University

Principal Investigator

Dr. John Zak, Professor & Interim Chair, Biological Sciences

Area of Expertise: Microbial ecology in arid & semi-arid landscapes


Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Natasja van Gestel, Assistant Professor

Area of Expertise: Carbon cycle modeling, impact of climate change on microbial communities, citizen science


Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Venkatesh Uddameri, Professor

Area of Expertise: Climate change, water resource management, water energy nexus, groundwater modeling


Co-Principal Investigator

Dr. Katharine Hayhoe, Associate Professor

Area of Expertise: Atmospheric science, global modeling, greenhouse gas emissions, regional climate impacts, policy

Chickasaw Nation

Principal Investigator

Jennie Mosely, Director of Land Sustainability and Services

Area of Expertise: Native Land Management and Protection


Co-Principal Investigator

Amelia Cook, Sustainability Science Manager and Tribal Liaison

Area of Expertise: Science Education, Tribal Engagement

Choctaw Nation

Principal Investigator

Tye Baker, Sr. Director of Environmental Science

Area of Expertise: Tribal professional capacity building, water resources


Oklahoma State University

Principal Investigator

Dr. Jim Ansley, Department Head of Natural Resource Ecology and Management

Area of Expertise: Rangeland vegetation ecology, woody plant encroachment.

University of New Mexico

Principal Investigator

Dr. Renia Ehrenfeucht, Department Chair & Professor of Community & Regional Planning

Area of Expertise: Urban studies, adaptation & planning, policy


Co-Principal Investigator

Lani Tsinnajinnie, Assistant professor

Area of Expertise: Mountain and watershed hydrology, impacts of climate change on mountainous water resources, watershed management and planning, water management in Indigenous communities

Co-Principal Investigator

John Fleck, Director of UNM’s Water Resource Program

Area of Expertise: Water resource management, planning and adaptation, science communications