Molly Cross

Prior to joining the North Central CASC, Dr. Molly Cross was a Climate Change Adaptation Scientist for the Wildlife Conservation Society. Her work brought together researchers and conservation practitioners to translate climate change science into on-the-ground conservation goals and actions. Molly helped lead climate change planning efforts involving diverse stakeholders at several landscapes across North and South America, focused on a range of targets from individual species to more complex ecosystems. She co-edited the book Climate and Conservation: Landscape and Seascape Science, Planning and Action, and co-wrote a guidebook and training course on Scenario Planning as a tool for climate change adaptation. Molly has contributed to several national climate change efforts including the U.S. National Climate Assessment, the Climate-Smart Conservation guide, and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies' guidance on incorporating climate change into state wildlife action plans. She is the Director of Science for the WCS Climate Adaptation Fund, which supports conservation projects designed to help wildlife and ecosystems adapt to a changing climate. Molly received her Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy and Management from the University of California, Berkeley, where she studied ecosystem responses to climate warming and plant diversity loss in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.