ABOUT ME

Hello! My name is Cate (she/her) and I am a self-described environmental communicator. I have over seven years of experience managing independent and collaborative research projects, conducting community outreach and engagement, and writing and editing complex content. I believe that investigating cases of communication "gone wrong" is key to identifying better strategies to make it "go right," and that embracing diverse forms of knowledge is central if we are to motivate publics to adapt to a changing global climate.

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I received a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Minnesota in August 2024. My research centered on environmental- and climate-related messaging, particularly in the context of potable, agricultural, and ice-related water scarcity. My dissertation was a three-year community-engaged project in southern Spain, where I conducted in-person field research and stakeholder interviews to uncover the cultural costs of climate change on Spanish winemaking. While completing my doctoral degree, I conducted climate communication research for a National Science Foundation collaborative called the Center for Oldest Ice Exploration (COLDEX) and taught upper-division undergraduate communication courses both in-person and online.​

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The only thing I love more than research and teaching is service. I am currently a volunteer researcher with the University of Colorado's Media and Climate Change Observatory (MeCCO) and a member of the United States Global Leadership Coalition's Minnesota State Advisory Council. I recently completed terms on the UMN Water Council and the International Environmental Communication Association Board of Directors, and am a proud initiate of the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, for which I have served terms on the Student Advisory Board and National Advisory Council.

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In my free time, I like to garden, cook, and take barre classes. I currently live in the Twin Cities with my partner and our two cats.