Dr. Benjamin Strauss is the Chief Scientist and CEO of the organization Climate Central, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “communicate climate change science, effects, and solutions to the public and decision-makers.” Members are journalists and scientists, and their work includes research and publications on climate change, particularly focusing on topics of and relating to, sea level rise, energy, climate science, and extreme weather. Climate Central works with meteorologists, journalists, and other respected professionals in order to reach as many people from as many backgrounds as possible.

Dr. Strauss is also a Horace Mann alumnus. He has kept up his interest in the protection of the environment throughout his life, earning a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University, a M.S. in Zoology from the University of Washington, and a B.A. in Biology from Yale University. Before becoming CEO of Climate Central, Strauss had served as the Chief Scientist, Vice President for Sea Level and Climate Impacts, Interim Executive Director, and COO.

Besides Partnership Journalism, Climate Central has two main initiatives. The first, Climate Matters, provides data and graphics to hundreds of US meteorologists to show climate change’s effects on weather. The second, Sea Level Rise, was mainly pioneered by Dr. Strauss. With Dr. Strauss’ expertise on sea-level rise, he made the Surging Seas website, which has maps of sea levels and identifies at-risk populations on a global scale. Surging Seas has been visited over 100 million times, and its information has been used by the government, businesses, and NGOs.

Outside of Climate Central, Dr. Strauss has presented his work to government officials and organizations, including the U.S Senate. His research has been referenced in many prominent publications, including The New York Times and Washington Post. During his career, Dr. Strauss has been instrumental in the origin of other various environmental initiatives; he was a founder of Grist.org, an online magazine that publishes environmental news and commentaries, and the Environmental Leadership program, which supports environmental and social change leaders across the nation.

Written by Lauren B. Kim (Class of 2023) and Brandon Pae (Class of 2022)