Dr. Kathie Dello

Dr. Kathie Dello
Director / State Climatologist
149 Research III Building, Centennial Campus
Box 7236, North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7236
Telephone: 919-513-2101
Email: kddello@ncsu.edu

Kathie Dello is the State Climatologist of North Carolina and Director of the North Carolina State Climate Office (NCSCO), making history as the office’s fifth permanent director and the first woman to hold the position. She also serves as Co-Director of the NOAA Carolinas Climate Adaptation Partnership, working to advance climate resilience in the region.

A recognized leader in climate resilience planning and impact assessment, Kathie is a skilled science communicator who frequently collaborates with local and national media, NGOs, and climate organizations. She works closely with North Carolina’s state agencies to help them assess and mitigate climate risks.

Her expertise spans multiple states—she led Oregon’s first Climate Assessment in 2010 and contributed as a co-author in 2017 and 2019. She was also an author of the 2020 North Carolina Climate Science Report and a member of the Climate Advisory Panel. Her experience includes adaptation planning in New York and Oregon, as well as serving as a technical advisor for North Carolina’s 2020 Risk and Resilience Plan. Currently, she is leading the Southeast Chapter of the 6th National Climate Assessment, following her role as an author on the Southeast chapter of the 5th National Climate Assessment.

Kathie is a 2024 graduate of Leadership North Carolina, a prestigious statewide leadership development program that brings together established and emerging leaders from various sectors to enhance their knowledge of North Carolina’s key issues.

Before joining NCSCO, she spent nearly a decade at Oregon State University as the Associate Director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute and Deputy Director of the Oregon Climate Service.

She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from Oregon State University, a Master’s in Geography, and a Bachelor’s in Atmospheric Science from the State University of New York at Albany.