The Virginia State Climate Office
The Virginia State Climate Office
The Virginia State Climate Office serves to develop and deliver vital and timely weather and climate information to all Virginians.
About VaSCO
George Mason University has been authorized to host the Virginia State Climate Office (VaSCO) under the College of Science’s Virginia Climate Center. The authorization fills a crucial gap in Virginia-focused climate services and will provide Virginians with an accessible weather and climate resource.
VaSCO will develop and deliver data, analyses, assessments, and expertise about Virginia's weather and climate-related impacts, risks, and risk management options. This information will be made publicly available for Virginia’s state and local agencies, businesses, and communities to utilize for preparedness and resilience decision making.
The State Climate Office will also serve as a representative to national meteorological, climatological, and hydrological associations to better leverage federal agency partnerships and interstate collaboration to address real-time weather and climate challenges.
Stay tuned for updates.
Meet the Team
Luis E. Ortiz
Luis is a professor of climate dynamics and co-director of VaSCO and the Virginia Climate Center at George Mason University. Luis specializes in interactions between climate and urban environments and collaborates closely with Virginia localities to assess impacts on human health, infrastructure, and energy demand.
Co-Director
James Kinter
Jim is a professor of climate dynamics and co-director of VaSCO, the Virginia Climate Center, and Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies at George Mason University. Jim’s research portfolio includes studies on climate variability, predictability, and phenomena such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation. Jim leads the team and fosters partnerships with local decision-makers, businesses, and community organizations.
Co-Director
Alice Fox
Alice leads community engagement for VaSCO, where she works alongside Virginians to collaboratively shape climate questions, priorities, and knowledge. Alice earned her Ph.D. in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) from Virginia Tech and she is proud to carry VT's tradition of public service and the STS lens of critical, creative, and careful approaches to complex problems.
Associate Director for Community Engagement
Sophia Whitaker
Sophia leads communications for VaSCO and the Virginia Climate Center at George Mason University. A climate scientist by training and communicator by practice, Sophia works to ensure all Virginians have access to essential, easy-to-understand weather and climate information. She holds a BS in meteorology from Millersville University and MS in climate science from George Mason University.
Communications ManagerFAQs
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The role of a State Climate Office is to coordinate, collect, and disseminate weather and climate information for the purpose of climate monitoring, impact assessment, and decision-making support within a given state.
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Stay up to date on any community science or collaboration opportunities with VaSCO by signing up for the Virginia Climate Center email list and following us on social media.
Need data? Have a question about Virginia’s climate? Submit a contact form with your request!
Do you live, work, or play in Virginia? We want to hear from you! Let us know what weather and climate data, products, or services you want to see our office offer. We are currently working to gather and organize feedback into year one priorities and a longer-term strategic plan. Email Alice Fox at afox30@gmu.edu to connect.
