Allison Crimmins

Allison Crimmins is a climate scientist recognized for developing innovative scientific products that inform decision-making and address complex policy needs. Over the last fifteen years, she has worked at the intersection of climate science, policy, communications, and organizational leadership across the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In each role, she worked to build trusted teams and collaborative processes to produce scientifically rigorous resources that are accessible and useful to decision-makers and the public. 

Allison currently serves as the Executive Director for Industry Partnerships at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, establishing the vision for improving delivery of NOAA weather and climate data and services to U.S. industries. She previously served as the Director of the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) at OSTP and the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), where she managed ~850 experts in assessing climate impacts, risks, and responses. In this role, Allison not only ensured the scientific quality of the assessment, but helped advance the culture and processes of assessment development: expanding public engagement, improving accessibility through interactive climate tools and visualizations, and intentionally broadening inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge and perspectives from disciplines like economics, social science, and environmental justice. Allison also helped inspire more creative communication, integrating art, storytelling, podcasts, and improved data visualization into the report to open the science to wider audiences.

Prior to joining NOAA, Allison worked in EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, where she was part of a team that advanced climate change impact research and supported development of numerous environmental health policies. While at EPA, Allison conducted research on climate impacts in the U.S., particularly on climate risks to health and economic damages; contributed to Federal climate policies and regulations, such as the Endangerment Finding and Clean Power Plan; and translated complex science into products that inform decisions, like the U.S. Climate and Health Assessment. She holds a Master of Science in oceanography from San Francisco State University and Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.