Dear Friends,

I am thrilled to announce that Metcalf Institute is launching a search for the next director. We have made tremendous strides over the past twenty-five years, and today we are poised for even greater impact.

Metcalf Institute seeks a dynamic, innovative individual to take on this critical role. This person will be passionate about advancing informed, inclusive public conversations that inspire action on environmental challenges and solutions, and committed to continuing the Institute’s leadership in the inclusive science communication movement. The next director, who might have a background in science communication, journalism, science, or policy, will be ready to leverage their vision and experience to further Metcalf Institute’s mission. I hope you will share news of this opportunity with your networks to help us find the most qualified candidates.

They say time flies when you’re having fun, and I’m here to vouch for that adage. Since 2006, I have had the privilege of working with an extraordinary and evolving team of professionals and students from Metcalf Institute staff, student employees and interns, and URI colleagues, to the Advisory Board and a suite of external consultants and partners. Together, we have broadened the Institute’s training portfolio and expanded the reach of our programs. 

I have had the thrill of watching our alumni contribute to the public discourse that is essential for sparking action on climate change, environmental justice, public health, and a wide range of environmental challenges. I’ve also had the distinct pleasure of seeing the inclusive science communication movement blossom with the help of our Inclusive SciComm Symposium. I am deeply grateful for these experiences I’ve had with so many of you, and especially to the Metcalf Institute staff who bring our ideas to life and demonstrate their steadfast commitment to our mission every single day.

I am looking forward to passing the baton to Metcalf Institute’s next leader. Once the new director is in place, I will serve as senior advisor to support the transition and will remain involved in several ongoing Metcalf Institute projects. And, in my role as a clinical professor of environmental communication at URI, I look forward to collaborating with the new director in identifying new opportunities to leverage Metcalf training within URI’s academic offerings.

For the full position description, please visit the URI jobs page at https://jobs.uri.edu/postings/11346. Thank you for spreading the word!

Warmly,

Sunshine Menezes, Ph.D. Executive Director