How Do Policymakers Access and Use Data to Address Complex Problems?

Originally aired November 13, 2019

Science is foundational to addressing the complex problems facing our society — yet the boundary between policymakers and scientists does not come naturally. Co-hosted by SSF, the National Council for Science and the Environment, and ASU’s School of Sustainability in advance of NCSE’s 2020 Annual Conference, this session explores how evidence can more effectively serve decision-making — and what governance structures, relationships, and practices can close the gap between scientific knowledge and policy action.

Speakers

Erica Goldman (Moderator)

Science Policy Director, National Council for Science and the Environment

Erica Goldman leads the National Council for Science and the Environment in building capacity to bridge science and policy for better environmental decision-making. She previously served as Director of Policy Engagement for COMPASS, helping environmental scientists communicate their work in public discourse, and held a position in the White House Council on Environmental Quality. She holds a doctorate in biology from the University of Washington.

Melanie Stansbury

New Mexico State House of Representatives

Melanie Stansbury serves in the New Mexico State House of Representatives, where her work spans local economy, infrastructure, energy and water security, and community development. A native New Mexican with extensive experience in state, local, tribal, and nonprofit organizations — including the White House Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Senate — she grounds her policy work in a grassroots, community-based approach to governance.

Jeffrey Warren

Research Director, North Carolina Policy Collaboratory

Jeffrey Warren is Research Director at the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory. Formally trained as a marine geologist, he has spent fifteen years in state-level science policy positions, including as Coastal Hazards Policy Specialist for the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management and Science Advisor for the North Carolina Senate President Pro Tempore. His work connects academic research to legislative decision-making on environmental and coastal issues.

Daniel Sarewitz

Co-Director, Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes, Arizona State University

Daniel Sarewitz is Co-Director of the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes at Arizona State University and a leading scholar on science policy and the social outcomes of research. He edits Issues in Science and Technology and is a regular columnist for Nature. His work explores how science policy decisions shape which knowledge gets produced and how it serves — or fails to serve — public and democratic values.

Diana Epstein

Evidence Team Lead, White House Office of Management and Budget

Diana Epstein is the Evidence Team Lead at the Office of Management and Budget, where she collaborates with federal agencies on setting research priorities, embedding findings into program design, and developing agency capacity to build and use evidence. She previously worked as a research and evaluation manager at the Corporation for National and Community Service and as a policy analyst at Abt Associates and the RAND Corporation.