EPM Alumna, Jess DellaRossa, describes her path from grad school to landing her dream job

As a first-generation college student, I felt familial pressure in my late teen years to choose a degree that would guarantee a “successful” career. Rather than choose a degree, and therefore a career, aligned with my interests, my parents felt it was important that I lean into my academic strengths in chemistry and math and choose a degree with a stable job outcome such as pharmacy. However, I knew that my passion for the natural world and adventure could not be ignored. My parents wanted the best for me and my future, but naturally I paved my way forward by exploring my interests in earth sciences and steering clear of my parent’s preferred field of pharmaceutical sciences. 

I received my B.S. in Resource Conservation and Climate Change Studies from the W. A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation at the University of Montana without a clear idea of the utility of this degree post-graduation, which is common for many 22-year-olds. Beyond graduation, I worked as a Legislative Assistant and in a variety of data analysis positions, but still longed to be part of change for the greater good. While walking El Camino de Santiago across Spain one summer, I decided I would need to go to grad school to pursue a fulfilling career that would grant me my own idea of “success.”

In the spring of 2023, I graduated with my M.S. from my program of choice, UC Davis Graduate Program of Environmental Policy and Management, with a specialization in Statistics and Data Analysis. After a setback of losing my first job out of grad school due to the company’s financial situation, I had the opportunity to reevaluate what I wanted out of a career – to work alongside like-minded people to manage our natural resources in a changing climate with the best available science.

Now, here I am in my dream role with the USDA California Climate Hub as a Science Applications Specialist. I have aspired to be in a role like this since my early undergraduate days over a decade ago. At the USDA California Climate Hub, our mission is to develop science-based, region-specific information and technologies that enable climate-informed decision-making. Examples of our work include original research, decision-support tool development, science translation, and outreach engagement for USDA agencies and their partners.

In my role, I primarily develop and facilitate workshops for forestry-related data and tools to empower land managers to make climate-informed decisions. I also establish collaborative relationships between NGOs, data and tool developers, and a variety of government agencies, ranging from the USDA Forest Service to California Resource Conservation Districts. Some of my favorite projects I’ve worked on are assisting with modeling analyses to develop NEPA alternatives for the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority on two national forests, and co-facilitating a recent workshop titled “Implementing Groundwater Demand Management in Agricultural Regions” proceeding the “3^rd International Conference Linking Science & Policy: Toward Sustainable Groundwater in Agriculture”. 

I love that this unique position allows me to use both my technical data analysis expertise and my teaching skills that I gained during my time with the EPM program to equip more land managers to assess their landscapes to prepare for wildfire and the impacts of climate change. Each one of my experiences prepared me for this role, and I feel honored to carry out the mission of the USDA Climate Hubs. My journey to get here was not straight forward nor conventional, yet I am confident that it shaped me into the professional I am today.

The EPM program would like to extend a huge congratulations to Jess for being awarded "Alumni of the Year", a program award given to highlight someone who is making remarkable contributions to the field of environmental policy and management and who remains actively engaged with the program through mentorship, events, seminars or other partnerships.

After graduation, Jess has volunteered with the program in several capacities. She consulted on the development of a new program seminar, serves on the Alumni Committee, and has dedicated time to cultivating the new cohort by serving as a member of the Admissions Committee. We are grateful for Jess's leadership and look forward to seeing all she continues to achieve in her career.