On October 3, the Department of Atmospheric Science appointed Professor Russ Schumacher as the Director of the Colorado Climate Center and the newest State Climatologist.

 
From the department announcement...
 
"CSU Atmospheric Science Associate Professor Russ Schumacher has been chosen as the next director of the Colorado Climate Center and Colorado State Climatologist. His appointment begins Oct. 6. Schumacher will continue in his role as an ATS faculty member, with a shift in his effort distribution and responsibilities to reflect the significant and important duties associated with this new assignment.
 
Schumacher is intimately familiar with Colorado weather and climate, leaving him well-positioned to lead the climate center staff in their three primary missions concerning climate monitoring, climate research, and climate services. In his role as state climatologist, Schumacher will be a key resource to public and private stakeholders within Colorado and beyond as they seek expert information regarding the weather and climate of our state.
 
Schumacher first came to Colorado as an ATS graduate student in Fall 2001. He completed his M.S. in 2003 and Ph.D. in 2008. Schumacher joined the ATS faculty in 2011 following a postdoc stint at NCAR and three years as an assistant professor at Texas A&M. He received an NSF CAREER award in 2010 and serves as editor of Monthly Weather Review. Schumacher's research interests include mesoscale meteorology, mesoscale convective systems, weather analysis and forecasting, the climatology of precipitation, precipitation extremes, flash floods, and societal impacts of weather."
 

Russ speaks at the celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the Campus Weather Station in July 2014 (photo credit Eliott Foust)

Outside of work, Russ has been a frequent contestant on the TV quiz show Jeopardy. After his first successful run, he won the Tournament of Champions in 2004 and made it to the semifinals of the Battle of the Decades tournament in 2014. He and his wife, Andrea, live in Fort Collins with their four-year-old son.

Message from Our New Director...

I'm honored by and excited about the opportunity to lead the Colorado Climate Center and serve as State Climatologist. Colorado's weather and climate are diverse and fascinating, and since first moving here in 2001, I've been mystified and challenged by trying to better understand and predict it, because it's important: scientifically, economically, and societally. The Colorado Climate Center collects and provides vital weather and climate information to stakeholders all across our state, and I look forward to working alongside the CCC staff to be a source of the most relevant information backed by the latest research to serve the needs of our state. It will never be possible to fill the shoes of my predecessor, Nolan Doesken, who greatly advanced climate services across Colorado, but I will work hard to apply my background in weather research to continue the Colorado Climate Center's legacy of excellent service to our state. - Russ