This profile was written by Tyler Plum, National CASC Science Communication Specialist. 

Growing up, Emily Fort never envisioned herself in an environmental field. 

“I always appreciated nature, but I sort of joke that I'm an indoor kitty,” Fort says. “I'm not someone who loved going out and hiking and tromping through the woods – that was never me.” 

She recalls her mother having to lock her out of the house to get her to spend time outdoors. “I just wanted to sit and read all day, but I've always really enjoyed science.” 

But as an adult, the opportunity to create the job she wanted within an environmental agency, and one she felt the federal government needed, was too good to pass up. “It was rewarding, being able to be in on the ground floor of something, and seizing those opportunities,” she explains.  

As the Communications, Data, and Information Technology Coordinator for the National Climate Adaptation Science Center (National CASC), she leads a team of data stewards, science communicators, and information technology specialists supporting the National CASC and CASC Network, spanning nine regional centers across the country.  

Like many other scientists, Fort’s path to the CASC Network and the USGS started with science and curiosity –while her interest in climate change and conservation came later. 

Cold War fears and environmental awareness 

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Despite spending limited time outdoors, Fort always had an awareness of environmental issues in her region. Growing up near Oak Ridge National Laboratory during the Cold War, Fort’s fascination with science, especially physics and energy, made her aware of potential ecological impacts.  

As one of the nuclear development sites of the Manhattan Project in the 40’s, radiation and radioactive contamination were a constant worry during Fort’s childhood, and one that remains today. It was also a likely target for attacks during the technological race of the Cold War. 

“I remember distinctly being afraid of [Oak Ridge National Lab] getting bombed during the Cold War and what that radioactive waste [would do] in the environment and the waste stream” she explains.  

“I don't know why that stuck,” she laughs. “I've asked my sister and parents and they’re like, ‘I don't know where she got that,’ but it really sunk in somewhere.”  

As she grew, she maintained an awareness of environmental issues in her region. “There was a big thing at the time (1980s), in the Asheville area, where the Champion paper mill had polluted the river in a huge, huge way” and she noticed again that the “environmental impacts of that and what that meant for people just really stuck with me.” 

These experiences would shape her interests in science through college, even while pursuing seemingly unrelated degrees. 

From science to public policy, and listening to herself 

I really loved being in the government. I loved the focus being on serving the public and doing important work.

Following her curiosity and passion for science, Fort graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Physics from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. While she tried to determine what path to take next, she met an alumnus working for the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) budget and congressional affairs offices who spoke to her about public policy.  

“That was the first time I ever knew that was an option and it sounded really interesting, and in the meantime [I] had applied for a health physics [Masters],” she says.  

After spending time in the private sector after graduation, she wanted a change back towards science and public policy. Fort reached out to her mentor at NSF again, and after some discussion about what she wanted out of her career, he mentioned that NSF was hiring for their budget office and encouraged her to apply. “So, I did and got the job, and it was great,” Fort says.  

“I really loved being in the government. I loved the focus being on serving the public and doing important work.” 

As she grew into her new position, she started to realize more about herself, and what she needed from her career.  

“I realized another important lesson for me was that I needed jobs that had at least some degree of people interaction.” 

Discovering she enjoyed the budget process, she jumped at the chance to transfer to the Office of Management and Budget. She found the work exciting, working with people from many different agencies, from the Department of Justice to the Securities and Exchanges Commission and worked on federal government collaboration and technology 

After a time though, the desire to return to her science interests and roots emerged.  

She needed a change. 

Starting from the ground floor: building a new position at USGS 

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After keeping an eye out for positions that matched her qualifications at the nearby U.S. Geological Survey, Fort found a job in the newly created National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center, now the National Climate Adaptation Science Center (NCASC). The CASC Network provides cutting-edge science that helps people and ecosystems adapt to the impacts of climate change. 

Working in the federal science sphere, she was familiar many science networks, but the CASC’s focus on environmental change, and their approach to science, resonated with her in a way others had not. 

“I think the CASCs were, from the very early days, really interested in trying to make sure the science we were doing was going to be useful to managers and informed by them, so they were active participants in defining the science.” 

Even though she was originally recruited solely for data management, Fort saw the chance to expand her portfolio, create the job she wanted, and build a solid infrastructure for the new science center’s network.   

“Doug [Doug Beard, NCASC Chief] was giving me a ton of flexibility,” she remembers. “I mean I was literally brought on just to do data management, then I was like, ‘OK well, but to do data management, we need to do project tracking and process improvement.” 

After setting up data management and project tracking, Fort next moved to communication because,” we can't have all this cool science and then not talk about it.”  

A lot of these challenges were new to her. She was suddenly in charge of tasks that had little infrastructure or funding, including building websites and establishing newsletters. “It was all totally new to me. I was not a scientific data manager expert by any means. I am not a trained science communicator.”  

However, Fort leaned into these opportunities, finding new ways to address problems that other centers around the country were also having. In doing so, she found ways to build out her position and establish her role leading information technology and data management in a country-wide network of science centers. 

Looking back, and looking forward 

Twelve years later, Fort is still an indoor kitty – but now the values from her CASC job have threaded themselves throughout her life. 

Today she tries to live more sustainably. She also cultivates a thriving native plant garden at her home and loves learning about native species in her area.  

Looking back to when the National CASC started, she is proud of how far the network has come, and of how it is evolving. 

“We’re really focused on trying to make sure we’re reaching everybody that we need to reach – especially Tribes and Indigenous people, but also being more thoughtful and engaged with other traditionally underrepresented groups and thinking about environmental justice.” 

Above all, this job has given her the opportunity to work with great people. 

She adores her fellow employees in the CASC Network and is proud of the employees she’s watched go on to do great things.  

“It's just really fun to have been a part of their work experiences.” 

When asked for advice on building a career in government, Fort pressed the importance of building a network, taking advantage of opportunities, and most importantly, keeping an open mind. 

“I think [staying curious], to my mind, keeps you happy in a working career.”