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Virginia Burkett

Virginia Burkett is the Chief Scientist for Climate and Land Use Change, International Programs.

Dr. Virginia Burkett was the Chief Scientist for Global Change Research at the USGS during 2006-2014 and served as the USGS Associate Director for Climate and Land Use Change during 2015-2017. She was appointed Co-Chair of the U.S. Global Change Research Program in 2016 and served as Chair during 2017-2019. Burkett is the United States’ alternate representative to the Executive Committee of the international Group on Earth Observations, which coordinates the collection and delivery of satellite and in-situ Earth Observations from 108 nations.

During 1990-2006 Burkett served as Chief of the Wetlands Ecology Branch at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, and subsequently the Associate Regional Chief Biologist for the USGS Central Region. She was the Co-Chair of the Strategic Science Planning Team that developed the 10-year science strategy for the Climate and Land Use Change Mission Area in 2009.

Prior to her federal service, Burkett was Secretary/Director of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, where she had formerly served as Deputy Secretary. She has also directed the Louisiana Coastal Zone Management Program and served as Assistant Director of the Louisiana Geological Survey.   

Burkett has published extensively on the topics of global change and low-lying coastal zones. She has been appointed to over 80 Commissions, Committees, Science Panels, and Boards. 

Professional Experience

  • 2017–Present: Chief Scientist for Climate and Land Use Change, Office of International Programs, USGS. Coordinate USGS global change research within the CLU mission area and among other USGS mission areas. Lead collaboration with other federal agencies, universities, NGOs and other countries to support the assessment of climate change and its impacts around the world.

  • 2015–17: Associate Director, USGS Climate and Land Use Change Mission Area. Responsible for scientific programs, finances, facilities and human resources within the Mission Area. 

  • 2014–2015: Acting Associate Director, USGS Climate and Land Use Change Mission Area. Responsible for leading the Mission Area with about 700 staff members and its associated Programs and field Centers. Led the first assessment of progress in meeting the goals of the Mission Area Science Strategy. 

  • 2006–2015: Chief Scientist for Global Change Research, USGS Climate and Land Use Change Mission Area. Coordinated USGS global change research 2006-2010. Chaired the first global change research planning team for the USGS and served as a member of the Secretary of Interior’s Global Change Task Force. Led the preparation of the inaugural 10-year Science Strategy for the Mission Area.

  • 1990–2006: Wetland Ecology Branch Chief and subsequently Forest Ecology Branch Chief, National Wetlands Research Center, Lafayette, Louisiana, and Associate Central Region Chief Biologist, USGS. 

Education and Certifications

  • 1993-1996: School of Forestry, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, Doctor of Forestry, 8/96, Major - Forestry; Minor - Applied Statistics

  • 1973-1975: Department of Biology, Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, Louisiana, Master of Science, 5/75, Major - Botany (Honors)

  • 1970-1973: Department of Biology, Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, Louisiana, Bachelor of Science, 5/73, Major-Zoology, Minor-Chemistry (Honors)

  • 1968-1969: University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi

Affiliations and Memberships*

  • Louisiana Governor’s Climate Initiatives Task Force, Member, and Co-Chair of the Science Advisory Group to the Task Force

  • U.S. Global Change Research Program, Member of Executive Steering Committee for USGCRP 2022-2031 Strategic Plan, Plan Co-Author

  • Federal Steering Committee for the Fourth National Climate Assessment, Member

  • International Activities Working Group of the U.S. Group on Earth Observations, Co-Chair

  • U.S. Climate Security Advisory Committee

  • National Academies’ Climate Security Roundtable

  • Latin America and Caribbean Initiative for Climate Risk Assessment Capacity Exchange, Co-Lead

  • Ethics in Science and Environmental Politics, Editorial Board

  • Carbon Balance and Management, Editorial Board

  • Regional Environmental Change, Senior Editor, 2012-2022

Honors and Awards

  • Diversity Award, U.S. Department of the Interior, awarded by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, for leadership on the USGS Civility and Inclusion Council, 2021.

  • Diversity Award, USGS, to the USGS Civility and Inclusion Council for work to enhance diversity and inclusion across the USGS and foster a harassment-free workplace, 2020.

  • “Shoemaker Communication Award, for Women of the U.S. Geological Survey in STEM and related careers, a collection of products (book, poster, postcards, videos), 2020.

  • Blue Pencil Award, National Association of Government Communicators, for Women of the U.S. Geological Survey in STEM and related careers, 2020.

  • Diversity Award, USGS, 2015, for “individual leadership and contributions to enhance diversity across the USGS”.

  • National Conservation Achievement Award for Science, presented at the National Wildlife Federation's awards gala in Washington, D.C., 2011.

  • Regional Director’s Conservation Award, presented by Sam Hamilton, Southeast Regional Director, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia, 2008.

  • Special Act Award, USGS, National Wetlands Research Center, 2006 and 2007.

  • Group Achievement Award, for co-authoring Wildlife and Climate Change, presented at annual meeting of The Wildlife Society, 2005.

  • Meritorious Service Award, from the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior, 2003.

  • Minority Student & Faculty Enhancement Award, Southern University, National Urban & Community Forestry Conference for Minority & Underserved Communities, USDA Forest Service, 2003.

  • Taking Wing Award from Ducks Unlimited and the USDA Forest Service, North American Wildlife Management Conference, for the Southern Forested Wetlands Research Initiative, 2000.

  • Special Act Award, USGS National Wetlands Research Center, for global change research program management and synthesis, 1997.

  • Outstanding Service Award, presented by the Project Wild Facilitators of Louisiana, 1990.

  • Public Service Award, Louisiana Operation Game Thief, Baton Rouge, 1990.

  • National Achievement in Maintaining Energy Excellence Award, National Association of Desk and Derrick Clubs (for the Louisiana Rigs to Reefs Program), Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1987.

  • Best Publication Award, Conservation Category, presented by the Louisiana Wildlife Biologists Association, Baton Rouge, 1987.

  • President's Public Service Award (a national conservation achievements award), presented by The Nature Conservancy, Washington, D.C., 1986.

  • Outstanding Public Service Award (for wetland conservation achievements), presented by the Louisiana Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Alexandria, Louisiana, 1984.

  • Best Project Award, presented by the Louisiana Chapter of the American Planning Association for the Louisiana Atlas of Floodplains and Flooding Problems, Lafayette, Louisiana, 1982.

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 41

A snapshot of women of the U.S. Geological Survey in STEM and related careers

IntroductionThe term “STEM” has been used to group together the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and to describe education and professions related to these fields. The professional fields connected to STEM education are thought of as engineering, medicine, and computer technology. Yet these professional fields are merely the tip of the iceberg. Numerous opportunities in
Authors
Susan C. Aragon-Long, Virginia R. Burkett, Holly S. Weyers, Susan M. Haig, Marjorie S. Davenport, Kelly L. Warner
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center

Vulnerabilities and opportunities at the nexus of electricity, water and climate

The articles in this special issue examine the critical nexus of electricity, water, and climate, emphasizing connections among resources;  the prospect of increasing vulnerabilities of water resources and electricity generation in a changing climate;  and the opportunities for research to inform integrated energy and water policy and management measures aimed at reducing vulnerability and increas
Authors
Peter Frumhoff, Virginia Burkett, Robert B. Jackson, Robin Newmark, Jonathan Overpeck, Michael Webber
By
Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program

The impact of climate change on coastal ecosystems

In this chapter we stress two important features of coasts and coastal ecosystems. First, these are dynamic systems which continually undergo adjustments, especially through erosion and re-deposition, in response to a range of processes. Many coastal ecosystems adjust naturally at a range of time scales and their potential for response is examined partly by reconstructing how such systems have cop
Authors
Colin D. Woodroffe, Robert J. Nicholls, Virginia Burkett, Donald L. Forbes
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Perception, experience, and indigenous knowledge of climate change and variability: the case of Accra, a sub-Saharan African city

Several recent international assessments have concluded that climate change has the potential to reverse the modest economic gains achieved in many developing countries over the past decade. The phenomenon of climate change threatens to worsen poverty or burden populations with additional hardships, especially in poor societies with weak infrastructure and economic well-being. The importance of th
Authors
Samuel N.A. Codjoe, George Owusu, Virginia Burkett

Ecosystem services: developing sustainable management paradigms based on wetland functions and processes

In the late nineteenth century and twentieth century, there was considerable interest and activity to develop the United States for agricultural, mining, and many other purposes to improve the quality of human life standards and prosperity. Most of the work to support this development was focused along disciplinary lines with little attention focused on ecosystem service trade-offs or synergisms,
Authors
Ned H. Euliss, David M. Mushet, Loren M. Smith, William H. Conner, Virginia R. Burkett, Douglas A. Wilcox, Mark W. Hester, Haochi Zheng
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

U.S. Geological Survey Climate and Land Use Change Science Strategy—A Framework for Understanding and Responding to Global Change

Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a nonregulatory Federal science agency with national scope and responsibilities, is uniquely positioned to serve the Nation’s needs in understanding and responding to global change, including changes in climate, water availability, sea level, land use and land cover, ecosystems, and global biogeochemical cycles. Global change is among the most ch
Authors
Virginia R. Burkett, David A. Kirtland, Ione L. Taylor, Jayne Belnap, Thomas M. Cronin, Michael D. Dettinger, Eldrich L. Frazier, John W. Haines, Thomas R. Loveland, Paul C.D. Milly, Robin O'Malley, Robert S. Thompson, Alec G. Maule, Gerard McMahon, Robert G. Striegl
By
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Coping capacity

No abstract available.
Authors
Virginia R. Burkett
By
Ecosystems Mission Area

Coastal impacts, adaptation, and vulnerabilities: a technical input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment

The coast has long provided communities with a multitude of benefits including an abundance of natural resources that sustain economies, societies, and ecosystems. Coasts provide natural harbors for commerce, trade, and transportation; beaches and shorelines that attract residents and tourists; and wetlands and estuaries that are critical for fisheries and water resources. Coastal ecosystems pr
Authors
Virginia Burkett, Margaret Davidson

Gender and occupational perspectives on adaptation to climate extremes in the Afram Plains of Ghana

Although sub-Saharan Africa does not contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, significant adverse impacts of climate change are anticipated in this region. Countries in West Africa, which are heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture, are projected to experience more frequent and intense droughts, altered rainfall patterns and increases in temperature through the end of this century.
Authors
Samuel N.A. Codjoe, Lucy K. Atidoh, Virginia Burkett

Global climate change implications for coastal and offshore oil and gas development

The discussion and debate about climate change and oil and gas resource development has generally focused on how fossil fuel use affects the Earth's climate. This paper explores how the changing climate is likely to affect oil and gas operations in low-lying coastal areas and the outer continental shelf. Oil and gas production in these regions comprises a large sector of the economies of many ener
Authors
Virginia R. Burkett

USGS global change science strategy: A framework for understanding and responding to climate and land-use change

This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Global Change Science Strategy expands on the Climate Variability and Change science component of the USGS 2007 Science Strategy, “Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges: USGS Science in the Coming Decade” (U.S. Geological Survey, 2007). Here we embrace the broad definition of global change provided in the U.S. Global Change Research Act of 1990 (Public Law 101–606,104 Sta
Authors
Virginia R. Burkett, Ione L. Taylor, Jayne Belnap, Thomas M. Cronin, Michael D. Dettinger, Eldrich L. Frazier, John W. Haines, David A. Kirtland, Thomas R. Loveland, Paul C.D. Milly, Robin O'Malley, Robert S. Thompson
By
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Scenarios for coastal vulnerability assessment

Coastal vulnerability assessments tend to focus mainly on climate change and especially on sea-level rise. Assessment of the influence of nonclimatic environmental change or socioeconomic change is less well developed and these drivers are often completely ignored. Given that the most profound coastal changes of the twentieth century due to nonclimate drivers are likely to continue through the twe
Authors
Robert J. Nicholls, Colin D. Woodroffe, Virginia Burkett, John Hay, Poh Poh Wong, Leonard Nurse
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
USGS Student Intern Amber Kremer Wins AmeriGEO Individual Excellence Award

USGS Student Intern Amber Kremer Wins AmeriGEO Individual Excellence Award

At the Closing Ceremony of AmeriGEO Week 2023, held August 7-12 at the University of Costa Rica, USGS Office of International Programs Student Intern...

Read Article
USGS contributes to UN Climate Change Adaptation forum in Santiago, Chile

USGS contributes to UN Climate Change Adaptation forum in Santiago, Chile

Virginia Burkett, Chief Scientist for Climate and Land Use Change, Office of International Programs, gave the opening keynote presentation at the...

Read Article
USGS supported the U.S. Department of the Interior delegation at COP-27

USGS supported the U.S. Department of the Interior delegation at COP-27

Virginia Burkett, Chief Scientist for Climate and Land Use Change, International Programs, supported Tanya Trujillo, U.S. Department of the Interior...

Read Article

Science and Products

Filter Total Items: 41

A snapshot of women of the U.S. Geological Survey in STEM and related careers

IntroductionThe term “STEM” has been used to group together the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and to describe education and professions related to these fields. The professional fields connected to STEM education are thought of as engineering, medicine, and computer technology. Yet these professional fields are merely the tip of the iceberg. Numerous opportunities in
Authors
Susan C. Aragon-Long, Virginia R. Burkett, Holly S. Weyers, Susan M. Haig, Marjorie S. Davenport, Kelly L. Warner
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center

Vulnerabilities and opportunities at the nexus of electricity, water and climate

The articles in this special issue examine the critical nexus of electricity, water, and climate, emphasizing connections among resources;  the prospect of increasing vulnerabilities of water resources and electricity generation in a changing climate;  and the opportunities for research to inform integrated energy and water policy and management measures aimed at reducing vulnerability and increas
Authors
Peter Frumhoff, Virginia Burkett, Robert B. Jackson, Robin Newmark, Jonathan Overpeck, Michael Webber
By
Climate Research and Development Program, Land Change Science Program

The impact of climate change on coastal ecosystems

In this chapter we stress two important features of coasts and coastal ecosystems. First, these are dynamic systems which continually undergo adjustments, especially through erosion and re-deposition, in response to a range of processes. Many coastal ecosystems adjust naturally at a range of time scales and their potential for response is examined partly by reconstructing how such systems have cop
Authors
Colin D. Woodroffe, Robert J. Nicholls, Virginia Burkett, Donald L. Forbes
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Climate Research and Development Program, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Perception, experience, and indigenous knowledge of climate change and variability: the case of Accra, a sub-Saharan African city

Several recent international assessments have concluded that climate change has the potential to reverse the modest economic gains achieved in many developing countries over the past decade. The phenomenon of climate change threatens to worsen poverty or burden populations with additional hardships, especially in poor societies with weak infrastructure and economic well-being. The importance of th
Authors
Samuel N.A. Codjoe, George Owusu, Virginia Burkett

Ecosystem services: developing sustainable management paradigms based on wetland functions and processes

In the late nineteenth century and twentieth century, there was considerable interest and activity to develop the United States for agricultural, mining, and many other purposes to improve the quality of human life standards and prosperity. Most of the work to support this development was focused along disciplinary lines with little attention focused on ecosystem service trade-offs or synergisms,
Authors
Ned H. Euliss, David M. Mushet, Loren M. Smith, William H. Conner, Virginia R. Burkett, Douglas A. Wilcox, Mark W. Hester, Haochi Zheng
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

U.S. Geological Survey Climate and Land Use Change Science Strategy—A Framework for Understanding and Responding to Global Change

Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a nonregulatory Federal science agency with national scope and responsibilities, is uniquely positioned to serve the Nation’s needs in understanding and responding to global change, including changes in climate, water availability, sea level, land use and land cover, ecosystems, and global biogeochemical cycles. Global change is among the most ch
Authors
Virginia R. Burkett, David A. Kirtland, Ione L. Taylor, Jayne Belnap, Thomas M. Cronin, Michael D. Dettinger, Eldrich L. Frazier, John W. Haines, Thomas R. Loveland, Paul C.D. Milly, Robin O'Malley, Robert S. Thompson, Alec G. Maule, Gerard McMahon, Robert G. Striegl
By
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Coping capacity

No abstract available.
Authors
Virginia R. Burkett
By
Ecosystems Mission Area

Coastal impacts, adaptation, and vulnerabilities: a technical input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment

The coast has long provided communities with a multitude of benefits including an abundance of natural resources that sustain economies, societies, and ecosystems. Coasts provide natural harbors for commerce, trade, and transportation; beaches and shorelines that attract residents and tourists; and wetlands and estuaries that are critical for fisheries and water resources. Coastal ecosystems pr
Authors
Virginia Burkett, Margaret Davidson

Gender and occupational perspectives on adaptation to climate extremes in the Afram Plains of Ghana

Although sub-Saharan Africa does not contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, significant adverse impacts of climate change are anticipated in this region. Countries in West Africa, which are heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture, are projected to experience more frequent and intense droughts, altered rainfall patterns and increases in temperature through the end of this century.
Authors
Samuel N.A. Codjoe, Lucy K. Atidoh, Virginia Burkett

Global climate change implications for coastal and offshore oil and gas development

The discussion and debate about climate change and oil and gas resource development has generally focused on how fossil fuel use affects the Earth's climate. This paper explores how the changing climate is likely to affect oil and gas operations in low-lying coastal areas and the outer continental shelf. Oil and gas production in these regions comprises a large sector of the economies of many ener
Authors
Virginia R. Burkett

USGS global change science strategy: A framework for understanding and responding to climate and land-use change

This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Global Change Science Strategy expands on the Climate Variability and Change science component of the USGS 2007 Science Strategy, “Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges: USGS Science in the Coming Decade” (U.S. Geological Survey, 2007). Here we embrace the broad definition of global change provided in the U.S. Global Change Research Act of 1990 (Public Law 101–606,104 Sta
Authors
Virginia R. Burkett, Ione L. Taylor, Jayne Belnap, Thomas M. Cronin, Michael D. Dettinger, Eldrich L. Frazier, John W. Haines, David A. Kirtland, Thomas R. Loveland, Paul C.D. Milly, Robin O'Malley, Robert S. Thompson
By
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center

Scenarios for coastal vulnerability assessment

Coastal vulnerability assessments tend to focus mainly on climate change and especially on sea-level rise. Assessment of the influence of nonclimatic environmental change or socioeconomic change is less well developed and these drivers are often completely ignored. Given that the most profound coastal changes of the twentieth century due to nonclimate drivers are likely to continue through the twe
Authors
Robert J. Nicholls, Colin D. Woodroffe, Virginia Burkett, John Hay, Poh Poh Wong, Leonard Nurse
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
USGS Student Intern Amber Kremer Wins AmeriGEO Individual Excellence Award

USGS Student Intern Amber Kremer Wins AmeriGEO Individual Excellence Award

At the Closing Ceremony of AmeriGEO Week 2023, held August 7-12 at the University of Costa Rica, USGS Office of International Programs Student Intern...

Read Article
USGS contributes to UN Climate Change Adaptation forum in Santiago, Chile

USGS contributes to UN Climate Change Adaptation forum in Santiago, Chile

Virginia Burkett, Chief Scientist for Climate and Land Use Change, Office of International Programs, gave the opening keynote presentation at the...

Read Article
USGS supported the U.S. Department of the Interior delegation at COP-27

USGS supported the U.S. Department of the Interior delegation at COP-27

Virginia Burkett, Chief Scientist for Climate and Land Use Change, International Programs, supported Tanya Trujillo, U.S. Department of the Interior...

Read Article

*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government