Lisa Allyn Dale

Lisa Dale is the director of the MA in Climate and Society program at the Columbia Climate School, where her courses include: Sustainable Development in Rwanda; Challenges of Sustainable Development; Climate Change Adaptation; and Qualitative Research Methods.

Trained as a political scientist, her research on environmental policy focuses on climate change adaptation in two distinct settings: rural agricultural communities in sub-Saharan Africa, and wildfire risk zones across the American west.

Having attended and presented at several UNFCCC climate conferences (COPs), Dr. Dale focuses on the global institutional framework for climate change in her teaching. She has a background in both academia and politics, including five years as a policy advisor with the Department of Natural Resources for the State of Colorado.

She graduated with a Ph.D. in environmental policy from Colorado State University in 2003.

A Fulbright specialist in sustainable development in Rwanda (2019-2020), Dr. Dale has maintained her affiliation with the University of Rwanda (UR) as a senior research fellow at UR’s Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management.