Samuel Frank

Deputy Director, Climate Strategy

Samuel T. Frank, PhD, a trained geographer specializing in climate change and renewable energy policy, has built his career around the core mission of translating the complex aspects of these critical subjects into everyday language to boost public awareness and promote smart policy and investment. Once described as a “nerd whisperer,” he seeks to turn the important yet often dense and wonky scientific research of climate and clean energy into easily understood themes and stories for the lay public.

Sam’s notable experiences include: 

• Leading research and story development at Climate Nexus, a non-profit climate and clean energy communications firm, on a wide range of critical issue areas including growth in US clean energy jobs, decommissioning of nuclear power plants, controversy over solar power net-metering, and many more.

• Developing age-appropriate climate science curricula for Billion Oyster Project, a group dedicated to restoring the historical oyster population to New York’s harbor and estuaries and using STEM education to help solve the local environmental challenge.

• Founding Resilient New York, a collaboration with local community and environmental groups and the Waterfront Alliance to educate BIPOC and other vulnerable communities about climate risk and resilience infrastructure projects.

Sam earned his PhD in Earth and Environmental Science from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York as a Chancellor’s Fellow. A born-and-bred New York City kid, Sam lives with his wife and two children in Brooklyn and loves biking, snowboarding, fishing and exploring as many playgrounds in the neighborhood as possible in a single day.