Penn appoints Stephen Decina as inaugural executive director of climate science, policy, and action

Stephen Decina was appointed inaugural executive director of Climate Science Policy and Action, assuming the role on July 16. (Photo Courtesy of Penn Today)

Stephen Decina — who was recently named the inaugural executive director of climate science, policy, and action — discussed his goals and vision for his term in an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian. 

Provost John Jackson Jr. and Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action Michael Mann announced Decina’s appointment — effective July 16 — last week. The role marks an expansion of Penn’s climate initiatives through the Office of the Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action — which was launched in 2024 as part of the University’s strategic framework, “In Principle and Practice.”

Decina joins the Penn community after working on international environmental policy and negotiations in the Department of State for the past five years.

“I think one thing that I realized when working for the U.S. government was I am happier doing work at a smaller scale,” Decina told the DP. “Honestly, I think it can be more impactful.”

Decina expressed his eagerness to help the University coordinate and “amplify” its strengths in climate-related research, education, and engagement across Penn’s 12 schools. 

“Each one of the schools is doing something on climate,” he said. “I think first and foremost, we need to serve as the informational heart of what Penn is doing.”

According to Decina, one of the office’s “amazing opportunities” is “providing connection between all the people on campus doing the amazing work,” because “that’s when you really start to grow something from good to great.”

Decina emphasized that elevating student voices is a “primary” part of his vision.

“Student perspective is not just a box I have to tick,” he told the DP. “We want to hear as much from you and your peers as possible, because we really need to build this thing together.”

One such consultation will be through the Environmental Innovations Initiative — with a new climate survey that will go out to students in hopes of receiving “as much honest feedback as possible.”

Decina is already “having a lot of consultations across the University” — with plans to collaborate internally with organizations such as the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, the Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, and the Environmental Innovations Initiative. 

The office is also planning external engagement for the coming fall. Penn will be present at the September United Nations Climate Week in New York and host “a really exciting speaker” at Penn’s Climate Week. 

Decina also noted his plans to strengthen Penn’s partnerships within the Philadelphia area. 

“I want to see the betterment of the city of Philadelphia,” he said. “My grandfather was a butcher in Philly, [and he] did a lot in his local community. For me, it’s important to carry on that tradition.”

Decina’s career path spans science, policy, and education. After earning an undergraduate degree in finance, he spent a decade teaching science in Newark, N.J. That experience, he told the DP, “reinvigorated [his] love for science,” so much so that he began taking courses again.

He eventually enrolled in a biochemistry Ph.D. program at Boston University before pursuing a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California at Berkeley in atmospheric chemistry and urban air cycles. 

Decina started his career at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Science and Technology Policy Fellowships in 2018. He moved into federal work with a fellowship at the Environmental Protection Agency, working on indoor air quality, radon mitigation, and childhood asthma in vulnerable communities. During a temporary posting at the United Nations Foundation, he focused on clean cooking standards, a global issue that “is climate, it’s health, it’s women’s issues, it’s children, it’s everything,” he said. 

At the State Department, Decina served in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. He worked on biodiversity and wildlife anti-trafficking initiatives before transitioning to the Office of Environmental Quality, where he led environmental negotiations across the G-7, G-20, and United Nations Environment Program. 

“You go to the negotiating table with countries that are openly adversarial to you, and you find ways to get things done,” he said. “You really need to understand people’s perspectives, what’s important to them, communicate honestly and openly what your own perspectives are, and then work to find common solutions.”

Decina pointed to this experience as beneficial in his new role.

“Part of our goal is … to go out and make the case for more funding, but also to talk to people who may be underfunding us, to convince them that this is why this is a priority,” he told the DP.

Decina emphasized the office’s role in advocating for more resources and institutional support. Despite climate research often being “underfunded,” he believes the office can showcase all the work Penn does in the climate space and what more can be done with adequate support and “potentially more funding.”

He described universities — such as Penn — as uniquely positioned to advance climate solutions. From attracting research funding to having “convening power,” universities are “incubators,” Decina explained, that can “be that very concrete, science-based voice in what is possible.”

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Longer term, Decina hopes to extend Penn’s international presence in the climate space by leveraging connections from his time in the State Department. He said he would “really like to work with Penn Global, Perry World House … to increase Penn’s presence internationally in the climate space.” 

Above all, he emphasized that climate work must stay grounded in people — especially young people. 

“Regardless of what we’re doing, we need to be in contact with the youth,” he said. “We need to be listening to the youth. We need to be working with youth.”

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