MOUNT WASHINGTON OBSERVATORY NAMES DREW FULTON BUSH AS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

North Conway, NH – September 14, 2022 – Mount Washington Observatory (MWOBS), a nonprofit research and educational institution working to advance understanding of Earth’s weather and climate, has appointed nonprofit leader, researcher, and educator Dr. Drew Fulton Bush as the organization’s new Executive Director, beginning Sept. 26. Most recently, Bush directed research in McGill University’s Department of Geography and served as the Assistant Director of the Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village in Brownington, VT.

Board of Trustees Chair Robert C. Kirsch called Bush a passionate and visionary leader who will bring a distinctive strategy for the future while building upon the Observatory’s 90-year legacy in mountain meteorology and climate science.

“Drew has a remarkably well-rounded weather and climate science, education, fundraising, and leadership background and will advance the Observatory’s strategic vision as the go-to organization for mountain-based atmospheric and climate research,” said Kirsch. “He has an empathetic and open way that will be positively received by our membership, board, and staff, leading to easier, broader, and more rapid advancements for our organization.”

Observatory trustees formed an executive search committee in February 2022 to oversee the process of finding the organization’s next leader. The committee, led by Board of Trustees Vice Chair Bruce Soper, retained a national executive search firm and evaluated a broad-based and competitive pool of applicants.

“At the end of that process, we unanimously selected Drew. That decision, not surprisingly, corresponded with the unanimous sentiments of the staff,” said Soper.

Dr. Bush says he shares the organization’s passion for leading on historical meteorology, extreme weather, and climate science.

“I’m thrilled, truly. My work at the Observatory represents the perfect next step to use my experience in scientific research, communications, development, and science education,” he said. “There are many opportunities for the Observatory to explore, including making the organization a thriving research hub, growing fundraising processes to accomplish new goals, raising our brand profile nationally, and growing educational offerings to lead students, adults, and extreme weather professionals in learning on climate and weather science.”

Bush has spent more than 15 years examining public perceptions of climate and weather science – as well as related renewable energy issues – to determine methods for improving public knowledge, participation, and policymaking regarding these topics.

Highlights of his career include helping to draft transition recommendations on national land use and energy policy for President Barack Obama’s incoming administration while at The Wilderness Society and leading educational research with a global climate model as a guest at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

He received his Ph.D. from McGill University’s Department of Geography and Bieler School of Environment, a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University, and a B.A. from Colby College. Drew, his wife Sara Lewis, and their young daughter Eleanor currently live in Lyndonville in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and will be moving to the Mount Washington Valley, where Lewis has already joined Josiah Bartlett Elementary School as a music teacher.

About Mount Washington Observatory:

Mount Washington Observatory is a private, nonprofit, member-supported institution with a mission to advance understanding of the natural systems that create Earth’s weather and climate. It serves this mission by maintaining a weather station on the summit of Mount Washington, performing weather and climate research, conducting innovative science education programs, and interpreting the heritage of the Mount Washington region. For more information, call 603-356-2137, ext. 211 or visit mountwashington.org.

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