Ronda Strauch

Overview and Professional Qualifications

Dr. Ronda Strauch is the Climate Change Research and Adaptation Advisor for Seattle City Light, where she helps the utility increase climate resilience. City Light is concerned about impacts of climate change on the utility’s hydroelectric power generation and distribution, reservoir management, and natural resource stewardship.  In administering a Climate Adaptation Program, Dr. Strauch funds ongoing research on climate change impacts on streamflow, extreme weather, and disturbances.

Prior to this position, she was a postdoctoral fellow with the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center hosted by University of Washington (UW) Climate Impacts Group where she taught and built capacity for climate adaptation collaborative research among graduate students and stakeholders in the Pacific Northwest.  Her Ph.D. research with UW Civil and Environmental Engineering focused on landslide modeling in the Skagit River watershed.  Additionally, she researched the vulnerability of transportation to climate change on federal lands in the North Cascades.

Before returning to graduate school, Dr. Strauch worked as a supervising environmental engineer at King County Department of Transportation. In this position she provided scientific, technical, and regulatory guidance for transportation projects; developed strategic plans and advised management on policies and regulations through briefings and written reports on climate change.  She has also worked as an ecologist for consulting firms and federal agencies in the PNW, specializing in environmental and biological assessments.  She has an MS from UW College of Forest Resources, where she studied the effects of climate and other factors on high elevation tree establishment following fire.

Research Interests

  • Climate adaptation strategies for built and natural resources
  • Integrating climate science into design, operations, and planning
  • Impacts of climate variability and climate change on hydrology, water resources, and disturbances
  • Climate impacts on hydropower and energy systems
  • Paleoclimatic precipitation and disturbance reconstruction
  • Sustainable resources management and climate change adaptation strategies

Education and Credentials

  • D., Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, 2017
  • S., College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, 1992
  • S., Ecosystem Analysis, University of California, Davis, 1989

Contact information
Dr. Ronda Strauch
Climate Adaptation Advisor
Environment, Land, and Licensing
Seattle City Light
P.O. Box 34023
Seattle, WA 98124
Tel: 206–389-1620
Email: ronda.strauch@seattle.gov