Dr. James Kinter is a Professor at George Mason University in the department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences. He serves as Director of the Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies (COLA) and the Virginia Climate Center (VCC). He studies climate variability and predictability, focusing on seasonal phenomena and weather extremes. Dr. Kinter leads the VCC to enhance the resilience of Virginia’s communities to the impacts of climate change through local engagement. After earning his doctorate in geophysical fluid dynamics at Princeton University in 1984, Dr. Kinter served as a National Research Council Associate at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and as a faculty member of the University of Maryland prior to helping to create COLA. He is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society.