Katharine Jacobs is director of the Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS) and professor in the department of soil, water and environmental science at the University of Arizona. From 2010 to 2013, Jacobs served as an assistant director in the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the Executive Office of the President. Jacobs was the director of the 2014 National Climate Assessment, and also was the lead advisor on water science, policy and climate adaptation within OSTP. Prior to her work in the White House, Jacobs was the executive director of the Arizona Water Institute from 2006-2009, leading a consortium of three state universities focused on water-related research, education and technology transfer in support of water supply sustainability. She has more than 20 years of experience as a water manager for the Arizona's Department of Water Resources, including 14 years as director of the Tucson Active Management Area. She is on the Advisory Committee for the Energy and Environment Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and of the Joint Global Change Research Institute of the Pacific Northwest National Labs. As a water manager and climate adaptation specialist, she has worked with multiple energy interests at the local and national scale. Jacobs earned her M.L.A. in environmental planning from the University of California, Berkeley. She has served on nine National Research Council panels.