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• Pamela Braff

As the Director of Climate Programs for the City of Olympia, Pamela Braff, a Ph.D. graduate from William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS, is making tangible strides to advance local climate sustainability while passionately advocating for applied science in public service. 

One of Braff’s most notable recent achievements is the creation of the “Energize Olympia” program, a regional heat pump group-purchase program. “It’s like Costco for heat pumps,” she explained. Through this initiative, Braff’s team negotiates with local heat pump installers to offer discounted group rates to community members in Olympia. The program also provides subsidized installations for low-income households in the community. 

“The community benefits because they're getting reduced rates, and we pre-vet and pre-select installers that meet high-quality customer service and installation standards. The installer benefits because they don't need to do marketing and outreach to get a whole bunch of customers,” said Braff. “And the city benefits because it's helping us reach our emissions reduction goals and our community-wide resilience goals, because heat pumps use less energy, help phase out fossil fuels and provide cooling in the summertime.” 

Now in its third year, the program has been so successful that it has expanded beyond the city, reaching multiple jurisdictions across the county. For Braff, the impact of the program is deeply personal. "The stories that we get from folks about how this impacted their lives remind me that the work that we do really matters... We’re having a big impact on the household level for individuals and families in their daily lives," she said. 

Learning from every marine science experience 

Braff’s ability to apply science to local policy derives from her diverse background. Beginning with early life in landlocked Pittsburgh and a bachelor’s degree from Boston University, she then completed a Student Conservation Association (SCA) internship in the Florida Keys and a master’s degree from Virginia Tech. Braff then earned a doctoral degree from the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS, secured a prestigious Knauss Fellowship in Washington D.C. and finally landed in Washington state. 

She found that each season of life provided distinctive career guidance. Braff's undergraduate major in marine science confirmed her interest in the field generally, while the SCA internship—an AmeriCorps initiative that placed her in the habitat and fire management program where she also became certified as a wildland firefighter—solidified a passion for using science to catalyze practical change. Braff’s M.S. in forest resources and environmental conservation provided data analytics and Geographic Information System (GIS) training, while the Batten School & VIMS Ph.D. program exposed her to advisory services that benefit policymakers and practitioners. 

Based in the Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM), Braff’s doctoral research focused not only on coastal science, but also on public policy and advisory services. In particular, she worked on a project that coordinated with W&M’s Virginia Coastal Policy Clinic to study the vulnerability of transportation routes to sunny-day flooding and sea level rise. “That was a really cool project that helped set the direction of my future work,” said Braff. “We advised local cities and counties on their vulnerability and provided flood mapping products for them to utilize in their long-range planning. I worked on that project so much, my advisor started referring to my dissertation as my side project.” 

At her post-graduate Knauss Fellowship, the final piece fell into place: While she appreciated how much she learned at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as a special advisor within the National Ocean Service, Braff realized she was not interested in federal government employment. “Their work is critical and important,” she said, “but it's not really the kind of implementation that I want to do right now.” 

Shaping climate policy at the local level 

This realization led Braff to Olympia, where she took on the role of climate program manager. In this position, Braff has worked tirelessly to build a climate program from the ground up. "When I was hired, I was the only person doing climate work for the city,” she said. “My first job was to create a vision for Olympia for what it means to do climate work." 

Over recent years, Braff has been promoted to director and expanded her team, working closely with various departments and regional partners to weave climate resilience into the fabric of local decision-making. "We are trying to integrate climate considerations across all levels of city planning, budgeting, policy and governance," she said. 

For Braff, it’s a pleasant change from doing research, when she would provide key data to policymakers only to have it ignored. “I found myself asking, ‘I’m giving everyone all the information they need to make right decisions, so why do they keep making wrong decisions?’” she recalled. “But now I have a lot more influence on how the work gets done and how the work gets thought about. Often people in government positions don't have a science background; I don't work with anyone else who has the same background as me. That's why I want to see more scientists working in local government, because we process information differently and we come to different ideas for how we can solve problems.” 

Recounting memories, offering advice 

“My closest friends today are the folks who I entered my graduate program with,” said Braff, whose Batten School & VIMS cohort continues to gather for an annual vacation, now with a few extra partners, children and dogs along for the ride. “I felt really supported by my peers,” she said, “and it was great to create strong personal and professional networks.” 

Looking back, she estimates that 30 different peers joined her in the field at various times to help collect samples and monitor data for her dissertation. Developing that kind of community is central to Braff’s advice for current graduate students. "Getting through a doctorate program at VIMS is really challenging,” she said, “so build the relationships with your cohort early on. They will help you get through it, and then they will become your lifelong friends after you finish." 

Braff also points out, “Almost everyone who teaches us in grad school took a path that led to academia, which is great, but there's a lot of other ways that you can put your skills, education and passion to good use in service of science and your community.” She added, “There are a lot of people that work in nonprofits and public services that do this work too. So, don’t limit yourself; your career might just look a little bit different.” 

As Braff encourages students to consider a wide range of career opportunities, she champions the efficacy of working in local government.  "Local work and local government have never been more important than they are today," she emphasized. "I personally would love to see more graduates going into that space. It’s a really rewarding place to work. You can get so much done, so much faster, and you can really see those impacts happening in your community." 

This alumni profile was published in July, 2025.