Allison Agsten, MPA

Biography

Allison Agsten is the inaugural director of USC Annenberg’s Center for Climate Journalism and Communication where she develops initiatives to bolster public understanding of – and response to – climate change. She is also executive producer of the USC energy transition podcast series, Electric Futures, and the author of a range of reports addressing climate change and the media, corporate sustainability practices, and policy-related issues.

In addition to her appointment at the Annenberg School, Agsten served as curator at the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability. Through the Office of Religious Life, she holds the role of eco-chaplain, where she provides support to faculty, staff, and students at the university.

Also at USC, Agsten is a scholar at the Leonard D. Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service, an affiliate with the Schaeffer Behavioral Science and Policy Initiative, and a fellow of the Los Angeles Institute of Humanities. Beyond Los Angeles, she is an affiliate of the University of Alaska Anchorage Department of Biological Sciences and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Previously, Agsten has held roles in the fields of journalism, communications, and public engagement, including as a producer at CNN, Director of Communications at LACMA, and Curator of Public Engagement at the Hammer Museum. Her work has been recognized by the city and the county of Los Angeles, the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, a range of philanthropic organizations, and local, national, and international media.

Agsten holds an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BA from UCLA.