Our Team

Robert F. Bunting

CEO and Chairman, Climate Adaptation Center, Inc.

Mr. Bunting is a scientist, serial entrepreneur and educator, moving easily between private enterprise, government and academic spheres, making him a true “bridge” person and uniquely qualified to lead the CAC. He is the CEO of Waterstone Strategies, a consulting firm that assists its early stage high technology clients to “plan and execute” their business and funding strategies. Waterstone has helped its clients in securing over $300,000,000 in new capital. Clients included Pathogen Systems, Raytheon, DigitalGlobe, Intermap Technologies and many others. Waterstone uses its extensive background in business management, intellectual property development, product commercialization, international marketing and sales and organizational development to strategically help companies plan for corporate growth.

Mr. Bunting served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Pathogen Systems Inc. (dba Crystal Diagnostics) from 2005 until 2011. The mid-stage company is commercializing liquid crystal technology in the field of rapid microbe detection. Bob helped create this company in 2005 and during his service raised about $11M in financing.

At DigitalGlobe, Mr. Bunting recruited a new CEO, and led the Waterstone Strategies team in redefining the company through a new commercially oriented business plan. He played a key role in the company “restart” by helping secure a more than $200M investment from Morgan Stanley. The company was listed on the NYSE under the ticker DGI in 2008. DigitalGlobe’s high-resolution satellite imagery is an important part of Google Earth and Google Maps.

Earlier he joined the Canadian aerospace company MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), Ltd., where he created a new U.S. subsidiary, booking more than $85M of new contracts between 1992 and 1997. He arranged successful relationships between MDA and a number of leading U.S. aerospace companies, setting the groundwork for ultimately leading to MDA’s acquisition of DigitalGlobe and Space Systems Loral before integrating its U.S. and Canadian operations, creating Maxar Technologies.

Prior to joining MDA, Bunting was Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Foundation, which oversees the commercialization of all intellectual property generated by the world-renowned National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. He was also a Vice President at UCAR, founder of the Corporate Affiliates Program and a member of the UCAR management committee.

Earlier he was a Lead Forecaster for the NOAA National Weather Service and Scientist at NCAR and participated in global weather and climate programs.

Recently he taught Entrepreneurship as a faculty member at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business, where Bob was able to share his experience and knowledge in an effort to help young entrepreneurs succeed. At St. Louis University, Meramec College, Washington University, Indiana Purdue University at Indianapolis and Metro State College (Denver), Mr. Bunting taught college level courses in atmospheric science. He also appeared frequently on radio and television as a meteorologist including at KMOX in St. Louis, the NBC Today Show and Channel 2 in Denver.

Bunting served on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Music Festival for 22 years. He is presently on the Advisory Board of the University of Colorado College of Music. He also served on the Advisory Board for the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business and is the CAC Chairman of the Board.

Mr. Bunting holds BS and MS degrees in Atmospheric Science from St. Louis University. Please refer to his LinkedIn page for a more in depth view of his background.

Elizabeth Moore

Director, Climate Adaptation Center, Inc.

Elizabeth Moore is a community activist and philanthropist with special interest in environmental and conservation issues and in science education. Ms. Moore is now or has recently been a Board member of the Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast, Florida House Institute, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County and the South Florida Museum; Education & Outreach Committee, Aquarium Committee and Board of Trustee member of Mote Marine Laboratory. Outside Florida Elizabeth is on the boards of the Museum of Science in Boston and the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana.

Elizabeth received a Master of Arts in International Affairs from American University and Bachelor of Arts in Economics & French Literature from Denison University.

Daniel J. Dykgraaf

Director, Climate Adaptation Center, Inc.

Mr. Dykgraaf brings 36 years of experience to the real estate industry in commercial, industrial, residential, resort, and mall development, with several hundred million dollars in transactions worldwide. He is the sole owner and CEO of Space Source, Inc. through which he has developed hundreds of commercial properties both nationally and internationally.

His ability to predict market trends provides a definitive edge for his clients, and that skill has translated into many successful entrepreneurial ventures. He is also CEO of Tommy’s Express Car Wash Inc., a space age high throughput car wash chain now in rapid expansion.

Dykgraaf operates his business from locations in Holland, Michigan and Sarasota, Florida. In addition to his real estate development, he also owns several sales companies that specialize in logistics, transportation, and chemical and food manufacturing.

Dr. Robert W. Corell

Director Emeritus, Climate Adaptation Center, Inc.

Dr. Corell is a Principal at the Global Environment & Technology Foundation, leading its Center for Energy and Climate Solutions, and Chair of Global Science Associates, an interdisciplinary nucleus of science experts. Dr. Corell was an expert contributor to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was collectively awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

He has several recent academic appointments, including an Adjunct Professorship at the University of Miami’s Department of Ocean Sciences, Professor, University of the Arctic and Professor II, UArctic’s Institute of Circumpolar Reindeer Husbandry, Norway. He recently held the Arctic Chair at the University of Tromsø, Norway. He is the Chief Scientist and Member of the Board of the International Sea Level Institute. He is a Senior Fellow at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. He was a Council Member of the Global Energy Assessment (GEA) and Lead Author of GEA Report, Chapter 3 on Environment and Energy. He led the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (2005) and led a comprehensive study of governance issues in the circumpolar Arctic. In 2013, he chaired and was the lead author of the 2013 UNEP Yearbook: “The View from the Top – Searching for Responses to a Rapidly Changing Arctic” and more recently, he was Co-Chair of the 2016 UNEP GEO-6 North American Regional Assessment.

In 2010, Dr. Corell was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Veterinary Medicine by the Norges Veterinærhøgskole (Norwegian School of Veterinary Science) and a 2008 Honorary Doctor of Science, University of Alaska, Anchorage. In 2017, the Case Western Reserve University Alumni Association awarded him the Gold Medal Award for lifetime achievements. In 2019, he was elected a member of the Norwegian Scientific Academy for Polar Research. A natural amphitheater at the head of a glacier in Antarctica (79°54′00′′S, 155°57′00′′E) was named in 2003 the “Corell Cirque” by the Board on Geographical Names.

Dr. Corell is actively engaged in research concerned with the science of global change and the interface between science and public policy, particularly research activities that are focused on the science of global and regional climate change. This effort is designed to facilitate understanding of vulnerability and sustainable development. For example, he is a lead author in the 2011, 2016 and 2017 North Pacific Arctic Conference Annual publication, the most recent of which is titled: “A North Pacific Dialogue on Building Capacity for a Sustainable Arctic in a Changing Global Order.”

He has published several dozen peer-reviewed articles and book chapters during the past decade. A recent example is the UN Environment Programme “2016 GEO-6 Global Environment Outlook: Regional Assessment for North America, UN Environment Programme and 2017 Chapter 6 Impact Analysis and Consequences of Change. He was a contributor to the Adaptation Actions for Changing Arctic (AACA) project of the Arctic Council and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, and a contributor to the book, “2052 – A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years” by Jorgen Randers. He is a Science Advisor to the National Geographic “Years of Living Dangerously” TV series.

Dr. Corell was Assistant Director for Geosciences at the National Science Foundation (1987- 2000) where he had direct responsibility for the NSF’s Atmospheric, Earth, Ocean Sciences, and Polar Programs and was Chair of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (1987- 2000) reporting to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. He was also a professor and academic administrator at the University of New Hampshire.

Dr. Corell is an oceanographer and engineer by background and training, having received Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. degrees at Case Western Reserve University and MIT. He has also held visiting scientist appointments at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of Washington. He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bermuda Institute for Ocean Sciences and has been a member for over a decade of the U.S. National Committee for the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria.

Tom Lewis

Director, Climate Adaptation Center, Inc.

Tom Lewis is a U.S. and international climate, resilience and sustainability (CRS), environmental and emergency/disaster management specialist and infrastructure industry business leader, advocate, board member, and senior advisory consultant representing and working with private sector organizations, governmental organizations, and non-profit/non-governmental organizations.

Tom recently launched his own independent consultancy, LE4 Advisors, after a 30(+) year career in the engineering and infrastructure consulting industry with WSP and Louis Berger (who was acquired in 2018 by WSP while Tom served as President of Louis Berger U.S. and as a corporate board member, after previously leading its environmental business and founding its emergency management, disaster response and recovery business). In his first two years at WSP Tom served as the founding president of its new Federal and emergency management company, WSP USA Solutions, Inc. Then in his last two years at WSP he was the founding CRS national business line executive in the U.S. (with a heavy but not exclusively private sector portfolio of business), as well as serving as an executive leader and sponsor on several global leadership committees and teams covering corporate ESG, net zero, innovation, and Future Ready (WSP’s trademarked framework designed to proactively deal with complex challenges facing the world’s infrastructure, buildings and cities). In his final year at WSP Tom also served as lead author with other company colleagues on a book entitled Future Ready: Your Organization’s Guide to Rethinking Climate, Resilience and Sustainability – released in May 2023 from Wiley publishing.

Tom was also recently elevated to the organizational board of directors for Resilience Rising after serving as an advisory board member for Resilience First (RF), a board director for the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI), and the founding vice chair of the Engineering Leadership Group (ELG) that was launched in 2022 in a partnership between RF and ICSI. Tom is also a licensed professional engineer (PE) and has bachelors and masters of science (BS and MS) degrees in civil engineering, as well as a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree in environmental law.

Alex Gearhart

Director, Climate Adaptation Center, Inc.

Alex Gearhart is an entrepreneur, formally trained scientist, and cross-cultural B2B salesman. He is a co-founder of Sherpa Brewery in Nepal and has consulted on operations, and technical aspects of brewery operations throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Currently he heads global sales for strategic markets at Ska Fabricating, a consumer packaged goods automation company. His main focus involves managing a multi-million-dollar book of business for automation projects that integrate state-of-the-art direct to surface digital printers for aluminum can suppliers.

Alex is excited to represent Millennials and Gen Z as a Board member of the CAC and bring perspective on how those groups will contribute to the climate economy of today and tomorrow.

Mr. Gearhart is an avid traveler, surfer, and outdoorsman. He holds a B.A. in Spanish for Business from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a B.S. in Fermentation Science from Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Dr. Stuart Waterman

CTO, Climate Adaptation Center, Inc.

Dr. Waterman is a research scientist with an extensive track record in high technology product development and business strategy. He is the co-founder and CTO of the Waterstone Strategies consultancy.

A research scientist in the interdisciplinary field of Earth System Science, he has a broad background in both the scientific disciplines and the key technologies supporting CAC objectives of identifying, understanding and managing the local impacts of a changing climate. Relevant scientific disciplines include climatology, geomorphology, meteorology, hydrology and geospatial data analysis. Technology experience includes, among others, simulation modeling, satellite and airborne remote sensing, data analysis and software development.

Stuart’s combined scientific and business background follows an underlying theme of technology applied to Earth System Science – engineering implementation of advanced technologies in support of understanding and managing society’s interface with the environment at local, regional and global scales. This background fueled a career focusing the capabilities of world-class aerospace engineering companies to meet the needs of government agencies around the world, including lead roles in programs for NASA, the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency and the governments of Australia, Republic of China and Brazil.

Dr. Waterman served as Director of Business Development for the U.S. subsidiary of MDA Ltd., Canada’s leading aerospace engineering company, from 2011 through 2015. During that period he developed programs for the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, the U.S. Army Geospatial Center and the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office. Prior to the founding of Waterstone Strategies, he worked for 15 years at the Canadian headquarters of MDA Ltd. Initially joining the company as its first non-engineering professional, he became the Strategic Business Development Director for the company’s earth observation satellite ground station division. His division grew to dominate the worldwide market, growing to annual revenues of $55M.

During his tenure at MDA, he managed the ground segment project team for the Concept Development phase of Canada’s RADARSAT program, an innovative radar earth observation satellite and companion ground systems designed for year-round, all weather, day and night monitoring of the Canadian arctic – today one of the fastest changing environments in the world. Waterman was subsequently named to the Board of Directors of RADARSAT International, a private company formed to market satellite data and analytical services worldwide.

Before entering the private sector, Waterman was awarded a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada postdoctoral fellowship to support his research at the Canadian Atmospheric Environment Service. While at AES, he developed a satellite image processing and analysis system for daily river ice monitoring and flood forecasting. Dr. Waterman received his PhD from the University of Colorado, supported by a research fellowship from the interdisciplinary Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research. He also holds BSc and MSc degrees in Earth Sciences from McMaster University.

Ric Kearbey

Senior Scientist, Climate Adaptation Center, Inc.

Ric Kearbey is a veteran meteorologist who has spent the last two decades informing and educating the public about weather and climate issues on local and network television. His television work has been recognized as the best in the market on multiple occasions, as voted by local television viewers. 

His scientific work has been seen nationally on Good Morning America, ABC’s World News Tonight and in major television markets including Tampa, Florida and St. Louis, Missouri. His work has also been trusted and used in the stadium during games by the St. Louis Cardinals Major League Baseball team. Ric has also provided important game forecasts for the NFL’s Super Bowl and the PGA’s Masters Tournament. 

Ric has written and contributed to many climate and weather related stories for television and print media, including the Tampa Bay Times. His work has been featured on radio stations all over the country.

Climate concerns have been at the forefront of Ric’s career over the last decade as he has studied trends and the changing environment. Ric was part of a team that helped launch “Our Changing Climate” at CBS – 10 Tampa Bay, an initiative to help viewers in Florida and across the world stay educated and informed, while also letting them know what they can do to help.

Ric is also an FAA licensed drone pilot and enjoys using the unique vantage points to capture the beautiful sites of Florida while recording unique and important views of climate challenged landscapes. Using drones and other video technologies, he is able to create very dynamic stories about climate concerns. As a master storyteller, Ric creates powerful content for electronic media that makes a real impact in the world of climate change.

He earned the Certificate of Broadcast Meteorology from Mississippi State University and also a B.S. in Marketing from Southern Illinois University. Ric was awarded the prestigious seal of approval by the American Meteorological Society. 

Melanie Ringle

Executive Assistant to the CEO, Climate Adaptation Center, Inc.

Melanie is responsible for providing administrative support for the Climate Adaptation Center’s Chief Executive Officer. Melanie brings over twenty years of administrative experience including senior level administrative support, human resources, office management and project management. Prior to joining the CAC, Melanie was Executive Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer at American University, a private non-profit university located in Washington, DC. In conjunction with providing CFO support, Melanie provided executive level support to the President Emeritus of American University. Prior to joining American University, Melanie was Executive Assistant to the Executive Director of Asbury Methodist Village, one of the nation’s largest continuing care retirement communities located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus.