As CU Boulder’s new academic year nears, CIRES welcomes its new Director of Communications, Steve Lommele. 

Lommele comes to the institute with decades of experience in strategic communications across science, technology, and policy. Most recently, he served as founding communications director for the  U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, where he helped advance transportation electrification across the U.S and led a team of communications and engagement professionals. Previously, he worked at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), leading communications and stakeholder engagement for programs focused on home energy upgrades for low-income families, solar, and alternative fuel vehicles and alternative transportation as part of the Clean Cities program. 

As he steps into this new role, Lommele is excited to shift his focus from renewable energy to environmental science, a topic he’s been interested in since earning a master's degree in environmental policy from the University of Denver. 

“When I think about things that I’m excited about, it’s everything that CIRES does from the bottom of the ocean to the surface of the sun,” Lommele said. “I’m excited to round out my energy experience with more experience in climate science and our relationship with the environment.”

Lommele is a CU Boulder alum; he graduated with a bachelor's degree in operations management and international business. Through his work at NREL and the Joint Office, Lommele has developed expertise in a wide range of subjects. He enjoys digging into new technical areas and crafting stories that appeal to a broad audience.

CIRES Director Waleed Abdalati is excited to welcome Lommele to CIRES. 

“At a time when communicating CIRES science and value to society is of utmost importance, I am excited to welcome Steve and his breadth of experience to our institute,” Abdalati said. 

Before diving into work in environmental policy and renewable energy, Lommele worked in public relations and international events. He also worked as a stakeholder engagement manager for the International Mountain Bicycling Association, where he spent three years traveling around the U.S., teaching mountain bikers how to build trails and organize their communities to advocate for expanded access. The job took him to 43 different states, and he has ridden his mountain bike in 48. 

In his free time, you’ll likely find Lommele traveling, biking, skiing, and trail running. This summer, before starting at CIRES, he and his two children embarked on a bike tour from the Alps in Salzburg, Austria, to the Adriatic Sea in Grado, Italy. 

Lommele’s first order of business is to inventory the role communications plays in the institute, where he plans to evaluate what’s working well — and where there might be challenges. He’s particularly excited about the opportunity to work with CIRES researchers on storytelling that makes their crucial work meaningful to diverse audiences.

"Storytelling is at the heart of what we do in communications," Lommele added. "How do we take the groundbreaking research at CIRES and connect it to the everyday decisions people make? That's the challenge I'm most excited about."