

Stephanie Hoekstra, PhD
VORTEX Program Coordinator and Social Scientist
Dr. Stephanie Hoekstra is a contractor supporting the Weather Program Office (WPO) as the VORTEX Program Coordinator and Social Scientist. She works in collaboration with both the VORTEX and Social Science Programs within the WPO. Prior, Dr. Hoekstra was a Department Director at UCLA Extension and an enthusiastic geography and climate science professor. She is most interested in decision making and behaviors of the public and emergency managers during extreme weather events and how to translate social science research into application. Dr. Hoekstra earned her B.S. in Environmental Science (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences concentration) from UCLA, M.A. in Geography from the University of Oklahoma, and Ph.D in Integrated Coastal Sciences from East Carolina University. Outside of work, you’ll find Dr. Hoekstra on the ice playing hockey.