January 18, 2017 — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the parent organization of the National Weather Service, will introduce new leadership when President-elect Donald Trump assumes office.
The agency is at a crossroads and faces many important challenges in the coming years. How these challenges are addressed will help define the next generation of weather and climate forecasts and observations, and also have key implications for the health of our oceans.
In recent weeks, I have spoken to numerous leaders in the weather and climate community, and the three names mentioned repeatedly as candidates to head NOAA are:
- Scott Rayder, senior adviser for development and partnerships at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
- Barry Myers, chief executive of AccuWeather in State College, Pa.
- Jonathan White, president and chief executive of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership