Educational Background:

• Bachelor in Science for Meteorology – Plymouth State University Class of 2011

Describe the career path that led you to your current job with the National Weather Service.

• I was young when I fell in love with weather. Growing up in the Northeast, the weather was constantly changing and so fascinating, I couldn't help but develop a passion for meteorology. I followed that dream of becoming a meteorologist my whole life, overcoming numerous obstacles in life to get where I am today. In 2010, I was chosen for the SCEP at CWSU ZBW, working with the FAA to forecast weather impacts to air traffic in the Boston airspace. After graduating college in 2011, I was hired as a meteorological intern at the WFO Green Bay, WI where I worked until 2017. I was then hired as a General Meteorologist for WFO Las Vegas, where I still work today.

What do you do for the NWS?

• I forecast weather and issue life saving watches and warnings for a vast forecast area of responsibility in the desert Southwest. Working in Las Vegas also means we do a lot of work with local emergency management and safety officials for large scale events. I play a significant role in developing relationships with these partners, ensuring we understand each other's operations and needs so we can ensure everyone is getting the right information in the best ways to keep communities safe.

  I also am taking over the leadership role for our hydrology program, which is more complicated than you would think living in the desert. Our main hydro focus is drought impacts, flash flooding, and partnerships with hydrology-focused partners such as Lake Mead and county flood control districts.

  Inside the office and agency, I also head numerous teams to ensure the wellbeing and safety of our employees. I co-lead our office Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity team with a focus on employee wellness and work life balance. I am also a member of numerous national teams that focus on diversity and inclusion, including being a trained special emphasis program manager for individuals with disability to represent people with disabilities on national teams and employee resources groups.

  In general, I want to help people and work on many projects and teams that revolve around protecting communities from impactful weather, as well as internally ensuring the people who work hard to meet that mission feel safe and heard.

What was the most interesting, exciting, or impactful weather/water event you experienced while working for the NWS and why does it stand out?

• Supporting major events in the Las Vegas area has been really interesting. The city hosts numerous events throughout the year that can be dangerous if impacted by weather. Working side by side with community partners like police, fire fighters, emergency management, and so many more to ensure people stay safe ahead of impactful weather is extremely satisfying. Also, there are so many moving components to a large-scale event with a variety of local, regional, and national partners – you have to have constant situational awareness, and it's really cool watching how everything works together to pull off these intricate and weather-sensitive events. I have provided direct support to partners that resulted in actions to keep people and equipment at events safe, including moving conferences inside, canceling certain activities during an event to a different day or time, evacuations ahead of extreme winds that would have put lives in danger, and even changes in airport operations to ensure high volume air traffic before and after events are efficient and keep people and good moving on time without safety concerns. It's extremely satisfying being able to watch our office’s efforts to keep people and property safe in real time.

What made you decide to pursue a career with the NWS?

• I wanted to help people – it’s always been one of my core values. I knew I could never physically be a firefighter or police officer, and I didnt have the stomach to be a doctor. When I fell in love with weather and learned about the National Weather Service, I knew it would be a perfect fit to combine my passion for meteorology with my strive to help others.

What do you like most about working for the NWS?

• I love the people I work with. We are all so dedicated to saving life and property – watching my coworkers’ passion for science, protecting communities, and creating a weather reliant world is amazing. Plus, I get to hang out with other weather nerds! I love coming to work to share new technology, watch interesting radar signatures, or just obsess over cool cloud pictures because my coworkers will be just as interested and excited about these things as I am!

What advice do you have for someone interested in a career with the NWS?

• Follow your passion! Find what skills you can bring to the NWS, and just go for it. Working with the NWS for nearly 15 years now, I have met so many talented colleagues who had all sorts of unique experiences, talents, and passions. It doesn’t always need to be a passion for forecasting or meteorology. There are many talents and skill-sets which can be applied in the NWS, varying from IDSS, science, computer programming, social media and communication, program management, and more, which can be pursued in the NWS.  Follow your passion. Do what you love and it will come easy. Also, you don't have to be an expert on everything in weather. Focus on your passion and where your skills lie and then network to find the people who may be interested or more skilled in other areas of the job. Find what you like and what you are good at and run with it! When you spread yourself too thin trying to do everything, it’s hard to establish yourself, and you lose that passion that really drives who you are and what you want to do in your career.

What training or coursework would you recommend to someone interested in following your career path?

• Some of those skills may include social sciences, communications, computer coding, graphic design, research and scientific presentations, risk analysis, IT and computer programming, or even program management.