Educational Background:

• I earned a B.S. in Geology with a minor in mathematics from the University of North Alabama and a M.S. in Geology with a specialization in fluvial geomorphology from the University of Southern Mississippi.

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

• During graduate school, I worked as a hydrologic consultant for an engineering firm, and I had a really exciting opportunity as an aerial photographer who flew around the state of Mississippi in a small Cessna airplane taking imagery for various agricultural and scientific studies. At the end of my graduate studies, I began working for the NWS Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center as a hydrologist. I finalized my thesis a few months after employment to secure my degree, and I’ve been there ever since (25 years in November!). I was promoted to Senior Hydrologist after being employed at LMRFC for 4 years. I took a brief sabbatical in 2007 to teach university-level geology, meteorology, and environmental science at several universities in and around Asheville, NC, and to run my business, Blue Ridge Geology Tours. I was eager to get back to river forecasting and returned to LMRFC in 2008.

What do you do for the NWS?

• I am a senior hydrologist/hydrologic forecaster. I use hydrologic and hydraulic models to create and disseminate river and flood forecasts for parts of 13 states in the Southeastern U.S., including the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. I work on model calibration and implementation and create tools to more accurately forecast the rivers in our forecast area. I participate in collaboration with other federal agencies and state/local partners almost daily and media interviews when necessary. I also enjoy writing programs to automate and/or make our operations more efficient. I am the founder and co-lead of WaterAware, a NWS hydrology education and outreach initiative aimed at teaching anyone ages K-adult about hydrology-related topics. I also work as one of two NWS field representatives for the NOAA Education Council, and I’m an active member of the NWS Tribal Team, where we work to make sure our tribal partners are given service equity. I enjoy having my hands in a variety of things, and the NWS allows me the flexibility to do that.

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

• I am originally from northern Mississippi. I had never experienced a hurricane until Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and she was a doozy! I had watched for years as hurricanes struck along the coasts of the U.S. and people struggled to rebuild, but there’s really no way you can truly understand until you’re placed in the middle of it.

  All employees were required to stay at the office during Katrina. When we emerged after she passed, it was literally as if a bomb had been dropped. I couldn’t believe the devastation, and our office wasn’t even in the hardest hit area! It took 6 hours to make the normally 25 minute commute home. I was lucky enough to get behind some guys in a truck with some chainsaws. They cleared the path to get us through, but it was painstakingly slow, especially when you don’t know if your house is still standing. Thankfully, I had very little damage, but several co-workers lost their homes and everything they owned. They were displaced for months afterwards. Our office was without commercial power for about a month, and I actually lived there because of access to a generator. My personal home was without electricity for 9 weeks. The worst part was the helplessness we all felt as we watched the news and saw the devastation of the levee breaks in New Orleans that killed so many people. A coworker’s mother’s body was never found. It took a huge emotional toll on me.

  Over the years, I’ve learned to focus on the lives and property I helped save with my forecasts during Katrina instead of the devastation, but I’ll never forget that life and career altering experience.

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

• I had a really inspirational Earth science teacher who challenged us to write a report on what career we wanted to pursue and the path to get there. I decided then, at the age of 11, that I wanted to become a meteorologist and that I would work for the NWS. I still have that report someplace, and it’s funny to see how early I had my path laid out. I had always had an interest in weather, mainly because learning the science behind one of my greatest fears (tornadoes) helped me get a handle on the fear itself.

  At the time, there weren’t any colleges nearby that were offering operational meteorology degrees, but a university in the state next to us had a geology program. I knew the basic course requirements (physics, calculus, chemistry) would be very similar to a meteorology degree, so I opted to give it a try until I could transfer to a college that offered that option. The problem arose when I fell in love with geology! I decided to stick with that path for both my degrees. I assumed I had lost my chance to work for the NWS; however, one of my graduate advisors sent over a job posting for the Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center, and I was shocked to learn that the NWS had a hydrology program! I was fully qualified for the job as my M.S. degree was earned studying the part of geology involving rivers (fluvial geomorphology). I got the job, and my childhood dream of working for the NWS came true! My favorite part is that I get to geek-out over both meteorology AND hydrology at work every day!

What do you like most about working for the NWS?

• I love knowing that my work truly does make a difference. My river and flood forecasts have helped save quite a few lives and properties over my 25 year career. That’s a pretty amazing and unbeatable feeling! I also really enjoy teaching people of any age about the science behind our forecasts. The NWS works so very hard to make sure everyone from all walks of life feel welcome and respected, so I’ve also been able to make some big strides in DEIA activities in my job, such as working to recruit more Native American scientists to the NWS and working with tribes on water resources issues. I appreciate that we are given the opportunity to gain support through NOAA employee resource groups (ERGs), such as the American Indian Alaska Native ERG for which I am an executive member.

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

• The NWS has lots of positions that you might not be aware of, so don’t be discouraged if your degree is not in meteorology. Yes, we offer careers in meteorology and hydrology, but also electronics, administrative positions, and IT, just to name a few.

  I also want less privileged students to know that I am living proof that you can come from a highly impoverished minority family and be just as successful as someone who doesn’t! You’ll likely need to work harder than others and find every opportunity for scholarships, but I promise it will be worth it in the end. After all, my parents weren’t able to help me financially, so a music scholarship paid for the majority of my college education, and I’m celebrating my 25th year as a hydrologist for the NWS!

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

• The key is to make sure you follow the specifications for the courses that are laid out in the NWS job description for a hydrologist. You are required to have 6 semester hours in physics, calculus, and chemistry as well as any other courses required for completion of your degree. Any programming, hydrologic/hydraulic modeling, GIS, engineering or meteorology courses you can take are a big plus! Lots of different disciplines can be considered for a hydrology career in the NWS. We have geologists, engineers, environmental scientists, meteorologists, and lots of others who work as hydrologic forecasters, so keep in mind that you may qualify for a position you weren’t expecting.

Anything else you want to share?

• My life motto has become, “feel the fear and do it anyway!” Never let fear hold you back from achieving your dreams! You’re going to feel the fear whether you actually go through with it or not, so why not do it?

  Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to your local NWS office if you are considering a degree in meteorology or hydrology. We’re generally more than happy to offer tours of our facilities, let you ask questions about our jobs and career paths, and even launch a weather balloon or play with our water model!