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NWS Nashville, TN
Warning Coordination Meteorologist
Bachelor's Degree in Meteorology - University of South Alabama (2001)
Master's Degree in Geoscience with emphasis in Operational Meteorology - Mississippi State University (2004)
NWS Birmingham - SCEP and General Forecaster (2002-2007)
NWS Memphis - Meteorologist Intern and General Forecaster (2007-2009)
NWS Huntsville - Senior Forecaster (2009-2010)
NWS Amarillo - Warning Coordination Meteorologist (2010-2015)
NWS Nashville - Warning Coordination Meteorologist (2015-present)
As the Warning Coordination Meteorologist, my job is 100% people related. I absolutely love building and maintaining relationships/partnerships! There's nothing that brings me more happiness than to solve someone else's problem or come up with a new way to communicate our products and services. I joke as one of the "lone extroverts" in my NWS office, that I tend to do a lot of outreach and public relations work. As a result, I've gotten to do a LOT of COOL things as the WCM! This job is definitely different than it was 15 years ago; even 5 years ago. I'm so very excited to see what the future holds!
I also enjoy mentoring and I'm incredibly passionate about women in weather. With women making up less than 15% of the NWS meteorologists, I feel as me being one of the "old timers" it's my job to encourage this new generation of female meteorologists to succeed! A diverse workforce is the best kind of workforce!
There are so many different kinds of weather and non-weather related events I've worked in my 15 year career. As far as weather, there's no doubt that working at NWS Amarillo, Texas knocked this Southern Girl's socks off! From my first day experiencing "quiet weather" wind gusts of 65mph to re-living the Dust Bowl all over again, the weather (and experiences) the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles provided will forever resonate with this meteorologist. Two events from working there will ALWAYS be with me forever: the February 2013 Blizzard where the office received 19.1 inches of snow with 77mph wind gusts (and we were stuck at the office for 36 hours) and the April 2012 "4ft of Hail Event" on Highway 287 that gave me my 15 seconds of fame. If you want a well-rounded resume as far as weather, go forecast in the Panhandles! It's NOT easy!
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I've wanted to be a meteorologist since age 4. My passion has never wavered and was only confirmed when an F4 Tornado struck without warning in Huntsville, Alabama on November 15, 1989. I was in 3rd grade (yep, I just aged myself) and was fascinated with every single aspect of this event and made a promise to myself at that moment that I wanted to do SOMETHING to try and help prevent something like that from happening again. Obviously technology, communication, and forecasting techniques have improved immensely in this day and age, but as a Warning Coordination Meteorologist, I feel that knowing the heartbeat of my partners and customers and constantly adapting to their needs, helps me achieve that goal and keep that promise I made to myself many decades ago.
My career path was NOT clear cut and the National Weather Service wasn't initially on my radar. After receiving my Bachelor's Degree, I decided that I wanted to get my PhD in Severe Weather Climatology and teach at the collegiate level. I thought that my over-the-top extroverted personality didn't quite fit into the NWS. Boy was I wrong, since I was hired by another fellow extreme extrovert, Ken Graham (currently Meteorologist-In-Charge at NWS Slidell), to be a Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) student, and I've never looked back.
The People! I've worked with some of the most amazing, caring, and passionate people inside and outside the agency! Plus this job is NEVER boring and something new seems to get thrown at me daily. I absolutely love it!
Stick with it. Don't give up. Find someone willing to help you and even be your mentor! There's absolutely no way I got to where I am today without the help and guidance from those before me. Don't be afraid to speak up or reach out to someone that's been there and done that!
Find your passion and become an expert in it. Try to find a niche that very few people do. Offer something unique and desirable!
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