Laura Furgione, an AMS Member, is NOAA's Deputy Assistant Administrator for Weather Services and Deputy Director of the National Weather Service. She is responsible for the day-to-day civilian weather operations for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas. Ms. Furgione previously served as the Assistant Administrator for the NOAA Office of Program Planning and Integration beginning August 2008. In that role, she was responsible for corporate management to coordinate the many lines of service of the $5 billion agency dedicated to understanding and predicting changes in the Earth's environment and conserving and managing coastal and marine resources. She was responsible for annual planning as well as long term strategic planning, performance evaluation, program integration through matrix management, and policy integration including compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. From October 2004 to August 2008, Ms. Furgione served as Director of NOAA's National Weather Service, Alaska Region. Alaska Region is headquartered in Anchorage with responsibility for 20 offices throughout the state. As Director, Ms. Furgione was responsible for all operational and scientific climatological, meteorological, hydrological, volcanic ash and tsunami warning programs for the state of Alaska and its surrounding waters. Other positions Ms. Furgione has held within the NWS include meteorological intern at the Kodiak, Alaska, Weather Service Office; intern at the Fairbanks, Alaska, Weather Forecast Office; aviation meteorologist at the Alaska Aviation Weather Unit; warning coordination meteorologist at WFO Morehead City, North Carolina; Meteorologist-in-Charge of WFO Juneau, Alaska; and Alaska Deputy Regional Director. Ms. Furgione has a B.S. degree in atmospheric science fiom the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Master's degree in public administration from the University of Alaska-Southeast. Her husband, Tim, and she became the proud parents of twins in October 2004.