AMS Community Profiles

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Chris Strager, an AMS Member, is the Acting Director of the National Weather Service Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services. His meteorological career began as an enlisted weather observer with the United States Air Force in 1978. After tours as a weather officer at locations including K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in Michigan and the US Southern Command Headquarters in Panama City, Panama, he left active duty in 1992 but continued to serve in the reserves with the 146th Weather Flight of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard until his retirement as its commander in 2012. His military awards include the Bronze Star for his leadership of a deployed Special Operations Weather Team during Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as several Outstanding Unit Awards and the Meritorious Service Medal. Mr. Strager's NWS career started at the Portland, Maine Weather Forecast Office. In 1993, he transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Route Traffic Control Center/Center Weather Service Unit in Oberlin, Ohio. He returned to the NWS at the Grand Forks, North Dakota Weather Forecast Office in 1995, where he received a Department of Commerce Silver Medal for work during the Red River Flood of 1997. He joined the Pittsburgh, Pensylvania Weather Forecast Office in the position of Senior Meteorologist in 1998 and was promoted in 2003 to Regional Aviation Meteorologist at the Alaska Region Headquarters in Anchorage. While in this position he also served as the national program manager for the NWS's Volcanic Ash Program. He became the Alaska Region's Deputy Regional Director in 2004 before returning in 2008 to the Pittsburgh Weather Forecast Office as the Meteorologist-in-Charge. He served as the Pittsburgh MIC until his selection as the Director for NWS Eastern Region in 2010. In 2011 Mr. Strager came to NWS Headquarters as the NWS Advisor for Science and Service Integration to develop the NWS Roadmap, which will implement the NWS Strategic Plan. This document will shape and guide NWS operations in the year 2020 and beyond. In 2012 he was selected to be Director of the NWS Eastern Region, which is headquartered in Bohemia, New York. As Eastern Region Director he was responsible for 30 field offices in 16 states, covering the Eastern seaboard from Maine to South Carolina and as far west as Ohio. In 2013 he was asked to lead the Office of Climate, Water and Weather as Acting Director. Mr. Strager has a BS degree in meteorology from the Pennsylvania State University (1983) and a MS degree in meteorology from Texas A&M University (1989).

The content of this profile was last updated 4 April 2013
This web page was last updated 4 April 2013