A recent AMS Soundings noted, “The pace of change for the Weather Enterprise in 2025 has been unprecedented and extreme.” That pace—and the growing pressure to sideline and denigrate science and scientific expertise—is, in my view, one of the most significant challenges facing AMS today.

The Society has responded with strong advocacy for the value of science and the importance of a vibrant weather enterprise. That work must continue, especially through partnerships with other professional organizations and by amplifying the voices of our world-class science communicators. AMS is well positioned to help the public navigate uncertainty with trusted, evidence-based information.

At the same time, emerging technologies—especially artificial intelligence—are reshaping how we collect data, prepare and communicate forecasts, and support decision-making. AMS must help its members adapt to these tools while ensuring that scientific rigor, creativity, and human expertise remain central to our mission.

If elected, I would prioritize greater cooperation across the academic, public, and private sectors. A more unified voice can help the broader world understand the value of our work. I would also focus on engaging students and early-career professionals, who are entering a rapidly evolving field.

In my current role leading an undergraduate program—and as a practicing broadcast meteorologist—I work daily at the intersection of science, education, and communication. I believe this combination of experience would allow me to contribute meaningfully to the Council and the Society’s future.

AMS is strongest when its members are engaged. I encourage everyone to get involved, amplify the Society’s mission, and help shape what comes next. We have power in our numbers.

Jon M. Nese has spent more than 35 years teaching the atmospheric sciences in both formal and informal settings in a career that has spanned academia, broadcasting, and museum education. He currently oversees the undergraduate program in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State where he holds the rank of Teaching Professor. Nese also directs the department’s Weather and Climate Communications Group which is responsible for Weather World, the department’s long-running weekday weather magazine show.

Nese started his professional career as a radio and television meteorologist while still at Penn State working on his PhD. He transitioned to a faculty role teaching meteorology, earth sciences, and mathematics before becoming chief meteorologist at the Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia in 1998. There, he designed exhibits, conducted shows for visitors, and provided forecasts and educational features for local NPR and PBS. In 2002, he joined The Weather Channel as an on-air storm analyst, covering the major weather stories of the day and writing and producing daily weather vignettes.

In 2005, Nese returned to the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences at Penn State where he teaches all levels of undergraduate classes and created the department’s Professional Development course. In his role as Associate Head of the undergraduate program, he works with students from the time they express interest in the program as high schoolers to the time they graduate, and beyond. On the broadcasting side, he has written and produced more than 700 educational features for the department’s Weather World show and in 2015 was awarded a Mid-Atlantic Emmy for that work.

Nese has co-authored three books including The Philadelphia Area Weather Book which was honored with the Louis J. Battan Author’s Award from the American Meteorological Society in 2005.