Thank you to the Council Members for the invitation to throw my hat into the ring for consideration as AMS’s “fifth Councilor.” It would be a privilege to collaborate with Council Members and be of service to the Society.

Serving the AMS mission of advancing atmospheric and related sciences, technologies, applications, and services for the benefit of society grows more pressing. With so many individuals within global society experiencing the effects of a changing environment directly, achieving the AMS mission requires broad perspective and experience.

Cultivating and expanding relationships amongst existing membership and with entities and individuals who share similar interests but may be new to or underrepresented within AMS will foster innovative ideas for meeting the AMS mission. Bringing unique perspectives, while sharing common goals and interests, will enrich thinking about approaches to effectively meet the AMS mission, while generating conversation, germinating new ideas, and expanding potential funding for AMS programs.

Working with the Council to explore ways of broadening diversity of voices and funding opportunities would be an area of interest to me. I would welcome the chance to identify individuals and organizations that might help further the AMS mission, whether this be philanthropic in nature, or through supporting participation by and raising the volume on underrepresented perspectives.

My background is in business and relationship development. Throughout my career, I have seen the benefit of encouraging and supporting articulation of a broad spectrum of perspectives. I enjoy working in a team environment, leveraging ideas of both the group and individuals to actuate new approaches to addressing challenging problems.

If chosen to participate, within the AMS Council, my contributions might include working with the group to identify programs rife for external funding and targeting entities or individuals who have the interest and ability to extend support. It could also include exploring - and acting on - ways to bring new voices into the mix to generate the best-possible ideas to meet the AMS mission of leveraging science, technology, and applications to address society’s global climate, weather, and water challenges.

My personal AMS experiences range from valuable networking and learning offered by the annual meetings, to an invaluable opportunity to participate in the AMS Science Policy Colloquium, thereby gaining unparalleled insights into policy-making process; the Colloquium significantly affected on my educational and career choices. Given all of my AMS experiences, I would welcome an opportunity to actively support the Society as a member of Council.

Thank you for the kind invitation and consideration of my interest in joining the group.