There are tremendous issues facing society today, some enhanced by the changing climate and extreme weather events. Weather, water and climate sciences and service organizations are all on the front lines engaging with our fellow citizens. Making critical observations, developing the basic science to better understand drivers of the rapidly changing environment, creating tools needed to improve our prediction capabilities are all furthering those efforts.  However, there is a tremendous gap between weather enterprise needs and available financial and human resources, contributing to the numerous challenges and uncertainties from a rapidly changing environment. 

AMS has the standing to develop a partnership between government, private and academic sectors in order to help educate multiple layers of society about this gap. The need to spotlight the discrepancy between the critical work that could be accomplished by weather enterprise organizations and the available resources needed to generate trustworthy services in order to help make communities more resilient is crucial.  A concerted, collaborative effort to educate stakeholders - from local communities and government organizations to leaders in businesses and members of congress - would prioritize and influence the allocation of the weather infrastructure resources necessary to deliver the actionable information society needs to plan, manage and adjust.  AMS is uniquely positioned to lead such an effort.

I’m convinced that all three sectors represented by AMS share common goals. I would be excited to collaborate with the Council to create a more visible role for our organization.  We will need to summon perspectives and expertise from the diverse backgrounds, lived experiences and professional positions of AMS members.  With input from across the community, AMS can lead a sustained effort.  There is a fine line between advocating and educating, but I think AMS has the credibility to get closer to that line without compromising our professional integrity.

Cory Springer currently serves as the Executive Director for Environmental Intelligence at Ethereal Space, Inc. where he assists the leadership team in growing business for this start-up data services company.  Cory has over 38 years of technical and science leadership experience spread between active-duty Navy assignments and the aerospace industry.  His 24-year Navy career was highlighted by operational meteorology and oceanography positions while deployed at sea on four Navy ships, including the hydrographic survey ship, USNS Harkness and aircraft carrier USS John F Kennedy.  Notable shore assignments included a post with the Naval Research Laboratory’s Marine Meteorology Division in Monterey, CA, an overseas assignment in Rota, Spain where he led U.S. Navy METOC operations in the European theater, and later as Director of the U.S. National Ice Center. He completed his Navy career serving in a series of policy positions with the Oceanographer of the Navy and other Pentagon staffs.  After the Navy, Cory spent 14 years as Ball Aerospace’s Director of Weather & Environment, where he fostered collaboration across Ball business units, developed weather-based corporate strategies and engaged customers on company satellite and tactical airborne programs related to Earth remote sensing, meteorology, oceanography, space weather and climate.  He accumulated broad and deep experience in satellite meteorology and climatology, was a crucial member of several revenue-generating business capture teams, and developed critical customer relationships with executive branch organizations at organizations including NOAA, NASA and USGS.  

Cory has a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland and a Master of Science degree in Meteorology and Physical Oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California.