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AMS Resources and Response to the Federal Science Crisis
The focus of the Local Chapter Affairs Committee (LCAC) is to promote and foster AMS Local Chapters. Our Committee is comprised of the diversity that is the American Meteorological Society, and we seek ways to inspire and empower members and leaders of the AMS Local Chapters so they may connect and engage their communities.
Duties Include:
Interested in joining the LCAC? Contact a current member of the LCAC or email [email protected]. You can also read more about joining AMS committees.
Shaina Wilburn is a current Ph.D. Candidate at Mississippi State University (MSU) whose doctoral research focuses on the montane climatology of the Appalachian Mountains and its effects on local ecosystems. She received her B.S. in Geoscience/Professional Meteorology from MSU in 2018 and her M.S. in Atmospheric Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) in 2021, where she studied lightning dynamics. As a committee member, Shaina hopes to facilitate the camaraderie of student chapters and provide students with as much information as possible so they may thrive in their scientific endeavors.
Research Expertise and Interests: Mountain climatology, data analysis with Python & R, passionate about bridging the gap between various genres and studies of science, creating a holistic understanding of our planet
Reaghan Boone is a rising senior Professional Meteorology major with an emphasis in Broadcast Meteorology at Mississippi State University. Reaghan serves as an ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences at Mississippi State and is a member of the East Mississippi Chapter of the AMS and NWA. Outside of her involvement at Mississippi State, she loves reading, playing with her dog Bunnie, and traveling. This will be her second year as a member of the Local Chapter Affairs Committee and a part of the external affairs subcommittee and has loved getting to work with local chapters!
Kelvin Hawthorne is an M.S. student in the Department of Earth, Atmosphere, and Environment at Northern Illinois University, where he earned his B.S. in Meteorology in May 2025. Originally from Galesburg, Illinois, he developed an early passion for weather that grew into a focused interest in severe convective storms and their societal impacts.
His research examines the future of supercell storms and elevated convection in the United States, and includes fieldwork with the ICECHIP campaign. As a graduate teaching assistant, he is committed to both advancing meteorological research and training the next generation of meteorologists.
Ben is a recent graduate of the class of 2025 in the meteorology and atmospheric science department at the Pennsylvania State University. While at Penn State, he served as a shift leader in PSU's Campus Weather Service and led forecast discussions. Ben also served as the Vice President of the Earth and Mineral Sciences Living Learning Community and as a mentor during new and prospective student events. Ben started in the AMS as a high school student by rechartering a dormant chapter in 2019 and was a former active member of PSUBAMS at Penn State. He hopes he can help other AMS chapters gain momentum as he did when he was younger. When Ben is not focused on meteorology, he enjoys swimming, golfing, skiing and spending time with family and friends. He also enjoys attending football and hockey games as a spectator.
Heidi is a Lab Technician for the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, where her primary focus is collecting data for hail impacts on roofing materials. She recently obtained a B.S. in Meteorology and minor in communications and broadcast media from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). In her final undergraduate year at ERAU, she was a research assistant focused on finding trends in greenhouse gases and tornado outbreaks. She, also, served as Historian and later President of the AMS student chapter. Heidi is excited to continue her journey with AMS and help increase chapter development and outreach along the way.
Edward Shaw is a meteorologist at the NBC affiliate in Roanoke, VA. He formerly served as president for the Blue Ridge Chapter of the AMS, where he led them to the 2024 Local Chapter of the Year award. He has previously done work with the NBC News Weather and Climate Unit, and WRIC in Richmond, VA. He is excited to now work with the Local Chapter Affairs Committee and promote AMS Chapters everywhere!
Hey everyone! My name is Mark Skaggs and I am one of the newest members of the LCAC. I graduated from Virginia Tech in the spring of 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in meteorology and a minor in GIS. Currently, I serve as an operational meteorologist for a private sector company called Weathernet based in the Seattle area where we provide forecasts and decision support to various clients across the country. Coming from a chapter where I served diligently for my community in college, I am very excited to have the opportunity to be able to give back and help support chapters in their goals and pursuits.