2007 NWA ANNUAL AWARDS

The National Weather Association 2007 Annual Awards were presented by President Alan E. Gerard at the October 17, 2007 Annual Awards Banquet. The banquet was held during the NWAs 32nd Annual Meeting at the Circus-Circus Hotel and Convention Center in Reno, Nevada. Award Committee members for 2007 were Chairperson Daniel McCarthy, Leann Allison, Paul Dixon, Fred Glass, Bradford Herold, Alan Johnson, Deirdre Kann, Mike Roberts, Keith M Stellman, Bruce Telfeyan, and David Valler.

Operational Achievement Individual Award is presented to a NWA member who has made a significant contribution to operational meteorology for an accurate/timely forecast for one or more significant weather events or for sustained superior performance.

Michael E. Umscheid - NOAA/NWS Forecast Office, Dodge City, Kansas

Distinction: For exceptional warning service during the May 4, 2007 Kansas tornado outbreak - issued a Tornado Warning with 26 minute lead time and an Emergency Statement convincing Greensburg citizens to take cover before a 1.7 mile wide tornado demolished their town.


Mike Umscheid accepting from NWA President Alan Gerard.
Operational Achievement Group Award is presented to a group of two or more individuals for a significant contribution to operational meteorology.

NOAA/NWS Forecast Office, Huntsville, Alabama

Distinction: For outstanding collaborative work with NASA and UA-Huntsville which brought unique operational data sets and training into the National Weather Service greatly enhancing the delivery of warning and forecast services.


Dave Nadler and Mike Coyne (Meteorologist-in-Charge)
accepting from NWA President Alan Gerard.
The Walter J. Bennett Public Service Award is presented to an individual or organization directly assisting the meteorological community in providing weather-related information to the public. Walter J. Bennett served the public in extraordinary ways for over 50 years; he was also the Meteorologist-in-Charge of the US Weather Bureau Office in Jacksonville, Florida in the 1940s and 50s.

KOSA-TV CBS-7 Midland, Texas

Distinction: For providing heroic life saving actions which resulted in eight lives saved during the flash flood of August 14, 2005 in Midland Texas.


Greg Morgan (KOSA-TV) accepting from NWA President Alan Gerard.


Aviation Meteorology Award is presented to an individual or group to recognize significant contributions to aviation meteorology, such as impact of operational forecasts on aviation operations, and advances in aviation meteorology including research in detection and forecasting of aviation hazards.

Robert O. Baron - President and Founder of Baron Services, Inc.

Distinction: For developing a reliable, real-time radar and other critical weather information delivery system to cockpits enabling pilots to receive information increasing flight safety.


Robert O. Baron accepting from NWA President Alan Gerard.


Public Education Award is presented to an individual or organization providing significant contributions to increase the public's weather awareness.

Roberta Chance - Gage, Oklahoma Public Schools

Distinction: For her outstanding commitment in teaching a diverse student body in weather and climate issues throughout the curriculum.
Roberta Chance accepting from NWA President Alan Gerard.


NWA Broadcaster of the Year Award is presented to a NWA member Radio or Television weathercaster, or other member of the media, whose activities have significantly contributed to the development and presentation of weather information to the public service.

Chuck Lofton - Indianapolis, Indiana

Distinction: For 22 years of outstanding weather support services to the greater Indianapolis area, serving on the NWA Broadcast Committee, and leading to WTHR-TV being named Indiana’s Outstanding Weather Operation for 2007 by the Associated Press International.
Chuck Lofton accepting from NWA President Alan Gerard.
Local Chapter of the Year Award recognizes an active NWA chapter significantly increasing the awareness of weather and the NWA in the chapter area.

Three Rivers Chapter

Distinction: For excellence in a wide variety of chapter initiatives, hosting many local meetings with distinguished speakers, attending and presenting papers at regional and national weather conferences and reaching out to younger students raising weather awareness in the community.
Members of the Three Rivers Chapter accepting from NWA President Alan Gerard.


The Larry R. Johnson Special Award recognizes unique events or extraordinary accomplishments by an individual or group contributing to operational meteorology.

NOAA/NWS Forecast Office, Lake Charles, Louisiana

Distinction: For developing critical, life saving partnerships with elected officials and emergency responders of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas before, during and after Hurricane Rita while enduring tremendous personal risk and sacrifice.
Felix Navajar (Science and Operations Officer) accepting from NWA President Alan Gerard.
T. Theodore Fujita Research Achievement Award is presented to a NWA member whose research has made a significant contribution to operational meteorology.

Dr. Rodger A. Brown - NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory

Distinction: For applied research and improved scan technologies with the WSR-88D radar resulting in improved detection of tornado and downburst producing storms assisting operational meteorologists in increasing warning lead times.


Dr. Rodger Brown accepting from NWA President Alan Gerard.
NWA Member of the Year Award is presented to a NWA member who has made significant contributions to the organization over a period of time.

Dr. Peter B. Roohr

Distinction: For longtime involvement in NWA activities including serving as an editor of the National Weather Digest from 1993-2006.
Dr. Roohr was unable to attend the meeting and was presented his award in Washington, D.C.
Special Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to individuals and groups to recognize outstanding contributions to operational meteorology or related activities over an extended period of time.

Dr. C. Donald Ahrens, Modesto College, California

Distinction: For excellence in the production of several editions of textbooks for introductory college courses in meteorology promoting a better understanding of basic and applied meteorology for thousands of students for over 25 years.
Dr. Ahrens accepting from NWA President Alan Gerard.
Special Achievement Award is presented to honor individuals or groups for significant contributions to operational meteorology or related activities.

NOAA/National Weather Service Incident Meteorologists (IMETS)

Distinction: For exemplary performance in battling over 65,000 wildfires in the Spring and Summer of 2007 across the Southeastern and Western United States and providing outstanding weather support for wildfire suppression and firefighter safety across the country.
Mr. Lynn Maximuk, National Weather Service Central Region Director, accepted on behalf on all the NWS IMETS
J. Kevin Lavin Leadership Award This new award recognizes those who exemplify the highest qualities of effective and honorable leadership which significantly strengthened an organization.

J. Kevin Lavin - NWA Executive Director Emeritus

Distinction: For demonstrating the highest level of leadership while serving as Executive Director 1993-2006 firmly establishing the NWA as a premier professional organization.
NWA President Alan Gerard presents the first J. Kevin Lavin Leadership Award to Kevin and Carol Lavin.

BEST STUDENT PRESENTATIONS at the 32nd NWA ANNUAL MEETING The NWA Weather Analysis and Forecasting (WAF) Committee sponsored a best student presentation competition at the 2007 Annual Meeting. WAF Committee members are happy to announce the winners who each received a congratulatory letter from NWA President Alan Gerard, a $50 cash award, and free membership in the NWA for 2008.

Congratulations to these recipients:

Best Undergraduate Student Poster Presentation:
Brandon Hoving, Central Michigan University , for Accuracy of a WRF Simulation of the 12 June 2001 Mesoscale Convective System. . His co-author was Martin Baxter.

Best Undergraduate Sudent Oral Presentation:
Ryan Kelly, Kean University for Integrating NJWXNET, WRF and GIS to Study NJ Mesoscale Weather Phenomena. His co-author was Shing Yoh.

Best Graduate Student Poster Presentation:
Chad Gravelle, St. Louis University for A climatology and Statistical Classification of Midwestern Snow Bands: A Process-Oriented Approach. His co-authors were Charles Graves and Scott Rochette.

Best Graduate Student Oral Presentation:
Brian J. Billings, Desert Research Institute for Determining the Onset of Strong Westerlies during Persistent Mountain Wave Activity. His co-author was Vanda Grubisic.

The judges were impressed by the quality of the student posters and oral presentations this year. It made judging these works both rewarding and difficult. We look forward to another stellar competition during the 33rd Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. Be sure to enter the contest using the online abstract submission form this upcoming spring and look for rules to be posted on the NWA Web site (www.nwas.org).
-John Gagan, WAF Committee Chair