The AMS, as the professional society for atmospheric and related sciences, has a unique responsibility to its members and our nation to serve them well. Not only must it evolve to respond to our changing world and associated challenges, it should help lead the atmospheric science community in addressing these challenges. AMS leadership, with guidance from its members, should be farsighted, proactive, responsive, inclusive, and relevant. Some of the challenges facing the Society (and possible actions) that require such leadership include:

• Attracting and engaging students and young professionals in our field—by enhanced recruiting (especially of underrepresented groups), use of social media, professional mentoring, and increased scholarships.
• Recognizing that the private sector is the fastest-growing segment of our profession—by continuing to increase inclusion of and services to private-sector members.
• Responding to societal needs for our expertise—by being recognized as an “honest broker” on weather and climate policy issues, being proactive on informing society on how weather extremes and climate change will affect their lives, and assisting national responses to recent National Academy of Sciences reports on weather and climate issues.
• Planning for the future—by creating a new 10-year vision for the AMS (last done in 1999), with an associated revised Strategic Goals for the AMS (last done in 2007), and by creative and bold planning for activities during the AMS Centennial Year of 2019, which will begin just 4 short years after the 2015 Annual Meeting in Phoenix.

A common theme of my potential activities as AMS President would be to facilitate synergies and partnerships among all components of the atmospheric science community. It has been said (in a 2006 BAMS article) that the U.S. weather and climate enterprise is an “uncoordinated giant.” My overarching vision is that our community becomes a “coordinated giant,” serving our profession and society more effectively and efficiently than ever before. The AMS has played an important role in my own professional development, beginning with my joining as a student member in 1967 and being given a personal tour of AMS Headquarters by former Executive Director Ken Spengler. It is a great honor for me to be on this year’s ballot for AMS President and, if elected, I will put great energy and enthusiasm into helping the AMS become a more effective and forward-looking Society.

Carr, Frederick H., McCasland Foundation Professor of Meteorology, School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma.  Born June 22, 1947, Beverly, Massachusetts. B.S., Meteorology, Florida State University, 1969; M.S., Meteorology,   Florida State University, 1971;  Ph.D., Meteorology, Florida State University, 1977.

Professional Experience: Teaching and Graduate Assistant, Florida State University, 1970-75; Research Associate, State University of New York at Albany, 1975-79; Assistant, Associate, Full Professor, School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma, 1979-present;  Director, School of Meteorology, 1996-2010; UCAR Visiting Senior Scientist, National Meteorological Center, 1986; Visiting Scientist, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), 1987; Associate Director, Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms, 1992-2009; Visiting Scientist, Forecast Systems Lab, NOAA, 1993-94; Visiting Scientist, COMET, UCAR, 1994; Visiting Professor, University of Utah, 2011.

Professional Activities: Member, Data Assimilation Working Group, STORM Program, 1986-94; Co-Organizer, NCAR Summer Colloquium on Synoptic Meteorology, 1988; Organizer, Second STORM Workshop on Regional Data Assimilation, 1989; Chair (first), COMET Advisory Panel, 1989-91; Member, COMET Policy Committee, 1989–91; Member, Atmospheric Science Panel, GCIP, 1992-1998; Lead Instructor, COMET COMAP course, 1994; Lead Organizer & Instructor, COMET Mesoscale Meteorology Courses for University Professors, 1994 & 1996; Lead Instructor, COMET Courses for NWS Management (4), 1994-95; Member, Search Committee for Director, UCAR Office of Programs, 1994-95; Member, USWRP Project Development Team on Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting, 1996; Member, North American Observing Systems Committee (NOAA), 1996–02; IHOP Science Review Panel, 1999-02; External Review Panel, NOAA Forecast Systems Lab, 2000; NSF Committee of Visitors to review Atmospheric Science Division, 2001; Member, UCAR Nominating Committee, 2002-05, (Chair, 2004-05), 2009-10; Co-Organizer of USWRP Workshop on Mesoscale Observing Systems, 2003; External Review Panel, NWS Mesoscale Development Lab., 2003; Co-Organized & Hosted UNIDATA Regional Workshop at OU, 2007; Member, National Research Council Committee on “Developing Mesoscale Meteorological Observations to Meet Multiple National Needs” that wrote NRC report “Observing Weather and Climate from the Ground Up: A Nationwide Network of Networks,” 2007-09.   Participant, NCEP Strategic Planning Meeting, 2008; Member, Oklahoma Mesonet Steering Committee, 2009-present; Co-Chair, 2009 Review of NCEP, 2008-10; Member, Search Committee, Director of NCAR’s Earth Observing Laboratory, 2009-10; Member, UCAR Board of Trustees, 2009-present; Co-Chair, UCAR Community Advisory Committee for NCEP (UCACN), 2011-present; Co-Chair, UCAR Governance Task Force, 2012-present.

AMS Activities: President, Central Oklahoma Chapter of the AMS, 1981-82; Associate Editor, Weather and Forecasting, 1987-92; Associate Editor, Monthly Weather Review, 1988-1995; Editor, Monthly Weather Review, 1996; Member, AMS Committee on Weather Analysis and Forecasting, 1989-91; Member, AMS Educational Advisory Committee, 1997-2002; Member, AMS Board on Higher Education, 1997-2003 (Chair, 2000-02); Member, Editorial Board for Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 2000-03; Organized & Chaired two AMS/UCAR Heads and Chairs Meetings, 2000, 2002; Member, AMS Council, 2001-04; Participant, AMS Summer Policy Colloquium, 2002; Facilitator for 2 AMS statements: “Tornado Forecasting and Warning” & “Mobile Homes and Severe Windstorms”, 2002-03; Member, AMS ad hoc Committee on Scholarships and Fellowships 2002, 2011; Co-Chair, AMS Annual Partnership Topic Committee, 2005-10; Proposed and Chaired AMS Lilly Symposium, 2005-06; Member, AMS Ad Hoc Committee on Networks of Networks, 2006-12; Proposed and Chaired  AMS Krishnamurti Symposium, 2010-11; Member of AMS Board on Enterprise Communication,  2012-present;  Member, Executive Committee, Forecast Improvement Group, 2013-present; Member of AMS Nationwide Network of Networks Committee, Board on Enterprise Strategic Topics,  2013 – present.

Honors and Awards: NSF and NDEA Fellowships, 1969-73; CIMMS Fellow, 1983-present; OU Associates Distinguished Lectureship Award, 1989; Fellow of the AMS, 1999; Founder of COMET Award, 2000; University of Oklahoma (OU) President’s Outstanding Mentor Award, 2004 & 2007; COMET Outstanding Contributions to Professional Training Award, 2007; McCasland Foundation Presidential Professor, 1996-2000; Mark and Kandi McCasland Endowed Chair in Meteorology, 2002-10; OU Regents' Award for Superior Professional and University Service, 2013.

Publications:  Research interests in synoptic, tropical and mesoscale meteorology, numerical weather prediction, data assimilation, and the use of new observing systems in diagnostic and numerical weather prediction studies have led to over 30 refereed publications in Bulletin American Meteorological Society, Monthly Weather Review, Journal Meteorological Society of Japan, Pure and Applied Geophysics, Indian Journal of Meteorology, Hydrology and Geophysics, Advances in Meteorology, Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, and the National Academies Press.  Research with NCEP models has twice led to major improvements in former and current numerical forecast models (NGM, Eta, GFS).  Editor, Proceedings of the Colloquium on Synoptic Meteorology, Advanced Study Program, NCAR.  Subject matter expert, COMET video disc on Numerical Weather Prediction.