The weather is variable, and numerous businesses and governments are financially exposed to weather variability. This fact has fueled my passion of putting a dollar number on weather risk and pursuing an interdisciplinary career of meteorology and finance. I am very excited to be considered for a position on the AMS Council and use my experience to help address current challenges facing the Society, namely: devise career development programs, assess current and future potential business models for the Society, and enhance diversity and inclusion efforts. In order to develop an expertise in meteorology and finance, I have pursued an interdisciplinary path in my academics and career development. My experience aggregating information and networking across public and private sectors could help the AMS Council identify career development programs and partnerships for the Society. I strongly feel that it is important that programs reflect current and future trends in skills sought by employers. I also hope to work with the AMS Council to evaluate the current business model and funding needs of the Society. I frequently collaborate in a business development role to create products that address customer needs at scale. I want to use this experience to address the wants and needs of the Society and its patrons and enhance its budget stability over time. Finally, I look forward to advancing programs on the topic of diversity and inclusion. As a man of color, I have experienced the relevance of “leveraging difference” in academia and professionally. It is possible to achieve goals in innovative ways by combining diverse backgrounds and perspectives of people. My connection to UCAR’s SOARS program will help me customize my experiences to the needs of the atmospheric sciences. Thank you for considering me for AMS Council. I hope to serve you and work with you to position the Society to excel during its next 100 years.

D. Matthew Coleman

For over 15 years, D. Matthew Coleman has helped businesses and governments address weather risks like temperature and precipitation that affect financial performance. He currently is director of strategic partnerships at Nephila Climate (NCx). Nephila is the oldest and current largest investment manager globally that specializes in selling protection against weather risk. Matt develops and manages partnerships that help NCx achieve two key objectives: identify institutions that need financial protection against weather, and better quantify the weather risk that Nephila underwrites. In addition, Matt creates financial products that NCx sells to weather-exposed institutions and forecasts weather that impacts NCx’s portfolio of weather investments. Previously, Matt was a weather risk analyst at investment manager Citadel LLC, supporting investments in energy and reinsurance. He holds B.S. degrees in both chemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Virginia. He also holds an M.S. in meteorology from The Pennsylvania State University and an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. Matt received his first introduction to the intersection of weather and financial risk while pursuing research at the National Center for Atmospheric Research as a SOARS protégé. Matt has been involved with AMS in a variety of capacities over the years. He currently sits on the Investment Committee and the Financial Weather/ Climate Risk Management Committee, the latter of which he cofounded. Matt has served as chair of the Board for Private Sector Meteorologists and routinely mentors students through the BPSM mentorship program.