It is an honor to be a candidate for President of AMS, the professional society that has been central to my career.  

The core AMS mission is to strengthen our community by bringing us together to learn from each other, act collaboratively on important issues, and bond over our passion for weather-water-climate science, technologies, and service.  To meet this mission, AMS has adapted to better serve member needs with recent advances in mentoring, networking, webinars, and learning opportunities.  AMS simultaneously stands up for our values and strives toward an inclusive culture in which everyone belongs.  

Our work is critical to informing decisions that affect our future in response to anthropogenic climate change and that affect public safety in response to hazardous weather events.  We will continue to be in the media spotlight as our science intersects with policy, leading too often to harassment of members and to doubts about the scientific enterprise.  Yet our fellow citizens are witnessing that climate is changing and altering the weather they experience.  We need to effectively communicate our science now more than ever, but I fear that the road ahead will be rocky.  AMS is our support system through these challenging times.  

As President, I would encourage efforts that build community, with a focus on underrepresented groups, and partner with others to increase the diversity of our field.  AMS will need to continue to defend scientific freedom, strengthen our values, and show the benefits of science.  We should consider ways to help members achieve work-life balance, foster their mental health, navigate social media, reduce biases, and develop stronger outreach and leadership skills.  I would listen to your suggestions and work with AMS leadership, Council, boards, committees, and commissions to create opportunities that enhance our support for each other and bring us closer together.  

David J. Stensrud currently serves as Professor of Meteorology in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at The Pennsylvania State University.  He started his career at the NOAA/National Severe Storms Laboratory where his early work explored the benefits of short-range ensemble forecasting for severe weather prediction.  At NSSL he served as research meteorologist, team leader, chief of the Forecast Research and Development Division, and was the inaugural manager of the NOAA Warn-on-Forecast program.  Stensrud became Head of the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State in 2014 and helped to increase department diversity, recently transitioning to Professor.  Stensrud received his BA in Mathematics and Meteorology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his MS and PhD in Meteorology from The Pennsylvania State University.  

Stensrud has served AMS in various roles.  He was a member and chair of the Committee on Mesoscale Processes, program co-chair for several conferences/symposia, Editor and Co-Chief Editor of Weather and Forecasting, Commissioner of the Scientific and Technological Activities Commission (STAC), and member of the Finance Committee.  He is a listener and wants to hear from different voices before formulating next steps.  David helped lead the proposal for STAC awards and is an advocate for getting regular feedback from members.  

Stensrud is a recipient of the White House Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the NOAA Distinguished Career Award, the AMS Clarence Leroy Meisinger and Charles Franklin Brooks awards and is an AMS Fellow. He has authored over 150 formal peer-reviewed publications and the book Parameterization Schemes: Keys to Understanding Numerical Weather Prediction Models. 
David is a native of Minnesota, spent nearly 3 decades in Oklahoma, and now lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Audrey.  He enjoys hiking, taking walks with their dog, reading, photography, traveling, and visiting family and friends.