I see several challenges to our field over the next 5-10 years, such as employment and proper use of artificial intelligence/machine learning, the rising importance of decision support assistance, and developing resilience to impacts from a changing global climate. However, another challenge that needs our immediate attention is the public’s weather and climate literacy, which is directly related to the continuing shortage of STEM-trained teachers. This challenge has the potential to jeopardize the success of initiatives such as the Weather Ready and Climate Ready Nation, while the STEM teacher shortage will impact the student pipeline into our universities (and eventually) the weather, water, and climate workforce. 

If elected, I will advocate for integrating the K-12 educator community more formally into the enterprise as participating stakeholders, in much the same way as social scientists are currently. We can continue leveraging the AMS’s long-standing tradition of providing educators with quality resources, as well as the outstanding organizational components such as the Education and Engagement Commission and the Board of Pre College Education. This effort can also broaden our membership’s diversity through targeted recruiting. An example would be a “Meteorologist for a Day” activity in conjunction with the Annual Meeting, for local middle and high school students to spend time in the exhibit hall interacting with attendees. Such an activity could include underserved communities to broaden interest in our field and recruit promising young talent. 

In the military, I learned to examine problems from the “big picture” perspective. In academia, I continue to provide the big picture to my students, so they are well-prepared for life after graduation. Our challenge will be to address these issues using the same big-picture perspective, without neglecting our society’s traditional scientific pursuits, and ensuring we always utilize our greatest asset—our membership.

John Lanicci is a Professor of Meteorology and Academic Director, Coastal Weather Research Center, in the Department of Earth Sciences, University of South Alabama (USA), Mobile, Alabama. He joined USA in 2017 after spending 10½ years on the faculty at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida. John’s teaching experience includes undergraduate and graduate courses in introductory meteorology, aviation meteorology, synoptic and mesoscale meteorology, weather analysis and forecasting, satellite meteorology, research methods, environmental security, and capstones at USA and Embry-Riddle. His current research interests include severe storms in the central Gulf Coast region and developing novel methods for weather education and training of various user communities.   
 
Prior to his academic career, John spent 27 years in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a Colonel in 2006. He has been a weather forecaster (supporting two early Space Shuttle missions), research meteorologist, chief of meteorological models, staff officer at The Pentagon, faculty at the Air War College, and a commander at the detachment, squadron, and wing levels. From 2004–2006, he was the commander of the Air Force Weather Agency (now the 557th Weather Wing), Offutt AFB, Nebraska, one of three U.S. national weather centers.   
  
John has advised/co-advised nearly 50 graduate student theses/capstone projects and over a dozen undergraduate student senior/honors projects. He co-authored an introductory textbook and two book chapters on Environmental Security, authored/co-authored 25 peer-reviewed journal articles and technical reports, and made over 75 conference presentations. An AMS member since 1983, he is the founding chair of the Committee on Environmental Security, and an ad-hoc member of the Mind the Gap Committee. He spent six years on the AMS Board on Higher Education and was faculty co-chair of the annual AMS Student Conference from 2009–2014. He has participated in or been an invited member of a dozen national-level working groups.