It is time for me to give back to AMS for all the Society has given me. I first became a member of AMS when I was a graduate student at the University of Illinois, thanks to my astute thesis advisor. I soon discovered that AMS was the major society for atmospheric sciences. I was able, even as a graduate student in the 1970s, to present talks and to make the connections that would greatly influence my future professional life. 

Over the past three and a half decades, I have benefitted from the diversity of communities working in atmospheric sciences. This rich interdisciplinary mix has encouraged me to remain current—including in areas outside my specific expertise—and has provided me with networking opportunities in many fields. 

These opportunities allowed me to join committees, to become a member of the Council, to do commission work, and to become president. In that role I was able to work with the Council to hire Keith (one of our best moves), to begin the student conference, and to help set up the policy program. 

As my husband, Jim,  and I thought about how best to support the AMS Anniversary Campaign, we sought out advice on different ways of giving and discovered that for us giving through our retirement plans best suited our family’s needs. We were able to give far more than we first envisioned through designating AMS as a beneficiary of our retirement plans.

—Susan and Jim Avery