My science knowledge stems from a life of learning, driven by boundless curiosity. At the intersection of the two: a desire to make the raw science useful and meaningful to a broad and diverse audience.
My communication skills were forged in the heat of local and national television lights, during decades of daily on-air appearances. The winner of 10 Emmy Awards, I am one of the most trusted sources of weather, climate, and earth science information in the state of Minnesota, as well as a go-to contributor for CBS News nationally.
I have an intrinsic desire to share my passion for climate and weather with others who are interested; to that end I created the CBS Weather Watcher Network, which allows viewers to share their weather observations and media with CBS meteorologists nationwide. I am routinely invited to speak in person about climate and weather communication with a wide range of audiences, from marketing professionals to weather enthusiasts. I am also a professor of broadcast meteorology at St. Cloud State University.
I am a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and received my Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Atmospheric Science from the University at Albany. There I studied under some of the world’s leading atmospheric scientists, completing original research to develop a forecasting method now used by the National Weather Service. I attend national and international conferences several times per year where I engage face-to-face with the world’s leading experts on climate change and weather.
I am routinely invited to collaborate with cutting-edge research institutions including the U.S. National Weather Service, NASA, Yale University, George Mason University Center For Climate Change Communication, University at Albany, the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the National Weather Association, the Glen Gerberg Weather and Climate Summit, and Climate Central, among others. I am on a select advisory committee for Climate Central, an organization that works with broadcasters and meteorologists nationwide to help expand on-air coverage of climate change. I am an active member of the AMS, have served as chairman of the AMS Board for Private Sector Meteorologists, and I am an AMS Certified Broadcast Meteorologist.
While I am best known for my work as a meteorologist I am also passionate about giving back, and have formed enduring partnerships with Be The Match, United Way’s ARISE Project, GiveOUT Day, PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, the Animal Humane Society, the IVEY Awards, and The Good Acre, among others.