Qualifications

Stephen T. Rich, CCM
President

Professional Experience

Over 40 years of applied meteorological experience including:
- Certified Consulting Meteorologist No. 656 - 12 years (January 2009 to present)
- 16 years as an official NOAA & National Weather Service Cooperative Observer providing climatological data to NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, NC, for publication in Local Climatological Data (2004-2020)
- Meteorologist in Charge (10 years), National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Office, Charleston, SC
- Deputy Meteorologist in Charge (3 years), NWS Forecast Office, Jackson, MS
- Techniques Development Meteorologist (2 years) NWS Southern Region HQ, Scientific Services Division (now Science and Training), Fort Worth, TX (wind profiler program leader, NWS Southern Region)
- Lead Forecaster (8 years), NWS Forecast Office, Jackson, MS, including 2 years as office computer systems manager
- Program Leader (2 years) for NWS severe weather preparedness and storm spotter training in Mississippi
- Forecaster and radar operator (2 years), NWS Forecast Office, Little Rock, AR
- 4 years developing meteorological and oceanographic computer programs for operational use at National Meteorological Center (now NCEP), Camp Springs, Maryland (Washington, DC area)

Professional Certifications

- Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) #656 - American Meteorological Society

Education

- University of Florida, Florida State University

Additional Professional Experience

- Member of 3-person Board of Consultants for the Lake Wallenpaupack Dam (Pennsylvania) Site Specific Probable Maximum Precipitation (SSPMP) and Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) studies conducted by HDR, Inc., for Brookfield Renewable, 2016-2019

- Technical Review Board Member for State of Virginia Legislature-commissioned statewide Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) study, 2014-2015

- Member of 3-person Board of Consultants for the Lake Greenwood/Buzzard Roost Dam (South Carolina) Site Specific Probable Maximum Precipitation (SSPMP) and Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) studies conducted by HDR, Inc., 2012-2015

- Pacific Northwest Weather Workshop

- Service Assessment Team contributor, Hurricane Bertha 1996

- Service Assessment Team contributor, Hurricane Fran 1996

- Storm Survey and Assessment Team participant, widespread violent tornado outbreak of November 1992 (Mississippi portion)

- Extensive operational experience forecasting and warning for numerous tornado, severe thunderstorm, flood and winter storm events in the Lower Mississippi Valley from 1978 to 1993

- Direct operational experience (local warnings and forecasts) during passage of Hurricanes Andrew and Elena across central Gulf Coast region and WSFO Jackson's area of responsibility

- Program leader for wind profiler implementation and training, NWS Southern Region, 1990-91

- National No-GOES Contingency planning team (for potential failure of GOES satellites), Silver Spring, Md., 1990-91

- National WSR-88D Risk Reduction team (for Doppler radar implementation), Norman Risk Reduction Project, Norman, Okla., 1990-91

- Participation in early development and evaluation of COMET distance learning modules, Boulder, Colo., 1990-91

- Summer Colloquium on Synoptic Meteorology, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo., 1988

Awards and Recognition

- COMET Partners Project grant for collaborative efforts between WFO Charleston & College of Charleston to improve hurricane warning effectiveness, 2001 (UCAR/COMET)

- NWS Modernization Award for alternate WSR-88D site acquisition efforts, Beaufort and Jasper Counties, SC, 1996

- Recognized for WFO Charleston's outstanding support for forecast operations at 1996 Summer Olympics marine venue, Savannah, GA

- NOAA Unit Citation - outstanding warning services for southern SC severe thunderstorm outbreak, June 1994

- NOAA Unit Citations - river and flash flood warning services, Jackson, Miss., 1984 and 1981

- Numerous commendable and outstanding NWS performance ratings and special act/service awards from 1980 to 2003