Transcript AMS Summer Community Meeting Session 5: Communicating

AMS Summer Community Meeting
Session 5: Communicating Community Priorities
Where Do We Stand Now?
Leading up to the Establishment of Community Priorities:
Report on the 2008 AMS Public-Private Partnership Forum
August 13 2008
Pam Emch (Northrop Grumman)
Chair, AMS Board on Enterprise Economic Development
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Creating and Communicating a Consensus on
National Priorities
• Over the last three years, the Weather and Climate Enterprise
Commission has actively engaged the community and legislators
– Identify and discuss issues and concerns related to the wellness of the
community
– Promote the community’s capabilities and its positive impact on the nation
• Several parallel activities are occurring that are designed to identify,
document, and disseminate information that conveys consensus on
national priorities
– Preparation of an AMS Policy Statement on National Weather and Climate
Priorities – a “living” document
– The UCAR Transition Document – recommendations to the new
administration and congress
– Weather Coalition advocacy activities – brings together representatives of
industry, academia, and scientific and professional organizations
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Creating and Communicating a Consensus on
National Priorities (cont’d)
•
Regular AMS meetings and activities provide opportunities for
synergistic development and communication of weather and climate
community priorities
•
The 2008 AMS Public-Private Partnership Forum (PPPF) provided
an excellent venue to discuss the set of related community activities
and to refine the AMS Priorities Statement in particular
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AMS Public-Private Partnership Forum
(Formerly “Corporate Forum”)
• Takes place each spring in Washington, D.C. (~1 ½ day)
• Purpose
– Identify business opportunities for constituents of the Weather and Climate
Enterprise
– Provide industry, commercial service providers, and AMS corporate
sponsors with an opportunity to interface with federal agency
representatives and congressional staff
– Discussion topics include ongoing programs, new initiatives, and budget
and policy plans and issues
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AMS Public-Private Partnership Forum
(cont’d)
• Typical Agenda
– Three “standard” sessions/panels - consistent year to year
• Legislative Topics Panel – Authorization Committees
• Legislative Topics Panel – Appropriations Committees
• Federal Agency Initiatives, Plans, Opportunities
– Two or three “elective” sessions
• Variable year to year
• 2008 Public-Private Partnership Forum
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22-23 April, UC Washington Center
Approximately 80 people registered
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Five sessions (two elective)
Guest Speakers (Day 1)
• Luncheon: Phil Sharp, President, Resources for the Future
• Dinner: Ana Unruh Cohen, House Professional Staff (D), Select
Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
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2008 Public-Private Partnership Forum
Agenda – Day 1
• Session 1: Legislative Topics Panel Discussion – Authorization Committees
– Chan Lieu, Professional Staff (D); Space, Aeronautics, and Related Sciences
Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
– Tara Rothschild, Professional Staff (R); Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the
Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives
– Ann Zulkosky, Professional Staff (D); Space, Aeronautics, and Related Sciences
Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
• Session 2: Federal Agency Initiatives, Plans, and Opportunities
– NOAA Initiatives and Plans
– Mary Glackin, Deputy Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, NOAA
– NASA Earth Science Initiatives and Plans
– Jack Kaye, Associate Director and Research Lead, Earth Science Div., NASA HQ
– DHS Initiatives and Plans
– Starnes Walker, Director of Research, Science & Technology Directorate, DHS
– DOE Initiatives and Plans
– Ashley Williamson, DOE Atmospheric Science Program Manager, Office of
Biological and Environmental Research, DOE
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2008 Public-Private Partnership Forum
Agenda – Day 1 (cont’d)
• Session 3: Responding to Emerging Climate Change Policies (Elective
Session)
– This session discussed the weather and climate community’s information
infrastructure needs, along with their role in developing and implementing new
climate services and products aimed at responding and supporting emerging
policies
– Topics / Speakers:
• NOAA’s National Climate Services: Concepts, Plans, and Potential
– Chet Koblinsky, Director, Climate Program Office, NOAA
• National Climate Strategy: Infrastructure Needs
– Ron Birk, Director, Civil Systems Mission Integration, Northrop Grumman
Corporation; Member, The Alliance for Earth Observations
• Emerging Markets: Insurance and Risk Management
– Frank Nutter, President, Reinsurance Association of America
• Emerging Markets: Energy, Carbon, and Emissions Trading
– David Skole, Professor of Forestry and Director of the Global Observatory
for Ecosystem Services, Michigan State University
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2008 Public-Private Partnership Forum
Agenda – Day 2
• Session 4: Legislative Topics Panel Discussion – Appropriations Process
– Frank Cushing, The National Group; Former Staff Director (R), House Appropriations
Committee
– Michelle Burkett, Member of the Professional Staff (D), House Appropriations
Committee
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2008 Public-Private Partnership Forum
Agenda – Day 2 (cont’d)
• Session 5: Establishing Community Priorities – Next Actions (Elective Session)
– This session provided an update on the AMS Policy Statement on Priorities, the
Transition Document, and Weather Coalition activities
– Sought feedback and discussed next steps
– Speakers / Topics:
• Cindy Schmidt, Director of the Office of Government Affairs at the University
Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR); Contributing Editor, the Transition
Document
• Bill Hooke, AMS Senior Policy Fellow and Director of the AMS Policy Program;
Co-editor of AMS Statement Preparation Committee
• George Frederick, Vaisala, Inc.; Past Commissioner, AMS Commission on the
Weather and Climate Enterprise
• John Lasley, Business Development Manager and Staff Meteorologist with SAIC,
which is a member of the Weather Coalition
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Establishing Community Priorities Session was
Very Productive
• Overall Public-Private Partnership Forum set-up optimized interaction
– Forum emphasized panel discussions and Q&A
– Five Forum sessions (instead of six) allowed for more discussion both
during sessions and during breaks
– Speakers at the Forum tend to be quite frank
• Community Priorities topic as final session made it a focal point for
summarizing key points brought up in the Forum, discussion of
priorities and next steps
– Many comments and questions; discussion was energetic
– Topics of discussion included overlaps / synergy in the various priority
activities, budget and policy impacts, specific comments on elements of
the priority statements
– Illustrated ways for individuals to get involved in formulating and conveying
our priorities
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AMS Events Provide Opportunities to Refine
and Communicate our Community Priorities
• AMS Annual Meeting
– Example: Town Hall Meeting in Jan 2008 focused on the Weather
Coalition and its activities
• Public-Private Partnership Forum
– A “Community Priorities / Next Steps” session is also planned for the
2009 Forum
• AMS Summer Community Meeting
• Regular requests for involvement and review via email and AMS
website
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