Derek Williams Email & Phone Number

Elko, Nevada, United States

As an incident meteorologist, I travel to some of the nation's largest and most destructive wildfires to assist incident management teams in their interagency efforts to contain and control wildfires. I serve as the expert weather consultant, provide decision support services, launch radiosondes, analyze remote and in-situ meteorological data as well as produce and communicate weather forecasts that could significantly impact the fire's evolution. There are only 80-90 certified incident meteorologists in the United States in a given year. I am deployed to these incidents for two weeks at a time and in rare circumstances three weeks, work 16 hour days and at times uncomfortable sleeping conditions. I am very proud of the work I accomplish on incidents and humbled to be a part of the highly specialized incident meteorologist community.

Elko, Nevada, United States

Provide decision support services regarding weather hazards to various public entities throughout central and northeastern Nevada. This allows for efficient and effective use of customers resources resulting in cost savings to communities and continuation and expansion of commerce in Nevada and the United States.I serve as a shift supervisor for the weather forecast office to maintain the 24/7 operational need. This includes managing short term schedule changes and ensuring all shift positions are filled. Mentor entry-level meteorologists to facilitate their career success. Provide real-time training to meteorologists on proprietary computer systems including the use of Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS), Graphical Forecast Editor, Hazard Services and other software and hardware systems. I serve as the forecast office's fire weather program manager. Maintain relationships with our fire community partners, hold presentations and workshops regarding program changes as well as produce annual fire weather summaries which include Red Flag Warning issuance statistics and overviews of significant critical fire weather events for the season.I continue to participate in local, regional and national teams within the National Weather Service.

Guam

General ForecasterPerformed continuous weather watch of 4.5 million square miles of the Western Pacific Ocean and examined synoptic, mesoscale and microscale hazardous meteorological events through various remote sensing techniques, including dual-polarization radar, geostationary and numerous polar orbiting satellites, as well as surface, ship and buoy observations.Integrated meteorological and hydrologic data from numerous remote sensing platforms as well as in-situ observations, and utilize numerical weather prediction models to routinely produce short and long term forecasts, special weather statements, hydrologic outlooks, and fire weather forecasts in addition to have issued various watches, advisories and warnings.Collaborated with forecasters and team leaders regarding forecasts, watches, and warnings to guarantee consistency between products and ensure quality assurance and performance goals are met. Routinely worked lead forecaster shifts to expand my leadership and management skills.Committed to continuing education, training and professional development including leadership skills.Outreach and Decision SupportMaintained relationships with public and private primary and secondary schools by presenting topics including meteorology and climate, as well as career guidance in science-related fields.Mentor secondary and post-secondary student volunteers at WFO Guam, and facilitate interest in a meteorology or science career during their summer break.Prepared and participated in presentations given to workshops and schools in the public and private sectors.Provided impact-based decision support for emergency managers, agricultural and hydrological departments, private industry, and aviation and military interests.Briefed and discussed past, present, and future weather events with local and international press, radio and television entities.

Edmond, Oklahoma

Constructed hourly temperature, dew point, wet-bulb temperature, and wind forecasts using WeatherBank's proprietary software, which utilized output from a variety of NWP models, as well as using current surface, satellite, radar data and upper-air observations.Consulted senior system and dispatch operators for major U.S. energy clients, and provided decision support through short term forecasts for significant weather impacts.Produced customized short-term winter weather forecasts for specific regions for customers mainly within the energy sector with extreme sensitivity to weather within the U.S. and Canada.Participated in daily conference calls with WeatherBank's senior meteorologists that involved discussing client's major concerns.

Responsible for maintenance and operation of a long term remote surface data site by replacing sensors, troubleshooting hardware and software, and through preventable maintenance that assures research-grade data quality.Visited each of the 117 Oklahoma mesonet sites over the summers of 2005 and 2006 to perform inter-comparison tests and analyze the resultant data via PERL scripts.Modified instrumentation kit to reduce amount of time for meteorological sensors to equalize to ambient environment resulting in more efficient inter-comparison tests.Created an HTML and JavaScript based web page to display results and analysis of the inter-comparison test data from each site.Analyzed raw, sonic anemometer data at OU North Research Campus; the analyzed data was used to determine which anemometer would potentially replace the current mechanical sensor on each of the 117 mesonet sites.

Climate And Climate Variability

I studied under Dr. Mark Lander. Study was primarily focused on the Western Pacific Ocean Basin. The course had a strong emphasis.

Bachelor Of Science (Bs), Meteorology

Activities and Societies: Student Chapter of the American Meteorological SocietyMinor in Mathematics

Certificate Of Completion, Introduction To Electronics

Education record

Activities and Societies: Gifted and Talented EducationSalutatorian

Tropical Climate And Climate Variability