Wayne Higgins Email & Phone Number

Dr. Wayne Higgins, a climate expert, provided leadership for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) comprehensive development and delivery of climate products and services for 30 years. He served as Director of the Climate Program Office (CPO) within NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, a position he held from July 2013 to December 2023. He also served as the Chair of the U.S. Global Change Research Programs Subcommittee on Global Change Research and as co-chair of the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services Subcommittee on Climate Services. Prior to his appointment as CPO Director, Dr. Higgins served as the Acting Director of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction in 2013 and as the Director of the Climate Prediction Center from 2007-2013, both within NOAA’s National Weather Service. Dr. Higgins received his degrees in physics (B.S., 1980) from University of Illinois, and meteorology (M.S., 1983 and Ph.D., 1987) from the Pennsylvania State University. He is a Fellow of the AMS and currently serves on the AMS Executive Council. His work has been recognized across NOAA and the Department of Commerce where he has received the Department’s Administrators Award, Silver Medal and two Bronze Medals for his work. He has authored or co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles, five book chapters, 32 assessments and technical reports, and 250 conference proceedings. Dr. Higgins lives in Columbia, Maryland with his wife Sharon and cat Ivan. He enjoys being a father to three children and grandfather to two children, all of whom live nearby.

Listed skills include Geosoft.