John Ogren was born in 1966 in Blue Island, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. He was fascinated by the weather from an early age. He grew up listening to his grandfather's stories about the deadly 1967 oak lawn tornado outbreak. In high school, John became really interested in earth science and was "hooked" after a six-week weather unit in science class. Mr. Ogren attended Western Illinois University, where he graduated in 1988 with a degree in geography and a minor in broadcasting and communications.

On July 10, 2024, Molly Graham interviewed Juliana Blackwell for the NOAA Heritage Oral History project. Juliana P. Blackwell was the Director of NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS), where she oversaw the financial, administrative, and programmatic performance of NGS, including the management of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). During her tenure, she held key leadership roles in geodetic surveying and positioning activities across the United States and served on several federal committees related to geodetic and hydrographic services.

Ken Graham is the Director of NOAA's National Weather Service and is the Assistant Administrator for Weather Services at NOAA. In this role, he is responsible for the day-to-day civilian weather operations for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters, and ocean areas. Prior to becoming the 17th NWS Director on June 7, 2022, he served as the director of NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, leading the nation through numerous hurricanes, including 30 named storms during the record-breaking 2020 hurricane season.

LaToya earned her Ph.D. through the NOAA Environmental Cooperative Science Center at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. She conducted research in collaboration with the NOAA Air Resources Laboratory for an interdisciplinary dissertation focusing on atmospheric deposition of pollutants and their impact on ecosystems. Her study had implications for both human and environmental health.

Laurel Bryant was born in Mount Vernon, Washington, and raised in Seattle.  She attended Shoreline Community College for two years and then graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Political Science and Economics with a concentration in Environmental Sciences.  She came to Washington, DC, in 1989 and worked for the United States House of Representatives Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, the predecessor to the House Natural Resources Committee.

Mrs. Linda Lawhorn-Brown was born in Winnsboro, South Carolina in 1958.  She moved to Washington, D.C. while she was in high school, and after graduation, attended the University of Maryland- College Park, where she majored in special education.  In 1987, Linda came to work for NOAA.  Her first position was with Bill Stanley, who served eventually as NOAA's historian.  Since 1990, Linda has worked in the Office of the Under Secretary, working closely with various administrators, dignitaries, and NOAA staff.  

Scope and Content Note

Dr. Lixion Avila is a renowned meteorologist who has made significant contributions to the field of weather forecasting. Born on November 25, 1950, in Havana, Cuba, Avila grew up in an American church, celebrating holidays like Thanksgiving. His family history traces back to Spain on his father's side and Eastern Europe on his mother's side. Avila's father held various jobs, one of which was a cowboy, transporting cattle from Central Cuba to Havana. Growing up in the Caribbean, he encountered and became fascinated with tropical storms.

Dr. Louis W. Uccellini was the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Assistant Administrator for Weather Services, and Director of the National Weather Service (2013-2022). In this role, he was responsible for the day-to-day civilian weather operations for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters, and ocean areas.

Ms. Louisa Koch was born in Boston in 1959 and raised in Brookline, Massachusetts.  She attended Middlebury College in Vermont and graduated with a degree in Physics in 1982.  After working as a consultant for Booz Allen and Hamilton and a researcher for the National Academy of Sciences, Louisa went on to earn her master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1987. She started her career in Washington working for the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress as a staff economist.

Mary Kicza was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1959.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from California State University and a masters degree in Business Administration from the Florida Institute of Technology.  Mary started her federal career as a coop student working as a civil servant for the Air Force at McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, California.  She worked at McClellan as an engineer developing software for automated test systems supporting Air Force satellite systems.  In 1982, Mary came to work for NASA where she