WFO New Orleans/Baton Rouge MIC Ken Graham
(August 12, 2008) - NOAA National Weather Service Meteorologist Ken Graham has been appointed Meteorologist-in-Charge of the New Orleans/Baton Rouge forecast office in Slidell, La. Graham replaces Paul Trotter, who transferred to National Weather Service headquarters in Silver Spring, Md.
Graham began his National Weather Service career as a meteorologist and forecaster at the Slidell forecast office in 1994. The following year, he and his colleagues worked around the clock during a major flood event that saw flood waters literally surround their station. Their life saving efforts earned the office a Department of Commerce Bronze Medal.
He participated in the implementation of Louisiana=s Emergency Alert System and played a key role in the development of the NOAA Weather Radio program for the National Weather Service Southern Region. During Hurricane Georges in 1998, Graham served as the National Weather Service liaison with the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness. A year later, (during Hurricane Bret) he served in the same capacity with the Texas Department of Emergency Management in Austin frequently briefing emergency managers and Texas officials including President (then Governor) George W. Bush.
Graham was appointed Meteorologist-in-Charge of the forecast office in Corpus Christi in July 2000. During his tenure, the Corpus Christi office received a national Isaac M. Cline Award, four regional Cline Awards and four Southern Region Director Awards. He also served as Meteorologist-in-Charge of the forecast office in Birmingham, Ala. and as Systems and Operations Division Chief at Southern Region headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2006, he moved to National Weather Service headquarters to serve as Chief of the Office of Climate, Water and Weather Services' Meteorological Services Division.
Committed to developing effective, new leaders for the Southern Region and the National Weather Service, he also served as one of the originators and facilitators of a highly successful regional leadership program entitled BLAST (BUILDING LEADERS FOR A SOLID TOMORROW).
Graham received a bachelor's degree in Atmospheric Science at the University of Arizona in 1992. He earned a certification in Broadcast Meteorology (1994) and a master's degree in Geosience at Mississippi State University (1995). He is member of the National Weather Association and the American Meteorological Society
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