Laura K. Furgione is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Acting
Assistant Administrator for Weather Services and Acting Director of the National Weather Service (NWS). In this role, she is responsible for the day-to-day civilian weather operations for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas.
Furgione has served as the Deputy Director, NWS, since 2010. Previously, she served as Assistant Administrator for the NOAA Office of Program Planning and Integration beginning August 2008. In this role, she was responsible for corporate
management to coordinate the many lines of service of the $5 billion agency dedicated to understanding and predicting changes in the Earth's environment and conserving and managing coastal and marine resources. She was responsible for annual planning as well as long term strategic planning, performance evaluation, program integration through matrix management, and policy integration including compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
From October 2004 to August 2008, Furgione served as Director of NOAA's National Weather Service, Alaska Region. Alaska Region is headquartered in Anchorage with responsibility for 20 offices throughout the state. As Director, Furgione was responsible for all operational and scientific climatological, meteorological, hydrological, volcanic ash and tsunami warning programs for the state of Alaska and its surrounding waters.
Other positions Furgione has held within the NWS include meteorological intern at the Kodiak, Alaska, Weather Service Office; intern at the Fairbanks, Alaska, Weather Forecast Office (WFO); aviation meteorologist at the Alaska Aviation Weather Unit; warning coordination meteorologist at WFO Morehead City, North Carolina; Meteorologist-in-Charge of WFO Juneau, Alaska; and Alaska Deputy Regional Director.
Furgione holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Atmospheric Science from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from the University of Alaska-Southeast. Her husband, Tim, and she became the proud parents of twins in October 2004.