Cherokee Grad Elected to National Office

alum and University of Georgia professor Marshall Shepherd has been voted president-elect of the American Meteorological Society.

According to a UGA press release, Shepherd, a professor of geography in the University of Georgia Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and director of the university's Atmospheric Sciences Program, will begin a one-year term as president-elect Jan. 22. He will assume the presidency of the society in 2013.

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) was founded in 1919 and has more than 14,000 professionals, students and weather enthusiasts as members.

"The AMS is the oldest and most respected organization in the field of atmospheric science, and I'm honored to serve as its president-elect," Shepherd said in a released statement. "The costly and deadly weather events of the past year and the current discussions regarding climate highlight the critical role that weather and climate play in our society, and the AMS continues to be a sound and credible resource on these issues."

Before joining the staff at UGA in 2006, Shepherd spent 12 years as a research meteorologist at the NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. Shepherd served as deputy project scientist for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. The mission, scheduled to launch in 2014, will use a network of satellites to provide nearly worldwide weather monitoring to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and aid climate change models.

Shepherd holds a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in physical meteorology from Florida State University. Shepherd holds the distinction of being the first African American to receive a doctorate from FSU's department of meteorology.

Shepherd has published more than 60 peer-reviewed publications. He has authored a soon-to-be-released textbook, The Urban Climate System, and is the co-author of the children's book Dr. Fred's Weather Watch: Create and Run Your Own Weather Station.

"One of the things I'm really interested in is helping make sure that the public has a clear understanding of how weather and climate affects their day-to-day lives-beyond questions like whether it's going to rain tomorrow," Shepherd said. "Weather and climate can impact the stock market, crop yields and public health, and I'm really passionate about trying to get that message across."