Central Region Chair

Jim Lee

Jim has been an active NWSEO member since joining in 2004. He is originally from Iowa and began his NWS career at WFO Key West, FL in 2002.  He transferred back to his home state and has spent most of his career at WFO Des Moines, where he has served for many years as a local NWSEO officer.  Jim serves on numerous local and regional teams and has received many awards and commendations for his work.  His areas of professional interest include severe weather, climate, aviation, diversity and leadership. 

Jim lives in Des Moines with his wife Sao and their son Poom. He enjoys sports, history, travel, and many outdoor activities.

Central Region Vice Chair

Andy Boxell

Andy Boxell is a Lead Forecaster at WFO Milwaukee (MKX), and has been the Central Region Vice Chairperson since 2016.  Prior to moving to Wisconsin in 2017, he worked at WFOs in Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.  Locally, Andy leads the office's IDSS team and has been the primary organizer of the office's services for the 2020 Democratic National Convention and 2024 Republican National Convention, with both events taking place in Milwaukee. He has also been the NWSEO representative on several regional and national teams, including the current "Ken's 10" Probabilistic IDSS Team. 

Andy is married to Elizabeth, who is an elementary school educator.  Together they have three children. 

Southern Region Chair

Rob Niemeyer

Rob joined the National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO) in 2015 then quickly became the Branch Steward in 2016 where he represented the interest of his NWS Branch employees. Recognized for his commitment and expertise, Rob was elected as the Southern Region Vice Chair of NWSEO in 2017. In this capacity, he advocated for the rights and well-being of meteorologists and weather service personnel in the Southern Region, striving to create a positive and supportive work environment. 

Rob was born and raised in Florida. His passion for public service began at an early age. In 1983, Rob enlisted in the United States Navy. After 21 years of diverse and distinguished service, he retired as a Chief Petty Officer in 2003. Throughout his naval career, Rob accumulated over 12 years of operational sea time, providing meteorological support and forecasts to naval operations worldwide. Additionally, Rob was selected as the Weather Point of Contact (WPOC) for the NASA Space Shuttle Support team based in Moron, Spain from 1995-1998.

Following his retirement from the Navy, Rob's passion for maritime meteorology led him to the National Weather Service (NWS) in 2008, were he became the Port Meteorological Officer at the Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Jacksonville, Florida.  After 35 combined years of working within the maritime community,  he then decided to transition into the position as WFO Jacksonville's Observations Program Leader (OPL) in 2023. When not working, Rob spends most of his time on the water fishing, or pleasure boating with his family.

Southern Region Chair

Aaron 

Stevens

Aaron joined the National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO) in 1998. He has been both Branch Steward and Vice steward where he represented the interests of his NWS Branch employees. Recognized for his expertise in Observing systems he has been called upon to be the NWSEO representative on numerous Upper Air tests and reviewed several new Directives. The Union President selected him to serve on the Credentials committee in 2020. In 2023 he was selected to fill the Southern Region Chair position when Rob Niemeyer stepped up to become Southern Region Chair.

Aaron was born and raised in a small town in Indiana. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1991 and was trained in Meteorology. Serving as a weather observer in Operation Desert Storm, supporting Army aviation at Fort Knox, and working as a weather forecaster at Laughlin AFB in west Texas.

Following his Air Force enlistment, Aaron was hired as an HMT at the Weather Forecast Office WFO) in Pendleton Oregon in 1998. In 2000

he moved as an HMT to the WFO in Northern Indiana. In 2007 he was selected as the first Observing Program Leader (OPL) at WFO Shreveport Louisiana. When not working, Aaron spends most of his time baking and taking care of his family.

Headquarters Chair

Mike Dion

Mike is a meteorologist in the Analyze, Forecast and Support Office, Digital and Graphical Information Support Branch, of NWS Headquarters in Silver Spring, MD.  He began his NWS career with WFO Boston/Taunton, MA as a Meteorologist Intern in 1993, and moved on to a journeyman forecaster position at WFO Raleigh, NC in 1998. In 1999, he was hired by the Science and Training Core in the Office of Meteorology at NWS Headquarters. 

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Mike has served in a variety of roles within NWS Headquarters, including working in Training, Fire and Public Weather Services, Observations, and as the NWS national tropical program leader.  A NWSEO member since 1995, Mike has served as a Branch Steward within Headquarters for several years, and also served as the HQ Vice-Regional Chair.

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Mike and his wife Loretta, have two autistic teenage sons.  He enjoys golfing, helping with his local Little League, and following Boston sports.

Headquarters Vice Chair

Ashley Kells

Bio coming soon!

Pacific Region Chair

Nathan Becker

Nathan is a Senior Physical Scientist (shift lead) at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC, Br. 7 09), where along with his colleagues he monitors the world 24/7 for the earthquakes that generate tsunamis and when necessary generate forecasts and alerts for any tsunami hazard in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Between tsunamis he conducts applied research towards improving the tsunami warning system and generates outreach materials including much of PTWC's social media content, especially simulations of numerous historic tsunamis.

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Before joining the NWS and NWSEO he pursued his graduate studies at the University of Hawaii. His research focused on phenomena associated with the Juan de Fuca Ridge, the Mariana Trench, and Lōʻihi Seamount, work that required him to become adept with sea-floor mapping sonars and dive in deep-sea submersibles.

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Nathan joined NWSEO in 2008 and prior to becoming Pacific Region Chair he has served as the Steward for PTWC (2008-2014, 2017-present) and Pacific Region Vice Chair ( 2009-2010, 2014-2018). He is also part of NWSEO's CBA negotiation team, represents NWSEO on NWS Tsunami Program teams, and has participated in two NLC meetings that dealt with NWS Tsunami Program issues.

Pacific Region Vice Chair

Kenneth Kleeschulte

Bio coming soon!

Eastern Region Vice Chair

Zach Sefcovic

Zach Sefcovic is a lead forecaster at WFO Cleveland, Ohio and has served at the Cleveland office since March 2015, rising through the ranks of intern and general forecaster. At NWS Cleveland, Zach is involved in most program areas to some extent and has a leadership role in several different program areas, including Winter Weather, Climate Services, and Pathfinder (transportation DSS/messaging). Zach joined NWSEO in 2016 and began service in local NWSEO leadership in 2021. In November 2023, Zach started in the Eastern Region Vice Chair role.

Zach is a graduate of Valparaiso University (IN) and is a Cleveland-area native, happy to be serving his hometown in the NWS. In his free time, Zach is often found on the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario in Downtown Cleveland during summer nights, as a season ticket holder for the Cleveland Guardians. He is still working on seeing a game in all of the MLB Ballparks and has just 8 to go. He also enjoys college football and basketball. Zach is also a fan of board games and has a large game collection, including newer favorites Wingspan, Azul, and Ticket to Ride.

Eastern Region Chair

Alicia Miller

Alicia Miller has been a member of NWSEO for 10 years with 9 years as steward of the Pittsburgh, PA office. She is originally from upstate NY, where she grew up fascinated with winter storms (’93 Snowstorm) and lake effect, but she has come to enjoy the water side of the career as Senior Service Hydrologist in the ‘City of Bridges’. She has a Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Science from the University at Albany and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Ithaca College.  In addition to her love for weather, she enjoys traveling, music, are and all things Disney, where she travels regularly with her family.

NOAA Attorney's Guild Chair

Jonelle Dilley

Bio coming soon!

NOAA Attorney's Guild Vice Chair

Mitch MacDonald

Mitch MacDonald, NWSEO Vice President of the NOAA'S Attorneys' Guild, has been a member of NWSEO for 24 of his 26 year employment with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of General Counsel. He is a strong supporter of our professional organization because of the great support he's received from the NWSEO and the service and benefits NWSEO provides.

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In his free time, Mitch hikes local mountains with his wife and plays soccer with his Over-the-Hill Soccer League team the Manchester-Essex Hurricanes, a great team in many ways.  He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Partners In Development, Inc., a non-profit organization that partners with local communities of Glendora, MS, and impoverished areas of Haiti, Guatemala, and Peru. They provide wholistic life-transforming services to individuals and families that revitalize them and their communities. 

Western Region Chair

Stefanie Sullivan

Bio coming soon!

Western Region Vice Chair

Jon Fox

Jon began his career in the National Weather Service in Rochester, Minnesota in 1990 as a Met Intern. In 1994 he was promoted to Journey Forecaster at the National Weather Service Office in Eureka, California, during the Modernization and Restructuring effort (MAR).  In 1998, he was promoted to lead forecaster at the National Weather Service office in Spokane, WA, and has been there ever since. Additionally, he has been an Incident Meteorologist since 2012 which has taken him across the country (and out of the country) to support firefighter safety and firefighting operations.

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Jon joined the NWSEO in 1990 and has served as a Steward since 1998. Additionally, he has served as the NWSEO representative for the fire weather program since 2014 and was the at-large member of the Western Region Regional Labor Council meetings since 2015. He was also a part of the NWSEO CBA team from 2017-2019 and the Constitution Committee since 2019.

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He is married to Robin, who is a service hydrologist in the Spokane office, and they are parents to two college attending children. During his free time, Jon enjoys golfing, hiking, biking, making his dogs happy with daily walks, and is an avid Minnesota Vikings fan. 

Alaska Region Chair

John Cowen

John's career began in 2012 as a graduate of the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs with a B.S. in Meteorology. In the years since then, his career path has swerved across several lanes, including graduating from UPT (pilot training), to private sector aviation forecasting, and ultimately to joining the NWS as a General Forecaster at WFO Fairbanks in 2017. He is currently a lead forecaster at the AAWU in Anchorage. He has been an NWSEO member since being hired in Fairbanks, and served there as Vice Steward. He is a strength sports enthusiast and a gym rat, and enjoys competing in powerlifting and strongman. He and his wife, Jasmin have two kids, both born here in Alaska, and love the Alaska lifestyle and culture.

Alaska Region Vice Chair

Kimberly Vaughan

Bio coming soon!

NCEP Chair

Eric Blake

Eric Blake is a hurricane specialist at NOAA’s National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.

Blake received his Bachelor's Degree in Atmospheric Science from the  University of Louisiana at Monroe  (1998) and his Master's Degree in Atmospheric Sciences from Colorado State University (2001). His graduate studies were under the tutelage of Dr. William Gray, a renowned expert on tropical meteorology and hurricanes.

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Blake began his career with the National Hurricane Center in 2000 as a student intern. He advanced to a full-time position at NHC in 2002 and became a hurricane specialist in 2006. The specialist position involves the issuance of track, intensity and wind radii forecasts as well as associated watches and warnings for tropical cyclones in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific oceans.

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Blake serves on the Tropical Cyclone Best Track Change Committee, which considers proposals to change the hurricane record, important for long-term studies of climate. He has authored numerous scientific articles on hurricanes, serves as a reviewer for scientific journals, and is also the lead author for book Eastern North Pacific Tropical Cyclones, 1949-2006.

NCEP Vice Chair

Rob Handel

Bio coming soon!