(July 18, 2024) This month, we are thrilled to spotlight Marlon Verasamy, Observing Program Leader (OPL) in Burlington, VT. Marlon has been with the NWS and a member of NWSEO for approximately 13 years.
Hi Marlon, Why Did You Join NWSEO?
I came into the National Weather Service (NWS) in 2011 through the Data Collection Office (DCO) in Hilo, Hawaii, as a Meteorological Technician. When the Pacific Region Chair came to visit, he took the time to go over the benefits of joining the National Weather Service Employee Organization (NWSEO), and all four of the bargaining unit members joined! At such a small office, especially when feeling so far removed from the rest of NWS, it was wonderful to know that our voice was being represented at a regional and national level.
What about NWSEO has impacted you most?
It was an extraordinary experience to be selected by NWSEO leadership to be a part of the Operations and Workforce Analysis (OWA) project on the Workforce Model team in 2016-2017. NWSEO also impacted my career by giving me a path from a Meteorological Technician in Hilo, HI to an Observing Program Leader (OPL) at WFO Burlington, VT (BVT). Outside of the Pacific and Alaska regions, it’s hard to find an upward track for Meteorological Technicians in the NWS. NWSEO shined a spotlight on that, which then allowed Meteorological Technicians to compete and obtain Hydrometeorological Technician (HMT) and OPL positions in the Lower 48. Without NWSEO’s focus, I would not be a part of the amazing office I am today.
What does Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) mean to you?
It means a feeling of safety and belonging. Not just accepting our differences but embracing them. The agency has come a long way and continues to work toward changes for all of us for the better. Through equity, we have a greater understanding of the barriers that each one of us may face and how we can work to remove them so everyone in this agency can have opportunities to succeed. I’m hopeful and excited to see where we will go from here.
Would you recommend joining NWSEO to others?
Without a doubt. I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given and for NWSEO's role. In my time in the NWS, I can’t recall seeing NWS and NWSEO working together, hand in hand, on such a large scale. With the recent Operations Model rollout, the Town Hall with the NWS Director and NWSEO National President speaking together was an incredible experience to see. Even at the local level, our Steward, and myself as Vice Steward, connected with all bargaining unit members, union and non-union, to get their input. It is a great example of how NWSEO looks out for all members of the NWS.
-NWSEO-
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