President Kathy Sherman-Morris
As 2022 draws to a close, I wanted to thank everyone for the chance to serve as your NWA president. I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with the board and the staff at NWA headquarters to help lead the organization and steer it toward the future. I am happy at some of the things we were able to accomplish this year, including writing and approving a new 3-year strategic plan, unveiling a new way for members to connect online through the NWA Community, providing board members an opportunity for professional development in diversity, equity and inclusion, and concluding a years-long effort that formalized aspects of the CEO position according to non-profit best practice. I would also like to use this time to thank everyone who served on all the committees. From dealing with ad hoc issues to planning the annual meeting, monthly webinars, or daily social media posts, the organization couldn’t function without the service of our committee members and chairs. I appreciate all that you do!
The end of the year is also a time people think about giving. In that regard, I also wanted to take this opportunity to share a little bit of information about the NWA Foundation. I asked Foundation president Alan Gerard if he would like to share anything with members about the NWA Foundation.
The NWA Foundation was established in 2016 to develop a separate 501c3 organization to oversee the grants and scholarships that have been an important part of the association for decades. As its 501c3 entity, the NWA foundation has certain tax advantages that we hope to leverage in the coming years to build donations and endowments to expand our scholarship and grant programs to give even more to teachers and students who are working in the sciences, and particularly meteorology and related fields. Your tax-deductible donation goes to fund these awards which mean so much to the winners.
One grant program, the Sol Hirsch Education Fund, helps K-12 teachers improve the education of their students or communities in meteorology. I helped to review applications for this grant many years ago and can confirm there are so many teachers who would benefit. There are also numerous scholarships or other opportunities for students funded through donations. Over the years, students at Mississippi State have received scholarships from the NWA Foundation. Past scholarship recipient Haley Meier recently shared with me her appreciation.
Receiving the NWA Arthur C. Pike Meteorology Scholarship allowed me to fund the next educational steps in my dream of becoming a broadcast meteorologist, documentary producer, and weather app creator. Specifically, this scholarship made a significant dent in my financial ability to take an elective course on Radar Meteorology which required the purchase of a costly piece of software and a much more powerful computer than my Ipad to run it. The software and the computer will be tools I can take with me throughout my early career and beyond. I am so grateful to the NWA for their commitment to students like myself in the meteorological sciences through their scholarship fund and all of the amazing resources they have for networking, professional development, and continued education.
If you would like to join me in supporting the NWA Foundation and the many opportunities it provides, you can donate online or send a donation in the mail.
I hope everyone has a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year!
You can also support the NWA Foundation through smile.amazon.com.
