Heather Allen is an International Affairs Specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, focusing on intergovernmental cooperation on Earth observations.  Ms. Allen earned her Bachelors Degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Wisconsin, and her Masters Degree in International Environmental Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Dr. Todd Arbetter is a Visiting Scientist at the National Ice Center, Washington, DC, specializing in seasonal-scale ice outlooks and forecasting.  He has previously held positions at the British Antarctic Survey and the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

Dr. Bélair is a research scientist heading the land surface modeling and assimilation group of Environment Canada's numerical prediction research section.  His work is mainly related to the representation of physical processes in atmospheric models and on the modeling / assimilation of land surface processes.

David Grimes is the Assistant Deputy Minister, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada, and is the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Principal for Canada. He has over 30 years of scientific, research and management experience in Environment Canada including challenging senior positions and assignments ranging from operations to science to policy. 

Richard Heim earned his Bachelors Degree in Mathematics from the University of Nebraska in 1977 and his Masters Degree in Meteorology and Climatology from the University of Nebraska Geography Department in 1982.  After spending 3 years with the NOAA National Weather Service, Mr. Heim joined the NOAA National Climatic Data Center in 1985 and has been involved in drought monitoring for the last 20 years, including serving as author of the U.S. Drought Monitor and North American Drought Monitor.

Dr. Houser is an expert in local to global land surface-atmospheric remote sensing, in-situ observation and numerical simulation, development and application of hydrologic data assimilation methods, and global water and energy cycling. His current research focuses on integrating water cycle research across traditional disciplines in an end-to-end program that transitions theoretical research to academic/public education and real-world application, through partnerships with universities, government, and international agencies.

Dr. Jeff Key is the Branch Chief of the Advanced Satellite Products Branch, Center for Satellite Applications and Research (STAR), NOAA/NESDIS, located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies. He is also the chair of the Integrated Global Observing Strategy (IGOS) Cryosphere Theme. His research is in satellite meteorology and climatology of the polar regions. Current research topics include the spatial and temporal variability of polar cloud, surface, and radiation properties, polar winds, and recent climate trends.

Ken Korporal is the Coordinator of the interdepartmental Canadian Group on Earth Observations Secretariat (CGEO Secretariat) hosted by Environment Canada. He has worked for the Government of Canada in a number of senior capacities ranging from management of an operational geomatics and remote sensing program, to principal scientist in several remote sensing research & development projects, to the lead developer of operational programs such as the successful Crop Condition Assessment Program begun in 1988 and still operational today.

Rick Lawford is currently based at the University of Manitoba where he works as the Network manager for the CFCAS Drought Research initiative. He also currently serves as the Chair of the Scientific Committee of the GEO Integrated Global Water Cycle Observations theme, leads several water-related GEO Tasks including one related to Capacity Building with a focus on Latin America, and is a member of the Science Committee of the Global Water System Project .  Previously he served as the Director of the International GEWEX Project Office and he continues to serve in advisory role through a part time appointment at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

 

Dr. Kathie L. Olsen was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in August 2005. At NSF, she is responsible for the day-to-day management and oversight of program creation and administration; national and international collaborations; merit review processes; strategic and long-term planning and performance; budget development, implementation and reporting; personnel; and operations.

 

Dr. Pomeroy is the Canada Research Chair in Water Resources and Climate Change, and Director of the Centre for Hydrology at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada (http://www.usask.ca/hydrology).  He is the project lead for the IP3 Network (Improved Processes and Parameterisations for Prediction in Cold Regions), part of the IPY and co-project lead with Ron Stewart for the DRI Network (Drought Research Initiative) in Canada and is President of the Canadian Geophysical Union and of the International Commission on Snow and Ice Hydrology.

Matt Rodell is a member of the Hydrological Sciences Branch at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, with expertise in measurement and modeling of terrestrial water storage and its components.  He is a member of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) science team and also leads the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) project.

Gabriel Senay is a principal scientist with ARTS, contractor to the US Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) and an adjunct professor at the Geographic Information Science Center of Excellence (GIScCE), South Dakota State University.  He teaches remote sensing of water resources and conducts agro-hydrologic research on water use, crop performance monitoring and production assessment using satellite-derived data and hydrologic simulation models.  

Dr. Kit Szeto is a climate research scientist with Environment Canada. His current research interests include regional water and energy cycling and drought dynamics.

David Toll is currently the NASA Deputy Program Manager in Water Resources.  He is also a physical scientist with the Hydrological Sciences Branch at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).  He is involved in the research, management and application of hydrology, microclimatology, and environmental science activities.

Jim Verdin is a Scientist and Project Manager for the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.  In 2007, he was named to serve a term as Deputy Director of the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Program Office in Boulder, Colorado; he also continues to lead USGS activities in support of the USAID Famine Early Warning Systems Network, as he has since 1995.