Richard “Rick” Spinrad, who led the federal oceanic and atmospheric administration as a fierce defender of climate readiness, will soon be in charge of the nation’s leading professional and scientific meteorological organization.
The American Meteorological Society announced Tuesday its members elected Spinrad to serve as its president-elect for 2026 — a one-year position before he takes over as the society’s president the following year.
Spinrad has spent his four-decade career as an oceanographer, jumping between various positions as a scientist in the private and public sectors.
He served as undersecretary of Commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator under the Biden administration, where he focused the agency’s efforts on better understanding how climate change influences and exacerbates disasters.
