|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 2017
Governor Mary Fallin Appoints
Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier as Secretary of Science and Technology
OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today announced that Dr. Kelvin
Droegemeier, vice president for research at the University of Oklahoma (OU), will be
joining her Cabinet as secretary of science and technology. Droegemeier will
begin serving on Monday.
Droegemeier is a Regents’ professor of meteorology,
Weathernews chair emeritus, and Teigen presidential professor at OU. He currently serves on Fallin’s Science and Technology
Council, chairing the academic research and development subcommittee.
Fallin said Droegemeier’s extensive background in science
and technology, as well as in government, as a key reason for his selection.
“Dr. Droegemeier is a leading expert in the science and
engineering research fields, as well as in the education community, and I am
thrilled he has agreed to continue to serve the state in a greater capacity,”
said Fallin. “To realize all that the state and our citizens can become, we
must harness the potential of science and technology. This is a part of my
focus on 'future ready' education and training, and I know Kelvin will be
committed to ensuring Oklahoma makes strides in these critically important
areas.
“He is widely respected as a leader on both the local and
national levels, especially in encouraging relationships among industry,
academia, and government. I have asked him to utilize these skills and his
broad depth of knowledge to create new partnerships to benefit all of
Oklahoma.”
Droegemeier co-founded the National Science Foundation
(NSF) Science and Technology Center (STC) for Analysis and Prediction of Storms
(CAPS), which is today recognized around the world as the pioneer of
storm-scale numerical weather prediction. He also co-founded the NSF
Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the
Atmosphere (CASA), and served on the National Science Board under both
President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama. He is a Fellow of the
American Meteorological Society and the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, and, under then-Governor Brad Henry, he chaired the Weather
and Climate Team for the EDGE (Economic Development Generating Excellence)
Program.
“I am deeply honored by the privilege of serving in Governor
Fallin’s Cabinet as secretary of science and technology,” said Droegemeier. “I look forward to working with the governor, with other
Cabinet members, and with elected leaders and citizens in Oklahoma to unlock
the full potential of our state’s science and technology enterprise. Now
is the time for us to seize the moment – to utilize our science and technology
assets to transform our economy, create high-paying jobs in future industries,
improve the quality of life for all our citizens, and enhance educational
opportunities for not only traditional students, but for life-long learners as
well.”
Droegemeier earned a B.S. with special distinction in meteorology from OU, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in
atmospheric science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He
joined OU in 1985 as an assistant professor of meteorology. He and his wife, Lisa, reside in Norman.
###
 Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier
|
