The Norman, Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce Weather Committee: A Framework for New Partnerships Among Industry, Government and Academia

Like most cities in the United States, Norman, Oklahoma supports a local Chamber of Commerce. It serves as a visionary, pro-active community partner in the development of innovative projects, responds to local business needs in a rapidly changing global environment, and is an advocate for linking education, government and business together toward common goals including economic growth that supports and enhances quality of life. Further, the chamber cultivates, promotes and supports economic opportunities and community enrichment by providing leadership and services to its members and the broader community.

The Chamber consists of a Board of Directors, an Executive Director, a professional staff, and a number of standing committees of local relevance, including military affairs, aviation, business and the arts, education, and transportation. In response to the significant role played by the meteorology in central Oklahoma, the Chamber created in 2004 a standing Weather Committee. Co-chaired by representatives from academia and industry, the committee works in the shared interest of the academic, operational, research, and commercial sectors to facilitate communication, develop programs, and promote activities to advance the Norman weather enterprise, including its allied weather-impacted and non-weather related interests.

In this paper, we describe the Committee's membership, structure and activities, including key achievements during the past few years. We also discuss planned activities, including a collaboration with AMS to produce an authoritative biennial report on the state of the Nation's weather and climate enterprise (government, academia and industry).