Hon. Neil A. Jacobs

Neil A. Jacobs, Acting Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Dr. Neil Jacobs is the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and
Prediction, performing the duties of Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
In this role, Dr. Jacobs is responsible for the strategic direction and oversight of over $3.4 billion
in annual spending, supporting NOAA's broad portfolio of sea, air, land, and space observing
platforms as well as the critical infrastructure for the assimilation and exploitation of
environmental data. Previously as the Chief Atmospheric Scientist at Panasonic Avionics
Corporation, he directed the research and development of both the aviation weather observing
platform and weather forecast model programs. He was previously the Chair of the American
Meteorological Society’s Forecast Improvement Group, and also served on the World
Meteorological Organization’s aircraft-based observing systems expert team.
Dr. Jacobs holds a bachelor degree in mathematics and physics from the University of South
Carolina and masters and doctoral degrees in atmospheric science from North Carolina State
University.