Bill Proenza
Encyclopedia
Xavier William "Bill" Proenza is the Southern Region Director of the United States
National Weather Service
. He was previously the director of the National Hurricane Center
(NHC) from January 4, 2007 to July 9, 2007. Before that Proenza was Southern Region Director from 1999 to 2007.
. He joined the National Hurricane Center in 1963 and 1964, becoming a reconnaissance meteorologist from 1965 through 1967. After working at the National Weather Service field offices in Huntsville, Alabama
(1968), Columbus, Georgia
(1969), and Atlanta, Georgia
(1970), he headed for work at NWS headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland
and Central Region headquarters before working for Southern Region headquarters in the late 1980s as deputy director, a position he served through the 1990s, before becoming its director in 1999. The Former NHC Director returned to the National Weather Service's Southern Region Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas in Late September 2007.
In May 2007, he publicly accused NOAA of wasting money, specifically citing NOAA's plans to spend $4 million to publicize a 200th anniversary celebration while the agency has cut $700,000 from hurricane research. In its defense "NOAA spokesman Anson Franklin said the agency is actually only spending about $1.5 million on the campaign over two years. He said it is justified to publicize the agency's mission to a public that is often unaware of its involvement in weather prediction and forecasting."
Proenza had been particularly outspoken in his desire to see a replacement for the aging QuikSCAT
satellite, which measures surface winds over remote ocean areas, citing a study that says "the center's ability to track storms could dip as much as 16 percent when the satellite dies."
Three senior researchers, however, complained that Proenza overstated his case, unduly alarming the public and compromising the center's credibility. Jeff Masters, former NOAA meteorologist and operator of Weather Underground
, said Proenza relied on an imperfect, unpublished study. Masters pointed to a different, more complete study, which stated that QuickSCAT's loss would have at most a "minor effect". The criticism snowballed, and in early July, he faced an open revolt as half of the center's employees signed a letter calling for Proenza's departure. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel described the letter:
As early as June 2007, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administrator Vice Admiral
Conrad Lautenbacher initiated an investigation into Proenza's management of the National Hurricane Center, prompted by concerns from Mary Glackin, acting director of the National Weather Service. On June 26, Lautenbacher received permission from Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez to take action against Proenza should it be necessary.
Lautenbacher requested that the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) form an independent "management assessment team" which would travel to the National Hurricane Center and evaluate the management situation. This team was personally headed by NIST deputy director James Turner, who delivered the team's final report. The above mentioned letter was signed by the employees while the assessment team was visiting the hurricane center. This fact caused Proenza to speculate that the letter signing may have been engineered by vengeful NOAA management.
On July 9, 2007, Proenza was placed on administrative leave. Deputy director Edward Rappaport
took over as interim director.
On July 13, the management assessment team formally delivered its final report to administrator Lautenbacher. The report concluded that Proenza's management style was ineffective, that his continued presence would interfere with the ability of the National Hurricane Center
to perform its vital functions, and that Proenza should be removed as director of the center. Lautenbacher then requested that the NIST assessment team formulate specific recommendations within 2 weeks. At a joint congressional subcommittee hearing on July 19, Lautenbacher testified that he had not yet determined what final actions would be taken regarding Proenza and the National Hurricane Center. He stated, however, that his final decision would be based entirely on the recommendations of the assessment team.
in 1991. The NWS Employee's Organization recognized him as the NWS manager of the year for 1998. The NWS Employees’ Organization also recognized Proenza nationally as the NWS Manager of 1998 for his collaborative leadership with their union. In 2001, the American Meteorological Society recognized him with its prestigious Francis W. Reichelderfer Award for outstanding environmental services to the nation.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
. He was previously the director of the National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
(NHC) from January 4, 2007 to July 9, 2007. Before that Proenza was Southern Region Director from 1999 to 2007.
History
Bill Proenza was born in New York, and raised in Florida. He graduated from Florida State UniversityFlorida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
. He joined the National Hurricane Center in 1963 and 1964, becoming a reconnaissance meteorologist from 1965 through 1967. After working at the National Weather Service field offices in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
(1968), Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
(1969), and Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
(1970), he headed for work at NWS headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
and Central Region headquarters before working for Southern Region headquarters in the late 1980s as deputy director, a position he served through the 1990s, before becoming its director in 1999. The Former NHC Director returned to the National Weather Service's Southern Region Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas in Late September 2007.
Tenure at NHC
Proenza had a rocky tenure as the chief of the NHC -- "a brief but turbulent tenure in which he publicly criticized his bosses and then lost the support of much of his staff."In May 2007, he publicly accused NOAA of wasting money, specifically citing NOAA's plans to spend $4 million to publicize a 200th anniversary celebration while the agency has cut $700,000 from hurricane research. In its defense "NOAA spokesman Anson Franklin said the agency is actually only spending about $1.5 million on the campaign over two years. He said it is justified to publicize the agency's mission to a public that is often unaware of its involvement in weather prediction and forecasting."
Proenza had been particularly outspoken in his desire to see a replacement for the aging QuikSCAT
QuikSCAT
The QuikSCAT is an earth-observing satellite that provided estimates of wind speed and direction over the oceans to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others. This "quick recovery" mission intended to replace the NASA Scatterometer , which failed in June 1997...
satellite, which measures surface winds over remote ocean areas, citing a study that says "the center's ability to track storms could dip as much as 16 percent when the satellite dies."
Three senior researchers, however, complained that Proenza overstated his case, unduly alarming the public and compromising the center's credibility. Jeff Masters, former NOAA meteorologist and operator of Weather Underground
Weather Underground (weather service)
Weather Underground is a commercial weather service that provides real-time weather information via the Internet. Weather Underground provides weather reports for most major cities across the world on its Web site, as well as local weather reports for newspapers and Web sites...
, said Proenza relied on an imperfect, unpublished study. Masters pointed to a different, more complete study, which stated that QuickSCAT's loss would have at most a "minor effect". The criticism snowballed, and in early July, he faced an open revolt as half of the center's employees signed a letter calling for Proenza's departure. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel described the letter:
"The undersigned staff of the National Hurricane Center has concluded that the center needs a new director," reads the one-paragraph statement signed by 23 employees. "The effective functioning of the National Hurricane Center is at stake."
The letter concluded the center in Miami-Dade County needs to return its focus to storm prediction and "leave the political arena it now finds itself in."
As early as June 2007, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) administrator Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Conrad Lautenbacher initiated an investigation into Proenza's management of the National Hurricane Center, prompted by concerns from Mary Glackin, acting director of the National Weather Service. On June 26, Lautenbacher received permission from Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez to take action against Proenza should it be necessary.
Lautenbacher requested that the National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology , known between 1901 and 1988 as the National Bureau of Standards , is a measurement standards laboratory, otherwise known as a National Metrological Institute , which is a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce...
(NIST) form an independent "management assessment team" which would travel to the National Hurricane Center and evaluate the management situation. This team was personally headed by NIST deputy director James Turner, who delivered the team's final report. The above mentioned letter was signed by the employees while the assessment team was visiting the hurricane center. This fact caused Proenza to speculate that the letter signing may have been engineered by vengeful NOAA management.
On July 9, 2007, Proenza was placed on administrative leave. Deputy director Edward Rappaport
Edward Rappaport
Edward N. "Ed" Rappaport, Ph.D. was the acting director of the National Hurricane Center. He replaced former director Bill Proenza on July 9, 2007. Rappaport was replaced by Bill Read...
took over as interim director.
On July 13, the management assessment team formally delivered its final report to administrator Lautenbacher. The report concluded that Proenza's management style was ineffective, that his continued presence would interfere with the ability of the National Hurricane Center
National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of the National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting weather systems within the tropics between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th...
to perform its vital functions, and that Proenza should be removed as director of the center. Lautenbacher then requested that the NIST assessment team formulate specific recommendations within 2 weeks. At a joint congressional subcommittee hearing on July 19, Lautenbacher testified that he had not yet determined what final actions would be taken regarding Proenza and the National Hurricane Center. He stated, however, that his final decision would be based entirely on the recommendations of the assessment team.
Accomplishments
Proenza was a councilor for the National Weather AssociationNational Weather Association
The National Weather Association is an American professional association with a mission to support and promote excellence in operational meteorology and related activities...
in 1991. The NWS Employee's Organization recognized him as the NWS manager of the year for 1998. The NWS Employees’ Organization also recognized Proenza nationally as the NWS Manager of 1998 for his collaborative leadership with their union. In 2001, the American Meteorological Society recognized him with its prestigious Francis W. Reichelderfer Award for outstanding environmental services to the nation.