COMMERCE SECRETARY ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF NEW NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DIRECTOR

Washington, D.C. (Feb. 19,1998) -- Commerce Secretary William M. Daley announced the appointment of Air Force Brigadier General John J. Kelly (Ret.) as the 13th Director of the National Weather Service. General Kelly is the former head of the Air Force Air Weather Service, which provides operational weather support for all Army and Air Force activities.

"I have every confidence that General Kelly's experience and expertise will be of great benefit to the weather service, particularly as we near the end of its modernization program," said Secretary Daley. "I am fully committed to ensuring we have the best weather service in the world. I am confident that General Kelly -- with the support of the 5,000 dedicated National Weather Service employees -- will provide just that."

"General Kelly joins the weather service at a critical time when serious concerns about sound fiscal management and systems development efforts have been raised," said Secretary Daley. "His past experience, strong leadership, and management ability are well suited to meet the challenges facing the National Weather Service in the 21st century."

"I am honored to be selected as the Director of the National Weather Service," said General Kelly. "I look forward to maintaining the high level of quality service the public has come to expect from this agency."

Kelly will assume his duties on February 26th. He will be responsible for completing the modernization of the weather service, ensuring its cost-effective and efficient operation, and maintaining the quality of daily weather forecasts and warnings. Kelly will also be responsible for maintaining strong working relationships, not only with the academic community and private sector, but also with Congress and state and local governments.

General Kelly's military career spanned 31 years and included seven years as Director of the Air Weather Service. He did graduate work in meteorology at Pennsylvania State University and received a masters degree in public administration from Auburn University. In addition, he is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society.

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