Barry Goldsmith
Summer 2007 WAS*IS
 After two years of undergraduate coursework (and a modest GPA) at Penn State, I got my first big break: The National Weather Service was recruiting students to train at national headquarters. There were only three openings, but, as luck would have it, only two of us applied, and having met the minimum GPA and coursework prerequisites, we were in! The rest, one might say, is history.
I began my career in January, 1986, with the Techniques Development Laboratory of the Office of Systems Development, where I assisted the staff with statistical guidance equations based on numerical weather prediction models. Evaluating these equations, used by NWS forecasters as guidance, was equivalent to holding the golden key to the kingdom of modern, routine weather forecasting; by noting the tendencies and biases in tests, I was able to gain invaluable knowledge about the forecast process that I continue to use today! After graduation, I remained at National Headquarters, but was hired as a Verification Specialist with the Services Evaluation Branch. This career moved meshed with my previous experience, as I was tasked with evaluating and comparing the actual forecasts produced by humans and computers! In 1993, I became a general forecaster at the local office in Sterling, VA, where I was able to apply my weather knowledge with the tools I acquired as an equation developer and verification specialist. Issuing forecasts and warnings for weather ranging from hurricanes to heat waves, for up to 120 counties, including four states and the District of Columbia, was certainly a challenge, but I was up to the task. By the end of 1998, I was promoted to senior forecaster at the local office serving Florida 's Suncoast, where I continue today.
During my more than 21 years as a NWS meteorologist, I have never forgotten the lessons of one of my mentors, who always said that a good forecast should pass the public service test: If the public understood the message, and took appropriate action based on the message in a timely manner, your forecast was a success. Whether I'm forecasting, leading teams of my peers, or communicating with my staff or external partners, I never forget that my mission isn't complete when I hit the “send” button on a forecast or have the last word in a meeting. Rather, satisfaction comes from the response elicited, from a neighbor taking cover in a safe shelter when the tornado warning is received, or my colleagues working trouble-free with programs that I created or adjusted. I am coming to WAS*IS to meet with like-minded professionals to help those in the weather enterprise to pass the public service test with flying colors!
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