Neil Jacobs
Neil Andrew Jacobs, Jr. (born December 12, 1973)[1] is an American scientist and former government official who served as the acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.[2]
Neil Jacobs
Donald Trump
Stephen Volz
December 12, 1973
Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
2
Atmospheric science
- AirDat LLC
- Panasonic Avionics Corporation
- Sethu Raman
- Gary Lackmann
Leonard J. Pietrafesa
Early life and education[edit]
Jacobs was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[1] He earned two Bachelor of Science degrees, in mathematics and physics, from the University of South Carolina in 1997, followed by a Master of Science and PhD in atmospheric science from North Carolina State University.[3][4]
Career[edit]
Industry[edit]
After completing his doctoral degree in 2005, Jacobs went to work with North Carolina-based AirDat LLC to work on the development of their TAMDAR (Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting) weather monitoring system as their director of research and business development. He stayed on with the company when the company was acquired by Panasonic Avionics Corporation in 2013.[5] At Panasonic, he served as chief atmospheric scientist from 2013 until he was asked by President Trump to join the government in 2018.[6]
During his time at AiRDat and Panasonic, Jacobs also worked on a small team of atmospheric scientists at World Meteorological Organization and served as chair of the American Meteorological Society's Forecast Improvement Group.[6]
Government[edit]
In 2017, Jacobs was nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction and was confirmed on February 15, 2018.[7] When Timothy Gallaudet, the acting NOAA Administrator asked to be allowed to focus on his Senate-confirmed position as Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere in February 2018, Jacobs became the Acting NOAA Administrator and late the next year he was nominated to take on the role permanently when Barry Myers withdrew from consideration for health reason.[8] After not being confirmed in 2019, he was re-nominated in 2020.[9][10] A hearing on his nomination was held in March 2020 and his nomination was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee in May of that year.[11] On January 3, 2021, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate.[12]
Personal life[edit]
Jacobs lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife and two children.[18] Jacobs is an avid surfer in the Outer Banks region.[19]