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Dec
04, 2001
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an
online newsletter for and by NOAA employees
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Employee
of Month Does Curtis Carey,
public affairs chief of the National Weather Service since January 2000,
is NOAA’s December Employee of the Month. Prior to relocating
to headquarters, Curtis was public affairs officer for the weather service’s
southern region. To Jack Kelly,
director of the National Weather Service, Curtis is “the person I
rely on to translate complex, jargon-laden material into terms the public
can understand. He gets results and has done a great job in educating
the public about NOAA and the NWS.” Earlier this year Curtis spearheaded the very successful educational kickoff of the 2001 hurricane season at Reagan National Airport. His office launched a nation-wide Lightning Awareness Campaign at a press conference hosted by Scott Gudes and Jack Kelly at a PGA Tournament. Professional golfers Vijay Singh and Rocco Mediate headlined popular lightning safety posters and a television public service announcement that aired in over four million homes. The weather service’s first Lightning Safety Awareness Week also took center stage on NOAA’s website, attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers. Curtis leads a team of regional public affairs officers. “The recognition we get is a testament to the great work everyone does,” he said. It's hard to believe that such a small staff could be so potent. Whether they are rushing into a flooded Grand Forks or a city in Ohio devastated by a tornado, they are always professional, caring and competent. It shows in the results.” Curtis began his career as a part-time sportscaster and DJ, spinning big band and contemporary sounds at two Oklahoma radio stations. He moved on to become a television assignment editor, covering everything from local and state elections to natural disasters in his tornado-prone state. Serving in the Navy from 1986 to 1991, Curtis’s first assignment was as a broadcaster with the Far East Network at Iwakuni, Japan’s Marine Corps Air Station. During the Gulf War, he was assistant public affairs officer abroad the aircraft carrier USS Independence. In 1991, he joined the civil service as a Navy newspaper reporter in Yokosuka, Japan and two years later was named public affairs officer for the Navy’s largest oversea complex. Over the years he has been cited for international relations by the Prime Minister’s Office in Japan and honored with the Navy’s top award for public affairs excellence, the Marine Corps Broadcasting Award for television documentary production, and the Support Award from the United Nations Command Japan, among other tributes. Curtis is working on a Master’s in Communication at University of Oklahoma’s Washington DC campus and plans to enter a doctoral program next fall. He is also an adjunct faculty member in Communications at George Mason University. He recharges
by spending time with his wife, Ritsuko, whom he met in Hiroshima and
their four-year old son Matthew. Curtis relishes snow skiing and fishing
with his family and says Matthew is becoming an accomplished skier. “Matthew
thinks worms are oishi, or tasty in Japanese. But he means the ‘gummy
kind.’ He won't touch the real ones so I'm still putting them on
hooks for him."
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