Meet the Gang

TEAM LEADERS

Jason Samenow - Chief Meteorologist

A native Washingtonian, Jason Samenow has been a weather enthusiast since age 10 (1987) -- the year of the "double whammy" snow storms that shut schools down seven straight days in the D.C. area. Before graduating from high school, he interned for NBC4 chief meteorologist Bob Ryan. At the University of Virginia, he earned a degree in environmental science, focusing in atmospheric science. He went on to earn a master's degree in atmospheric science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000. Since then, he's worked as a climate change analyst for the federal government, monitoring, analyzing and communicating the science of climate change. He founded CapitalWeather.com in early 2004, the first professional weather blog on the Internet. Jason is a past chairman of the D.C. Chapter of the American Meteorological Society and a Weather and Society Integrated Studies Fellow. Jason lives with his wife, Deborah, in Washington, D.C.

Dan Stillman - Lead Meteorologist

Weather and Washington are two of Dan Stillman's greatest passions. The excitement of snow days and two-hour delays are what first got him hooked on tracking lows and highs across the country. After graduating from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Md., he went on to earn a B.S. in atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences from the University of Michigan (and like most Michigan grads is still obsessed with everything Wolverines), and a master's degree in meteorology from Texas A&M University. He also has a background in journalism and enjoys combining his love for weather with his writing skills. He currently works as a science communications manager for the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, a nonprofit Earth science education and policy organization in Arlington, Va. Also a freelance writer, he has been published in the Washington Post, Weatherwise Magazine and elsewhere, and served as editor for NBC4 chief meteorologist Bob Ryan's 2005 Almanac and Guide for the Weatherwise. He is also a Weather and Society Integrated Studies Fellow. Dan lives with his wife, Debbie, and son, Matthew, in North Bethesda, Md.

Jamie Jones - Technology Lead

A 2005 graduate of the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Jamie Jones has been working with Jason on the site since its inception in 2004. As a computer engineering major, Jamie's concentration was in emerging Internet and Web development technologies, both of which he uses to create new and interesting content for the site. Jamie is currently a Web applications engineer who does Defense Department consulting throughout the D.C. area. As a consultant, he focuses on assisting agencies to better leverage Web-enabled technologies and helps to manage their ever-growing collection of data. Jamie has lived on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, Williamsburg, Charlottesville, and currently resides in Alexandria, Va.

TEAM

Steve Scolnik - Senior Meteorologist

Steve Scolnik has been a weather fan beginning with childhood experiences with both blizzards and hurricanes in 1950s Maine. He has lived most of the time since 1957 in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. After attending Montgomery County public schools in Kensington and North Bethesda, he graduated cum laude from Yale University with a B.A. in math and physics. While at Yale, he spent his summers as a student trainee in what was then the Extended Forecast Division of the National Meteorological Center in Suitland, Md. His last year in the NOAA Corps was spent at the Development Division of NMC, where he did the programming to support research on weather models. Following uniformed service, he earned a master's degree in meteorology at MIT under the supervision of Prof. Edward Lorenz, one of the earliest discoverers of chaos theory and the butterfly effect. After five years as a meteorologist/computer specialist programming weather prediction models at NMC in Camp Springs, Md., he obtained an M.S. in computer science from the University of Maryland (Go Terps!). He worked as a programmer/analyst at Comsat Labs in Clarksburg, Md.; IBM in Woodstock, N.Y., Gaithersburg and Rockville; and as a systems performance analyst at America Online in Vienna and Reston. He was a lecturer in the computer science department at the University of Maryland for four years, teaching C programming and computer architecture.

Josh Larson - Forecaster

Though he received a B.A. in English from Williams College, Josh Larson has been involved with weather and climate for nearly 15 years. He worked for two years as a climate analyst at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center in Camp Springs, Md., where he researched and forecast climate variability. Josh is also the lead author of "Characteristics of Landfalling Tropical Cyclones in the United States and Mexico: Climatology and Interannual Variablity," published in the Journal of Climate (April 15, 2005). Prior to his stint at CPC, he interned at NOAA's National Weather Service headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., and spent four summers as a paid intern at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction. Josh also spent a summer as an intern in USA Today's weather department. Born and raised in Chevy Chase, Md., Josh now lives in Boulder, Colo., where he works at a small Internet technology startup called madKast. He describes himself as "completely obsessed with snow," even going so far as to write his college essay about it.

Matt Ross - Forecaster

Matt Ross has been interested in weather since early childhood, including a specific fascination with snowstorms and extreme weather events. Although he passed on a career as a meteorologist, his enthusiasm for both weather and statistics, particularly related to the D.C. area's local climate, continues to strengthen as he gets older. Frustrated with the region's lack of snow, Matt has been known to chase after the white stuff, including recent trips to northern New England and the Tug Hill region of New York during major snow events. Of particular interest to Matt is the study of analogs, or past weather data as a means of predicting long-range seasonal patterns. Matt owns a legal staffing agency and resides in Mt. Pleasant.

A. Camden Walker - Meteorologist

Even as a youngster, A. Camden Walker found looking upward to be an enthralling experience. He strived to learn all of the cloud types, and eventually earned the Boy Scouts weather merit badge. He also dabbled in nature photography and perused weather almanacs. These days he is drawn toward the sociological side of weather, including how weather affects psychology (psychometeorology). Additional interests include climate change, architecture and sustainability. And of course, he counts himself among the snowlovers. But he's equally fascinated by tropical cyclogenesis, the development and strengthening of tropical cyclones. Camden has a bachelor's in atmospheric science from the University of Virginia, and is currently an executive assistant at the American Institute of Architects. Camden previously spent time in Atlanta interning and going through on-air training at The Weather Channel. He has now lived in Northwest D.C. for several years since happily returning to his favorite city. Everything about DC and its locals resonate with him. (He grew up in the area so it feels like home.) And Camden appreciates the city's perfect positioning on the North American continent, which gives it an exciting mix of mid-latitude weather.

Andrew Freedman - Columnist

Andrew Freedman is an environmental journalist with a lifelong fascination with the weather. His work has appeared on The Weather Channel's "Forecast Earth" Web site, in Congressional Quarterly, Greenwire and Environment & Energy Daily, as well as Weatherwise magazine. He has also worked for NOAA's National Weather Service and on the summit of Mount Washington as a weather observing intern. A former D.C. resident, Andrew currently resides in Boston where is he is attending the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University as part of a dual master's degree program in climate change policy with Columbia University.

Kevin Ambrose - Senior Photographer

Kevin Ambrose is the author of "Washington Weather," "Blizzards and Snowstorms of Washington, D.C." and "Great Blizzards of New York City." Ambrose is also a professional photographer and avid storm chaser, specializing in photography of Washington, D.C. area snowstorms, cherry blossoms, sunrises, sunsets, storms and lightning. He holds a B.S. in computer science from the University of Virginia and currently works as an account executive for Sun Microsystems. Kevin's interests include weather forecasting, history, archeology and running. Kevin, his wife Elisa and their two children live in Northern Virginia. His photography and books can be found at his Web site, WashingtonPrints.com.

Ian Livingston - Photographer/Forecaster

Ian Livingston has lived in Washington since early 2006, having moved to the area shortly after graduating from the University of Connecticut. While living in Connecticut, Ian was trained as a SKYWARN spotter, and his self-education in meteorology has been ongoing since he first witnessed snow at his childhood home in the southern California desert. While attending college, he designed and forecasted for a Web site focused on upcoming weather conditions on and around campus in Storrs, Conn. Ian is one of several co-founders of EasternUSWx.com, a site known as one of the nation's top forums for weather discussion and information. Over the years, photography became a natural offshoot of his love for weather, and he has acquired a greater knowledge of both -- and how they intersect -- while out in the field. Ian was drawn to the region by his interest in foreign affairs, current events and politics. He presently works for one of the nation's most highly regarded think tanks.

By Mackenzie Morgan |  January 7, 2008; 4:30 PM ET
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