The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has selected a 15-year veteran of the agency to be the next Director of the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Mike Brennan was appointed to the role April 10, NOAA reported in a news release. Brennan has served as the acting NHC deputy director for the past year and as the branch chief of the Hurricane Specialist Unit since 2018.
“The NHC director is one of the most visible and important jobs in the nation, and Mike possesses the right combination of experience, leadership and personal traits to prepare and guide us through major storms," NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in the news release. "Alongside our trusted and dedicated team at NHC, Mike will continue to leverage vital partnerships to provide the best forecasts and build resilience to the impacts of hurricanes in U.S. communities.”
Brennan joined NOAA in 2008 as a senior hurricane specialist. In 2018, he became the Branch Chief of the Hurricane Specialist Unit, according to the release. As branch chief, he lead a high-profile operational forecast unit through more than 20 tropical-storm landfalls and 18 landfalling hurricanes, including eight major hurricanes, the release states.
He has "extensive experience" in effectively communicating tropical-cyclone hazards and Impact Based Decision Support Services to federal, state and international agencies, and has worked across NOAA and with other federal agencies to ensure the execution of the Nation's Hurricane Forecast and Warning program, according to the release.
Brennan earned a bachelor’s degree in Meteorology and a masters and doctorate in Atmospheric Science from North Carolina State University, the release reports. He fills the position left vacant when previous director Ken Graham became the director of the National Weather Service in June 2022, according to the release.
“I am honored and humbled to work with the talented staff at the National Hurricane Center at a time when we are making exciting advancements in hurricane forecasts and developing new decision support tools to improve community resilience to powerful hurricanes and tropical storms,” Brennan said in the release. “Along with our colleagues across the National Weather Service and NOAA, we’re working to improve community safety through clear communication on the various hazards posed by these storms.”
