DaNa L. Carlis, Ph.D., is an award-winning meteorologist and serves as the director at NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). At NSSL, he is responsible for leading the scientific, engineering, and information technology efforts of the laboratory. As NSSL director, he leads the premiere severe weather research laboratory with more than 180 scientists, engineers, and administrators.

Prior to NSSL, Carlis served as the deputy director of NOAA’s Global Systems Laboratory (GSL) in Boulder, Colorado, and prior to GSL at the Weather Program Office (WPO) in Washington, D.C., where he was the founding program manager of the Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC) and Next Generation Global Prediction System (NGGPS) programs. Carlis enjoys the fact that he’s able to work between science, policy, and society to ensure better products and services to the American people.

Carlis attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 2000, a Master of Science in 2002, and doctorate in atmospheric sciences in 2007. Carlis was the second African American male to receive his doctorate in atmospheric sciences from Howard University.

Carlis is originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he developed a love for science and math at an early age and was inducted into the Booker T. Washington High School Distinguished Hall of Fame in 2018. As an active member of the community, Carlis serves on the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Council. In his spare time, Carlis enjoys cheering for his favorite sports team, the Oklahoma Sooners, mentoring and coaching students, and spending time with his family. Carlis is married to Dr. Lydia Carlis, chief learning and impact officer at Acelero Learning and founder/CEO of Eyemagination Enterprises LLC. Together they have a daughter, Dia Carlis, who is seeking her master’s degree in Africana studies at Georgia State University.