email: ckoplien@todaystmj4.com
About a month ago, Ken Rizzo retired from his position as Meteorologist-In-Charge at our local National Weather Service (NWS) office in Sullivan.
Ken is a good guy. He and his staff have always been helpful and have provided me with valuable information.
Best of luck Ken! Enjoy your retirement!
Here is the statement the NWS released with regard to Ken's replacement, followed by a bit of a retrospective about Ken's career in the world of weather.
...NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SELECTS NEW LEADER OF SOUTH
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE...
NOAA/S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS NAMED STEVE BRUESKE TO SERVE AS
METEOROLOGIST IN CHARGE /MIC/ OF THE WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE NEAR
SULLIVAN WI. STEVE WILL BEGIN HIS NEW DUTIES OCTOBER 22 2008.
WITH HIS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN A VARIETY OF NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
LOCATIONS...STEVE POSSESSES A WEALTH OF WEATHER FORECASTING
KNOWLEDGE THAT WILL WELL SERVE THE PEOPLE OF SOUTHERN AND
SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN...SAID LYNN P. MAXIMUK...DIRECTOR OF THE
14-STATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CENTRAL REGION HEADQUARTERED IN
KANSAS CITY MO.
LYNN MENTIONED THAT STEVE/S EXPERIENCE AND LEADERSHIP WILL BE ASSETS
TO THE STAFF AND THE PEOPLE OF WISCONSIN. HE WILL CONTINUE TO
PROMOTE THE EXCELLENT COORDINATION WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND THE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY...AS WELL AS SUPPORTING PUBLIC OUTREACH THAT HAS
BEEN A STRONG POINT OF THE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI OFFICE.
STEVE BRINGS 24 YEARS OF GOVERNMENT SERVICE TO HIS NEW POSITION AND
IS CURRENTLY THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE SYSTEMS OPERATIONS DIVISION AT
WESTERN REGION HEADQUARTERS IN SALT LAKE CITY UT.
PRIOR TO STEVE/S SALT LAKE CITY JOB...HIS NWS ASSIGNMENTS HAVE BEEN
AS MIC AT THE GREAT FALLS MT WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE...THE SCIENCE
AND OPERATIONS OFFICER AT THE CHARLESTON SC WEATHER FORECAST
OFFICE...AND A RADAR INSTRUCTOR AT THE WARNING DECISION TRAINING
BRANCH IN NORMAN OK. STEVE ALSO SERVED OVER 8 YEARS IN THE AIR FORCE
AS A WEATHER OFFICER.
STEVE EARNED A BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE IN CHEMISTRY...WITH A MINOR IN
COMPUTER SCIENCE FROM BETHEL UNIVERSITY IN MINNESOTA...STUDIED
ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE AT CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY...AND RECEIVED HIS
MASTERS DEGREE IN METEOROLOGY FROM PENN STATE UNIVERSITY IN 1990.
STEVE MENTIONED THIS IN AN INTERVIEW...I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT
WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS...CUSTOMERS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS...MEDIA
AND CITIZENS IN THIS AREA. WE HAVE A VERY TALENTED AND EXPERIENCED
STAFF AT THE FORECAST OFFICE AND I FULLY APPRECIATE THE IMPORTANCE
OF ACCURATE WEATHER FORECASTS FOR THE CITIZENS OF THIS PART OF
WISCONSIN.
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Meteorologist-In-Charge, Ken Rizzo, of the NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan office retired on September 2, 2008.
Ken grew up in Kenosha, WI and received his meteorological training from the University of Wisconsin. He earned his BS degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1971 and a MS degree from UW-Milwaukee in 1975.
Ken began his NWS career as an intern in Fairbanks, AK in 1976. From 1976 to 1982 he was the Michigan Warning Preparedness Meteorologist at the forecast office in Ann Arbor, MI. After that he was the Meteorologist In Charge of the NWS office in Lansing, MI until 1985.
From Lansing Ken went to become the Deputy Meteorologist In Charge at the NWS office in Cheyenne, WY from 1985-89. From there he moved to the NWS Central Region Headquarters office in Kansas City, MO where he worked in the Meteorological Services Division until 1991. In 1991 he was promoted to the Meteorologist In Charge position at WFO Milwaukee, WI.
Ken has been involved in many of the NWS service modernization activities and oversaw the installation of the Milwaukee WSR-88D radar, ASOS units in the area and AWIPS. In recent times Ken was a strong advocate and player in advancements of the Great Lakes Marine program service enhancements.
