MIC Armando Garza, NWS forecast office, Shreveport, La. (Photo: WFO Shreveport)
Armando Garza, meteorologist-in-charge of the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) forecast office in Shreveport, La., won the 2010 Charles E. Anderson Award. The award is given by the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the nation's leading professional society for scientists in the atmospheric and related sciences.
Garza earned the award "for tireless promotion of workforce diversity and inclusiveness through workshops, manager toolkits and especially the engagement of students at all levels from underrepresented groups." The Anderson Award is given to an individual in recognition of outstanding contributions to the promotion of diversity in the atmospheric and related sciences and broader communities through education and community service. The award was presented at the 90th Annual AMS Meeting in Atlanta, Ga., on January 25.
"I'm very happy to see the AMS recognize and encourage our efforts to foster diversity," said Garza. "We have four generations in today's workforce and we have to try to understand all of them. We have seen a lot of positive changes over the years, but the biggest improvement today is that we have more women and minorities in the workplace because of our diversity programs."
A native of Brownsville, Texas, Garza began his career with the NWS in 1972 and has worked at numerous offices in several NWS regions. He has been in charge of the Shreveport office since 2005. Previous awards include: a 2007 Bronze Medal Award for Shreveport's superior performance during Hurricane Rita (2005); the 2007 Southern Region Director's Award for Customer Service; the 2009 "Manager of the Year" award from the NWS Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity Management; and, the 2009 NOAA Administrator's Award for his work as a diversity team manager.
