As Director of Publications at the American Meteorological Society (AMS) for over 20 years, Ken managed a large team of publication assistants, technical editors, and copy editors, collectively responsible for the timely publication of 11 scholarly peer-reviewed journals. He also supervised all aspects of the AMS Book Program. In addition, he was Senior Editor of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, the society’s flagship magazine. Ken’s management philosophy focused on each individual’s unique needs and strengths while forging a close-knit team ethic. This resulted in exemplary performance by the group as a cohesive whole and led to his development of a Publication Management course, which he has presented at many professional conferences.
Ken became a liaison from AMS to the greater publishing community, primarily via his involvement with the Council of Science Editors (CSE), an international membership organization for publishing professionals. Prior to being elected President of CSE, he served the organization as an executive board member, instructor, a regular columnist in the quarterly journal Science Editor, and a mentor for early-career professionals. CSE provided Ken with invaluable experience interfacing and working with leaders of other scholarly societies.
Ken is a wordsmith and communicator —an editor, writer, content developer, management consultant, and public speaker —who specializes in adapting complex and technical concepts to any target audience. His skill set and interests extend well beyond the scientific realm to a wide variety of technical and creative genres. By way of background, Ken holds an advanced degree in meteorology. However, he learned early on in his career that his literary talents superseded his forecasting abilities. He thus wisely chose to spend his career in service to the written and spoken word rather than in anticipation of precipitation.