Our Team


Getting Involved With US AON

US AON is a fundamentally collaborative effort, and we welcome your input and involvement. Please request an IARPC Collaborations account and join our next Observations Community of Practice meeting, or reach out via email with any questions, comments, or to connect further. 

US AON Staff

Headshot of Sandy Starkweather

Sandy Starkweather

Executive Director

sandy.starkweather@noaa.gov

Sandy Starkweather is the Executive Director for the US Arctic Observing Network. With a joint background in engineering (energy systems, renewables, conservation), earth science (Arctic climatology) and science policy, Sandy has worked in a consulting engineering capacity, university research, project management and planning. During this time, she spent twelve years traveling to/from Greenland to either participate in or support Arctic field research. Sandy has combined her experiences to advance coordination among independently funded, flagship Arctic observatories for the IASOA consortium and to advance the implementation of the U.S. Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee's (IARPC) Five Year Plan for Arctic Research. She maintains a strong interest in improving the effectiveness of the Arctic research enterprise, particularly in situ observational research, through building stronger collaborations among all parties (stakeholders) who benefit from sustained Arctic observing.
A headshot of Hazel Shapiro

Hazel Shapiro

Program Analyst

hazel@iarpccollaborations.org

Hazel Shapiro joined the US AON team in 2020. She coordinates and manages projects through US AON and supports the Interagency Arctic Research Policy Committee (IARPC) secretariat. She has a degree in Earth Sciences from Dartmouth College where she studied regional weather patterns in Denali, AK. Since then, she has worked in a variety of roles in the conservation sector, often focused on collaborative project management. Hazel lives on the unceded land of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and NĂșu-agha-tuvu-pu (Ute) people (Denver, CO). She received her MBA from CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business in 2022.

Additional support

Interns: Taylor Rijos (2024), Ryan Witten (2024)

Expert Committee on Methods:  Andy Barrett, Bill Manley, Cindy Garcia-Eidell, Jason Gallo, Kaare Erickson, Karen Boniface, Margaret Rudolf, Natasha Haycock-Chavez, Sara Morris, Susa Gartler, Talia Wells, Vanessa Raymond, Emily Sylak-Glassman. This list includes current and previous members.

US AON Board

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) logo

Thorsten Markus

(chair)

Cindy Schmidt

National Science Foundation logo

Roberto Delgado

(co-chair)

Lauren Culler

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) logo

David Allen

(co-chair)

Department of the Interior logo

Dee Williams

Jim Lawler

Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) logo

Larry Hinzman

Department of Energy (DOE) logo

Sally McFarlane

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) logo

Brian Melzian

Department of State (DOS) logo

Nathan Sheridan

Department of Defense (DOD) logo

Scott Harper

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) logo

Chad Stovall

Smithsonian Institute logo

Igor Krupnik