Our Team

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.

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 Núu-agha-tuvu-pu (Ute) people (Denver, CO). She received her MBA from CU Boulder's Leeds School of Business in 2022.