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Colonel
Jennifer C. Alexander
Permanent Professor 2014–
B.S., University of Arizona
M.S., Texas A&M University
Ph.D., University of Utah
Jen Alexander, the Academy’s 91st Permanent Professor, was born in Augsburg, West Germany, in 1970. She attended the University of Arizona on a four-year AFROTC scholarship, graduating in 1992 with a Bachelor’s degree in Atmospheric Science and an Air Force commission. Her first assignment was as a Wing Weather Officer, 410th Bomb Wing, K.I. Sawyer AFB, MI, 1992–1994. She was next sent to Texas A&M, where she was awarded her Master’s degree in Meteorology in 1996. Following school, Jen was assigned to the Air Force Weather Agency, Offutt AFB, NE, as Programmer and Lead Analyst, Numerical Weather Models Team, where she was part of a team that increased the resolution of the Air Force’s operational weather model 100-fold. From 1998 to 2001 she was the Weather Flight Commander, 21st Air Support Operations Squadron, providing weather support for US Army aviation operations at Fort Polk, LA. She spent the subsequent three years at the University of Utah, receiving her PhD in Meteorology in 2004. Jen then returned to Offutt for a series of assignments at the Air Force Weather Agency. As Chief, Warfighter Support Development Team, she improved operational forecasting of turbulence and icing. As Chief, Training Requirements Branch, and then Chief, Training Division, she was responsible for all non-resident training requirements for Air Force weather officers and enlisted personnel. As Director of Operations, 2nd Weather Squadron, 2007–2008, she oversaw weather operations supporting space, satellite support, Special Operations Forces, and National Intelligence Community operators. Her next assignment was to Patrick AFB, FL, as Director of Operations, 45th Weather Squadron, where she led forecast support to the Space Shuttle and Atlas and Delta rockets. From 2009 to 2011 she was the Commander, 368th Recruiting Squadron at Hill AFB, UT, a 500,000-square-mile zone with 100 recruiters. In 2011 she brought her expertise to the Academy faculty as Assistant Professor and Director of Meteorology, Department of Economics and Geosciences. In 2012 Jen was selected as Director, Commander’s Action Group, Dean of the Faculty, where she served for a year before taking a deployment to Kabul, Afghanistan, as Joint Command Chief Meteorological Officer with the International Security Assistance Force. Returning to the Academy at the end of 2013, she was the Dean of the Faculty’s Director of Staff for over 700 faculty members. In 2014 she was selected as the Permanent Professor and Head, Department of Economics and Geosciences, the first meteorologist to be selected for this position. Jen is a strong supporter of the American Meteorological Society, having served on its Council and Executive Committee, and five sub-committees. Her department’s Economics major is the scientific study of decision-making, analyzing tradeoffs to recommend optimal decisions, and making predictions about behavior. It allows cadets to focus on business, finance, international economics, public policy, or quantitative economics. The Meteorology major uniquely focuses on the impact of weather on military operations. The Geospatial Science major provides excellent international insight and cultural understanding of the battle space.