CAFNR Connections Mentor

CAFNR Connections

Meet our Mentors

For Students

For Alumni

Publications

Dec. 2007: Vol. 2, No. 3
June 2007: Vol. 2, No. 2
April 2007: Vol. 2, No. 1
Dec. 2006: Vol. 1, No. 4
Aug. 2006: Vol. 1, No. 3
June 2006: Vol. 1, No. 2
Feb. 2006: Vol. 1, No. 1

Laura Furgione

By Sara Muri, AgJ '07

Laura (Eikermann) Furgione has a way of achieving goals. In third grade, she declared she was going to attend the University of Missouri, and 12 years later she enrolled at MU. In college, she aimed for a job with the National Weather Service, and today Furgione is the NWS Alaska Region director, one of only six regional directors nationwide.

Stationed in Anchorage, her region includes 20 offices throughout the state and all of the surrounding waters, from Canada west to Russia and north to the North Pole.

Of course, her life hasn't been a straight checklist. A graduate of Bourbon, Mo., High School, Furgione had early aspirations to study math. However, after talking with the personnel in the CAFNR Career Services Office, she went in a new direction.

"I fell in love with meteorology," Furgione says. "I was one of those unique individuals that never changed majors."

Furgione worked her way through college as an usher for MU Athletics, in the CAFNR Dean's Office and at a small national weather office at the Columbia Regional Airport.

A summer internship between her junior and senior years gave her insight for her future career path. "I worked as a summer hire for the NWS station in Honolulu," Furgione says. "It allowed me to gain insight on how to get a position with the National Weather Service."

She applied for a full-time NWS position in September 1992 and had a job offer by March 1993, two months before she graduated with an atmospheric science degree. "My situation made finals a lot less stressful," Furgione says.

Her first position as a meteorological intern stationed her in Kodiak, Alaska. "I didn't limit myself geographically," she says, although she always assumed she would end up in the Springfield or St. Louis offices. "My main goal was to get my foot in the door." Furgione was excited about her position, but she says it was difficult to persuade her parents it was OK for her to depart for Alaska fresh out of college.

After arriving in Alaska, Furgione realized her educational limitations. "Coming from a landlocked state, I didn't know anything about the ocean," she says. To combat this, she joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary, a volunteer version of the U.S. Coast Guard. Her knowledge grew quickly during her year in Kodiak and she also met her husband, Tim.

Following another internship at the NWS office in Fairbanks, Furgione accepted a position as aviation meteorologist at the Alaska Aviation Weather Unit in Anchorage, where she stayed for three years.

Furgione's next position plucked her out of Alaska and sent her to Morehead City, N.C., as the warning coordination meteorologist. "I really think that is one of the most exciting positions in the National Weather Service," Furgione says. Her major duties involved briefing emergency managers about potential hurricanes and helping them determine when to evacuate people.

"During my first summer, we had three major hurricanes – Dennis, Floyd and Irene." Despite the intense working environment, she says the position was one of her favorites. "I really felt like I had more of a grassroots connection to the public."

After 15 months in North Carolina, Furgione and her husband returned to Alaska as the meteorologist in charge of the NWS Juneau Weather Forecast Office. While in this position, she began her master's program in public administration at the University of Alaska-Southeast, which she completed in 2004.

In August 2002, Furgione moved to Anchorage to become the deputy regional director, and two years later, she became director. The mother of twins, Furgione's duties includes strategic planning, managing the budget and handling operational responsibilities.

Furgione's decision to become a CAFNR Connections mentor is rooted to her very positive, personal and rewarding college experience. As a student, she served as the Atmospheric Science representative to the CAFNR Student Council and eventually became Council president. She also chaired the Earth Day Steering Committee and was a member of the Meteorology Club.

Grant Darkow, professor emeritus in physical and dynamic meteorology, remembers Furgione's excellent ability to interact with others. "The other students in the college recognized her abilities and looked to her for leadership," he says. "She was a good, level-headed young lady who has done very well in her chosen profession."

Furgione's busy college schedule proved to have many benefits. "You never know what skills you will learn," Furgione says. But, her intense involvement did have a few drawbacks. She says, "My activities kept me so busy that whenever my coworkers at the Columbia NWS were chasing tornadoes, I couldn't go."

Furgione says when she was going through school, she often felt she was the only meteorology student who was involved. "There wasn't really anyone to provide advice for jobs to meteorology students." As a result, Furgione decided to become a mentor for CAFNR.

Her advice to current students is to really get involved, especially in outreach programs, build relationships and network. In addition, she says, "You should also take numerous verbal and written communication courses."

Someone who knows Furgione's advice is noteworthy is Jan Dauve, MU agricultural economics professor. "When Laura was a student, she set goals and strived to find what she wanted out of life rather than waiting for it to happen to her," Dauve says. "More students would get more out of college with an attitude like Laura had." He says it was Furgione's practicality, good work ethic and willingness to think broadly about issues that set her apart from her peers.

Furgione enjoys the challenges of her job along with its satisfaction. "My job affects the global economy through transportation and the many other industries that depend on the weather," she says. "And, in the end, it helps save lives."