Full Name
Stephen Bieda
Job Title
Acting Deputy Director
Company
NOAA
Speaker Bio
Dr. Stephen Bieda serves as the NOAA Center for Artificial Intelligence (NCAI) Acting Deputy Director, where he is responsible for the day-to-day execution and strategic vision for AI proliferation and scientific advancement across NOAA. He directly oversees the implementation of NOAA's AI Strategic Plan, fosters the internal AI community of practice, and manages critical international, academic, and industry partnerships.
Dr. Bieda is on detail to NCAI from the National Weather Service (NWS), where he served as the Chief of the Severe, Fire, Public, and Winter Weather Services Branch. A trusted advisor to senior leaders, including the White House and Congress, he successfully secured multi-million-dollar investments for warning infrastructure modernization and enhanced interagency coordination. He led national initiatives on wildfire risk mitigation, severe weather resilience, and extreme heat understanding, driving significant advancements in national service delivery programs.
His nearly 20 year career includes extensive executive experience at the intersection of science and technology policy. As the NWS National Science & Operations Officer, he was the agency's principal expert on meteorology, hydrology, and climatology, overseeing a workforce of 141 technical leaders. He was a major contributor to the NWS Transformation Roadmap, directing major Research-to-Operations (R2O) initiatives and integrating strategic priorities such as cloud computing, AI/ML, and probabilistic forecasting. Furthermore, during a temporary detail at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP), he advised the Deputy Director and NOAA Administrator, guiding strategic initiatives for 31 federal agencies and strengthening U.S. meteorological leadership.
Dr. Bieda holds a Ph.D. in Arid Land Resource Sciences, an M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences, and a B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences, all from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.
Dr. Bieda is on detail to NCAI from the National Weather Service (NWS), where he served as the Chief of the Severe, Fire, Public, and Winter Weather Services Branch. A trusted advisor to senior leaders, including the White House and Congress, he successfully secured multi-million-dollar investments for warning infrastructure modernization and enhanced interagency coordination. He led national initiatives on wildfire risk mitigation, severe weather resilience, and extreme heat understanding, driving significant advancements in national service delivery programs.
His nearly 20 year career includes extensive executive experience at the intersection of science and technology policy. As the NWS National Science & Operations Officer, he was the agency's principal expert on meteorology, hydrology, and climatology, overseeing a workforce of 141 technical leaders. He was a major contributor to the NWS Transformation Roadmap, directing major Research-to-Operations (R2O) initiatives and integrating strategic priorities such as cloud computing, AI/ML, and probabilistic forecasting. Furthermore, during a temporary detail at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP), he advised the Deputy Director and NOAA Administrator, guiding strategic initiatives for 31 federal agencies and strengthening U.S. meteorological leadership.
Dr. Bieda holds a Ph.D. in Arid Land Resource Sciences, an M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences, and a B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences, all from the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.
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