WASHINGTON (5 September 2018) – Today, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation voted unanimously to approve Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier as the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). IEEE-USA urges the full Senate to approve Dr. Droegemeier’s nomination in a vote as soon as possible.

Dr. Droegemeier is eminently qualified to be the next director of OSTP. He is a tenured professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma and an internationally recognized expert in extreme weather events. He has already helped set America’s research priorities for over 20 years – as a leader of the National Science Board (including two terms as vice chair) and as director and deputy director at the National Science Foundation’s Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms. Dr. Droegemeier has also served as the Secretary of Science and Technology for the Governor of Oklahoma since 2017.

Nominated by President Donald Trump on 31 July, Dr. Droegemeier’s exceptional qualifications have earned him broad bipartisan support. The Senate panel’s leading Democrat, Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida) said: “I think it’s safe to say that the research community is eager for this committee to quickly confirm the nominee,” after receiving dozens of endorsements for Droegemeier from fellow scientists.

The position of director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy plays a critically important role in setting technology and science policy for the United States. IEEE-USA urges the full Senate to expeditiously approve his nomination.

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Corey Ruth
Media Relations Associate, IEEE-USA Communications
202-530-8327
c.ruth@ieee.org

Russell Harrison
Director, IEEE-USA Government Relations
202-530-8326
r.t.harrison@ieee.org

John Yaglenski
Director, IEEE-USA Communications
j.yaglenski@ieee.org

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