NSSL Hydrometeorologist Suzanne VanCooten was invited as a panelist to the 2008 Dynamic Chickasaw Women Forum. The Chickasaw Nation, along with East Central University, hosted the event in Ada, Oklahoma recently. Other panelists this year included a Chickasaw legislator, an award-winning author, and an educator.

Dr. Suzanne Van Cooten, a member of the Chickasaw tribe based in Oklahoma, has worked as a forecaster, researcher and national program manager for NOAA for more than 17 years. She is currently on a two-year personnel assignment from NOAA to the University of Oklahoma leading the Sea Grant extension program. In this capacity, she works with federal, state, tribal, and academic partners to develop sustainable water management applications using weather prediction tools produced at the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and other National Weather Center partners.

Background: This annual event salutes the valuable contributions, skills and talents of dynamic Chickasaw women, through a candid question-and-answer format on topics related to the Chickasaw experience and the panelists’ personal endeavors.