NOAA / ESRL / Global Systems Division

About the (Acting) Director

[Photo of John Schneider]

John P. Schneider

Global Systems Division
NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory
Boulder, CO 80305-3328
Phone: 303-497-4646
Email: John.P.Schneider@noaa.gov

Mr. Schneider became acting Director of the Global Systems Division in April of 2011. Mr. Schneider began with NOAA as the Deputy Director for the Global Systems Division (then Forecast System Laboratory) in 2004.  Since 2008 Mr. Schneider has been the Deputy Director of the Earth System Research Laboratory.  In that role, Mr. Schneider led efforts to expand NOAA's role in renewable energy weather forecasting, added a group to lead NOAA's efforts within the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) and associated projects, negotiated a regulatory settlement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and led efforts regarding numerous leadership and management challenges. 

Prior to his time with NOAA, Mr. Schneider was a lead Federal executive for a $4B contract to close the DOE’s Rocky Flats nuclear weapons production facility south of Boulder.  In that role Mr. Schneider led efforts to successfully dispose of tons of weapons grade plutonium, the disposal of 250,000 cubic meters of radioactive waste, and the cleanup and demolition of over 800 facilities, while developing a wide array of oversight, reporting and tracking methods to evaluate and document project performance and progress.  The $10B dollar, ten year closure plan that John helped develop for this project in the mid-90s completely rethought and compressed the former plans timeline which called for a 65 year $37B closure.  This new plan was formally given a 1% chance of success by the General Accounting Office.  Despite this GAO prediction of failure the closure project was complete in 7 years for $6.5B dollars with the unusual feature of being large scale Government contract finished ahead of schedule and under budget. Prior to his time with DOE Mr. Schneider developed innovative defensive systems, smoke and obscurants for the US Military as a civilian equipment designer for the US Army and was a contract auditor for the Department of Defense. Mr. Schneider holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin.