OUtstanding Alumni: Dr. Bill Burnett

Congratulations to Dr. Bill Burnett, who has just been named to Navy Command's Top Civilian Post!

Dr. Bill Burnett -- note the OU tie!

Dr. Bill Burnett, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, has joined the Stennis Space Center, Miss.-based Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command (NMOC) as the Deputy Commander and Technical Director, the command’s top civilian.

As the Deputy/Technical Director, Dr. Burnett will serve as the primary technical contact to the command with responsibility for managing, planning and directing all phases of the Naval Oceanography program.

Prior to joining NMOC, he served as the Branch Chief with the National Buoy Data Center (NDBC), also located at Stennis.

Dr. Burnett’s new position is actually a reunion. He worked in different NMOC commands, capacities and jobs, beginning in 1988 when he joined the Stennis-based Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) as a meteorologist at the Operational Oceanography Center. NAVOCEANO is NMOC’s largest subordinate command. Dr. Burnett also worked at the Naval European Meteorology and Oceanography Center in Rota, Spain, and on the NMOC headquarters staff. His last stop at NMOC before moving to NDBC was the Plans and Programs Division Head on the headquarters staff.

During his time with NDBC, Dr. Burnett served on the International Tsunami Commission and as the U.S. National Representative to the World Meteorological Organization’s Data Buoy Cooperation Panel. He also supervised the International OceanSITES Global Data Assembly Center and implemented the world’s first Regional Marine Instrumentation Center.

Dr. Burnett earned a Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology at the University of Oklahoma in 1988. He earned Ph.D. and master’s degrees in marine science from the University of Southern Mississippi.

He began his career in 1985 as a physical science aide and storm chaser with the Storm Electricity Group at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman.

The Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command directs the Navy’s meteorology and oceanography programs, operates  the Navy’s atomic clock for precise time and tracks the positions of the stars for navigation. The command is comprised of approximately 2,500 officer, enlisted and civilian personnel stationed around the world. Naval Oceanography enables the safety, speed and operational effectiveness of the fleet by identifying the risks and opportunities for naval and joint forces posed by the present and future natural environment. 

Way to go on this monumental accomplishment!  We're proud to call you a Sooner!