Barry Lee Myers

Barry Lee Myers is an American attorney and businessman who served as chief executive officer and general counsel for AccuWeather, a privately owned for-profit weather-forecasting company founded by his elder brother, Joel Myers.[1] As an AccuWeather executive, Myers lobbied unsuccessfully to restrict or undermine the National Weather Service, a governmental service which provides free weather forecasting and thus competes with AccuWeather's business model.[2]

Barry Myers
Barry Myers in 2017
Personal details
Born
Barry Lee Myers

(1943-07-20) July 20, 1943
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationPennsylvania State University (BS)
Boston University (JD)

In 2017, Myers was nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).[3] Myers's nomination was controversial because he lacked scientific expertise (in contrast to previous NOAA leaders) and because of concern over Myers's financial conflicts of interest.[3][4] In 2018, an investigation by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs found rampant, pervasive, and severe sexual harassment at AccuWeather, and determined that the company, under Myers's leadership, ignored the harassment and retaliated against victims who complained.[5][6] After two years in the nomination process, on November 21, 2019, Myers withdrew his name from consideration due to health concerns.[7]

Background

Myers is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A graduate of Philadelphia's Central High School, he received his B.S. in business administration and economics from Pennsylvania State University in 1967 and his J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1970. Myers served for 18 years on the graduate school faculty of Pennsylvania State University's Smeal College of Business.[8]

Prior to becoming CEO of AccuWeather in September 2007, Myers served as the company's executive vice president and general counsel. Since 1990, Myers has been a member of the board of directors of the American Weather and Climate Industry Association,[9] the weather industry's trade association, serving as the industry's chief federal-relations office. Myers also served as an advisor to the director of the U.S. National Weather Service at the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization Meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2001 and 2008.[10]

Political activities

Myers has donated to the campaigns of Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Mitt Romney.[11] Myers also donated to Rick Santorum's campaigns for U.S. Senate.[11] In 2005, Santorum sponsored a bill entitled the National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005, which failed to pass.[11][12] Myers publicly supported the bill, which would have required the National Weather Service to stop providing weather information to the general public.[11]

On January 6, 2019, it was announced that Myers had departed AccuWeather on January 1 and had sold all his interest in the company to move into a role leading the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under President Trump.[13]

Nomination to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

On October 12, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Myers to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.[14] Myers has said he will liquidate his holdings in the family-owned company.[11] His brothers will remain as the president, chairman of the board, and chief operating officer of AccuWeather.[11] At his confirmation hearing, opponents of his confirmation hearing pointed out that the family connection would still represent a major conflict of interest.[15]

Myers was selected for the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere position by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.[11] Myers's deputies will include Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere Timothy Gallaudet, a Navy Rear Admiral with a doctorate in oceanography, and Assistant Secretary for Environmental Observation and Prediction Neil Jacobs, who was chief atmospheric scientist at the Panasonic Avionics Corporation.[16] If confirmed, Myers will be the second NOAA administrator without a science degree, and the first since Richard A. Frank left office in 1981.[17] The agency employees' labor union opposed Myers nomination, citing his support of the Santorum bill.[11]

His nomination was returned to President Trump by the Senate on January 3, 2018,[18] resubmitted on January 8, 2018, returned on January 3, 2019,[19] and resubmitted on January 16, 2019. The nomination was withdrawn by President Trump on December 2, 2019.[20]

Last Week Tonight, John Oliver's HBO show, produced a segment on Myer's nomination.[21]

References
  1. Leonard, Devin; Sullivan, Brian (June 14, 2018). "Trump's Pick to Lead Weather Agency Spent 30 Years Fighting It". BusinessWeek. Bloomberg.
  2. O'Harrow Jr., Robert (December 12, 2017). "NOAA nominee's financial conflicts, efforts to curb agency's role draw rare criticism from former chiefs". Washington Post.
  3. Voosen, Paul (October 12, 2017). "AccuWeather's Barry Myers nominated to lead NOAA". Science.
  4. Friedman, Lisa (December 13, 2018). "Trump's NOAA Nominee Won't Get Senate Vote This Year". Washington Post.
  5. Brice-Saddler, Michael (April 12, 2019). "Company led by Trump nominee was rife with harassment, including groping and kissing, report says". Washington Post.
  6. Wood, Anthony (April 15, 2019). "Feds allege 'widespread sexual harassment' at AccuWeather while Trump nominee was CEO". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  7. Freedman, Andrew; Samenow, Jason (November 20, 2019). "White House pick to lead NOAA withdraws nomination, citing health concerns". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  8. Newswire / Press Release: AccuWeather Names Barry Lee Myers Chief Executive Officer - Broadcast/TV/Radio - AccuWeather, Inc. | NewswireToday Archived December 18, 2010, at WebCite
  9. Welcome To CWSA Archived June 6, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  10. Dickson, Glen (June 10, 2009). "NOAA Recruits AccuWeather Chief". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  11. Restuccia, Andrew (October 12, 2017). "Trump's pick for NOAA chief causes a storm". Politico. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  12. S. 786 109th Cong. (2005).
  13. "AccuWeather CEO steps down to pursue role in Trump administration". pennlive.com. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  14. Shepardson, David (October 12, 2017). "White House nominates AccuWeather CEO to head climate agency". Reuters. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  15. Lisa Friedman. Trump’s NOAA Nominee Won’t Get Senate Vote This Year. New York Times, December 13, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/climate/senate-noaa-barry-myers.html
  16. Voosen, Paul (October 12, 2017). "AccuWeather's Barry Myers nominated to lead NOAA". Science. doi:10.1126/science.aar1985. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  17. Samenow, Jason (October 12, 2017). "Trump taps AccuWeather CEO to head NOAA, breaking with precedent of nominating scientists". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  18. "PN1099 — Barry Lee Myers — Department of Commerce". U.S. Congress. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  19. "PN1364 — Barry Lee Myers — Department of Commerce". U.S. Congress. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  20. "PN68 — Barry Lee Myers — Department of Commerce". U.S. Congress. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  21. Weather: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO), retrieved October 29, 2019
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