Observers

Brian Clark – Brian returns to the Observatory as an Outreach Observer after receiving his B.S. in Meteorology with an option in Communications and Forecasting from Pennsylvania State University. Brian was an intern on the summit from January until May in 2006. Needless to say, he is very excited to be back working on Mount Washington!

Brian grew up in the small town of Milesburg, Pennsylvania, just north of State College and Penn State. Brian blames his passion for weather on his father, who is an expert senior forecaster and forensic meteorologist for AccuWeather, Inc. While growing up, Brian was constantly exposed to the weather through his father, and when it was time to decide to what to major in at Penn State the decision was easy.

Brian has several other activities that he is extremely passionate about. He has been an avid skier since age 4 and has been a PSIA certified ski instructor since 2000. He also spent several years as a volunteer high school varsity soccer coach and plays the sport himself as often as possible.

Learn more about Mount Washington's weather and the work of the Observatory on Brian's Mount Washington Blog at AccuWeather.com

Mike Finnegan – Mike was born a young boy. He grew up in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont where he spent his days building forts either in the woods or in the hay loft. Many of these forts still exist (in various states) today and have been rediscovered by his nephew, Josh, who is now making them his own. The passing of tradition is a very good feeling.

Eventually Mike traveled south to the big city of Burlington, VT where he studied computer science and made some great friends at UVM. Upon graduation, he left to work for the Green Mountain Club as a caretaker and summit steward of Mount Abraham for the summer. Fall led him to work in the Whites for the RMC followed by a winter internship at the Observatory. He returned to Vermont for a time, working for The Outdoor Gear Exchange as a web developer before returning to the observatory as an IT Observer.

Now at the Obs, he is excited to learn more about the various technologies used here, while using his skills to further the mission of the organization. When not on the summit, he can be found snowboarding, playing his harmonica, or hanging with friends in Vermont.

Stacey Kawecki is a New Jersey native and a recent graduate of the Rutgers University Meteorology program. After seeing the (in)famous movie Twister, at the tender age of eleven years old, she became intensely interested in severe weather. This included thunderstorms, hurricanes and, of course, tornadoes. Apparently, this fascination with severe and extreme weather stuck with her, because now she is an Educational Outreach Observer on top of a mountain that boasts the most extreme weather in the world.

Being from New Jersey, Stacey has a solid appreciation for anything beach related, the new and improved Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team, and all Kevin Smith films. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, reading, star-gazing and riding her bike to the grocery store. She now anxiously awaits all the new and exciting challenges that Mount Washington has to offer.

Ryan Knapp moved from winter season intern to full time Observer. Living an alpine lifestyle in the mountains and snow are nothing new for Ryan, as he is originally from the Lake Tahoe region in California. What differs here however are the high winds and much colder temperatures.

Ryan first became interested in weather at an early age when he was part of his local schools ski club and would watch the morning weather reports to tell others about the day's weather. Throughout high school, he would give weather reports to fellow students and ski clubbers. After taking a high school career test, meteorology was listed as being a possible career. From this suggestion, he attended and graduated in summer of 2004 with a BS in Meteorology from San Jose State University located in San Jose, California. For the past three years, he was a weather observer for San Jose International Airport (KSJC).

Ryan enjoys backpacking, skiboarding, aggressive inline skating, traveling, video games, and movies. He comes to the summit for the unique weather and to explore and study in the worst weather in the world.

Kyle Paddleford returns to the summit as an observer a little over a year after completing an observatory internship. Kyle grew up in Bow, New Hampshire and became familiar with the White Mountains and the Presidential range at a young age while hiking and skiing with his family. He remembers having a love for weather as a young child, often staying up late to watch the snow fall while his parents thought he was sleeping.

His love for skiing, mountains, and weather led Kyle out west to Salt Lake City where he obtained a bachelors degree in meteorology from the University of Utah. After college he decided to take a few years off and play in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah where he developed a passion for backcountry skiing and snow science. He said he would never move away unless given a good opportunity, and becoming a weather observer on the summit of Mount Washington was exactly what he had in mind.

In his spare time Kyle enjoys skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and doing just about anything outside. When forced to stay inside he likes to play video games, read books, and hang out with his friends and family. Kyle is looking forward to getting reacquainted with New Hampshire and all is has to offer, but is most looking forward to going to the beach after being landlocked out west for so many years!

Steven Welsh was born and raised in Sunderland, a large industrial town, in the North East of England. After receiving a degree in Applied Physics, from Durham University, he took up a post with the British Antarctic Survey and spent two years at Faraday Base. Job role involved looking after the IT infrastructure, performing ozone measurements and meteorological observations. On returning to the UK he gained a Master's in Electronics Manufacturing before entering the printed circuit board industry as a system engineer.

In 1997 relocated to Mountain View, California then in 2001 drove across the US, via Yosemite, Gran Tetons, Yellowstone and so on, to take up a new employment opportunity in New Hampshire. Steve has traveled widely in Europe, South America and the United States. He is a keen birdwatcher and enjoys hiking, camping and spending time with wife Suzan and son Michael.

Marty is most recent in a long line of resident felines on the summit and the only permanent occupant atop Mount Washington. In his early years, Marty lost his home to a fire and was then taken in by the Conway Humane Society. In January of 2008, Marty was the top cat in the first ever Observatory Mascot Primary and was donated to the Observatory by the Humane Society. He was quickly regarded as a good fit for the mountain because of his adventurous attitude and black coat, which makes him harder to lose in the snow. As a curious cat, Marty enjoys exploring his massive new home of the Sherman Adams Building and romping around with the observers. While not on the clock, he enjoys stalking the water cooler, chasing bouncy balls, napping in odd positions, and being brushed by summit staff.