Minutes Matter When Lives Are on the Line

Tyler Knowlton joined the Plume Labs team in 2017 to lead the company’s strategic communications and community engagement efforts. He has over 15 years of experience in public relations, communications, and policy development. Since launching AccuWeather's Climate Impact Program last year he has been connecting journalists, academics, and community groups with the data they need to protect the planet from two of its greatest threats: climate action failure and extreme weather.

Geoff Cornish is a trusted global weather expert at AccuWeather, sharing the most accurate, reliable weather information and updates on the AccuWeather Network as an On-Air Meteorologist.

Geoff is responsible for analyzing global weather patterns. He identifies potential problems before severe weather strikes and delivers forecasts that help ensure the safety of property and people.

An American Meteorological Society Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, Geoff has over a decade of broadcast meteorology experience.  He has spent much of his career in the Central U.S., becoming a tornado and winter weather expert.  As Chief Meteorologist at WICU in Erie, Pennsylvania, Geoff was responsible for leading the team of meteorologists and delivering the weekday evening weather forecasts.  During his tenure at WTVG in Toledo, OH, Geoff was part of an award-winning weekend news team, which covered extreme weather, including highly destructive tornados.  While at WTVQ in Lexington, KY, Geoff helped viewers stay ahead of a crippling midwinter ice storm and provided warning as deadly tornados tore through eastern Kentucky on March 2, 2012.  Geoff earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from Pennsylvania State University.

In his spare time, Geoff stays busy outside, where he enjoys mountain biking, hiking and kayaking.  He also enjoys spending time with his wife and children and traveling to new places with them.  An active member in his local community, Geoff has been a volunteer firefighter for a decade.

Geoff is committed to delivering the highest impact forecasts with Superior Accuracy on the AccuWeather Network and across digital platforms.

Luke Anderson is the Manager of Emergency Preparedness at Northeast Georgia Health System, which consists of 5 hospitals, spread throughout Northeast Georgia. Additionally, since NGMC-Gainesville is the Regional Coordinating Hospital, he’s also the Georgia Region B Healthcare Coalition Coordinator that covers 10 counties and 8-hospitals.

Prior to his current role, he was an emergency management evaluator for the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) in Atlanta where he trained, mentored, evaluated emergency managers throughout the world at commercial nuclear power stations. Additionally, Luke was responsible for leading and managing the INPO Industry Response Center in order to coordinate resources and expertise during a commercial nuclear emergency in north America and abroad.

Prior to INPO, Luke was the Manager of Emergency Preparedness for Xcel Energy in MN and DTE Energy in MI at the Monticello, Prairie Island and Enrico Fermi Nuclear Power Plants.Prior to nuclear power emergency management, Luke worked for Homeland Security & Emergency Management where he was the radiological emergency planner in Minnesota.

Prior to state emergency management, Luke began his career with local emergency management as public health emergency preparedness coordinator in west central MN while splitting his timeas the Asst. Emergency Manager for Pope County (MN). Concurrently, Luke was an EMT for Glacial Ridge Health System in Glenwood, MN for nearly 7-yrs.

Luke has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and received his Emergency Management certification via the state of MN, Dept. of Public Safety in 2008.

Luke resides in north Hall County (Gainesville, GA) and enjoys the peacefulness between Lake Lanier and the foothills to the Smokey Mountains. In his spare time, he enjoys working out, yardwork, his garage and fast cars.

As the system emergency manager for Novant Health in the mid-Atlantic and south, Matthew Merritt supports preparedness to a mix of hazards facing healthcare including weather events such as hurricanes and tornadoes to snow and ice. Matthew’s career has spanned 30+ years in several disciplines: EMS, fire, nursing, trauma program management, and various disaster response teams at the state and federal level. Matthew has a particular passion for the art and science of hazard communication.