Pittsburgh, PA – Prominently featured in The Inner Circle, Amber J. Liggett is acknowledged as a Pinnacle Professional Member Inner Circle of Excellence for her contributions to Leading Science Communication and Emergency Management at NOAA.
Amber J. Liggett is making a profound impact in science communication and emergency management through her role at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As a communications analyst with Groundswell, a federal contracting company, she has been instrumental in branding and enhancing climate literacy at NOAA’s Climate Program Office (CPO) since 2022. Her expertise spans strategic, internal, and external communications, as well as engagement with NOAA leadership, staff, and partners. She specializes in public relations, crafting impactful stories, and developing briefing and brand materials to support CPO leadership in engaging with Congress and policymakers to advance NOAA’s mission.
Ms. Liggett holds a Bachelor of Science in meteorology with a minor in mathematics and a Master of Science in emergency management from Millersville University. She has been an active member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) since high school and contributes to the AMS Weather Band. She also serves as the IAEM-USA Region 3 Secretary and Treasurer for the International Association of Emergency Managers and is entering her seventh year on the AMS Committee on Emergency Management. Her extensive contributions also include past leadership roles with the National Weather Association.
Beyond her NOAA work, Ms. Liggett is the founder and CEO of Amber’s Amazing Animal Balloons, an internationally award-winning business. Now in her twentieth year in business, her entrepreneurial success was recognized when she received the Black Enterprise Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2012 and was named a Young Futurist by The Washington Post in 2013. As a meteorologist and balloon artist, she integrates the arts into STEM (STEAM) by using balloon creations to illustrate weather phenomena and instruments at outreach events.
Her career spans diverse experiences, including serving as a Public Information Officer for the Pennsylvania Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic and working as a broadcast meteorologist for ABC27 WHTM-TV. She has also contributed to academia as an instructor at the University of Pittsburgh, where she taught foundational earth sciences.
Ms. Liggett’s achievements have been widely recognized. She was part of the NOAA Federal team that received the U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Medal Award in 2023 for pioneering equitable resilience solutions to heat health risks. Additionally, she was honored in 2024 as a Marquis Who’s Who in America Top Professional of the Year for her expertise in science communication and public affairs and was awarded the Marquis Who’s Who in America Distinguished Worldwide Humanitarian Award.
Looking ahead, Ms. Liggett aspires to bridge communication gaps between weather experts, emergency managers, policymakers, and the public. She is dedicated to enhancing community risk perception, delivering actionable hazard safety messaging, and promoting STEAM, earth system science, and disaster preparedness through innovative outreach. Through her ongoing work, Ms. Liggett continues to elevate public understanding of weather, climate, and natural hazard preparedness.
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