National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Unsettled in New England and the Southwest; Mild Across the Plains and Rockies

Unsettled weather, including periods of locally heavy rainfall, is expected to persist across portions of New England and the Southwest U.S. through much of the weekend. Elsewhere, mainly tranquil conditions are forecast. Well above normal temperatures are likely across parts of the northern and central Plains into the northern Rockies. Read More >

National Division

Office of The Chief Financial Officer

Weather.gov >

Who We Are:

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer (OCFO/OCAO) is the office responsible for leading NWS-wide resource planning, management, and execution.  The OCFO/OCAO also establishes budget and program controls to help support the effective implementation of the NWS mission and its strategic alternatives. 

What We Do:

In order to enable the CFO/CAO to manage the human, financial, and property resources of the portfolios, offices, and regions that comprise the NWS, responsibilities are designated according to function.  As a result, the OCFO/OCAO Program Analysts specialize in one of two fields: Budget Formulation & Execution or Management & Organization.


Budget Formulation and Execution Division:

The Budget Formulation & Execution team of the OCFO/OCAO specializes in financial planning, internal controls, and property management.  The team is responsible for ensuring that the organization has access to resources and guidance needed to properly forecast and disseminate weather information, especially during weather-related emergencies.  To help the NWS achieve its mission to provide weather, water, and climate data, forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy, the Budget Formulation & Execution team:   

  • Formulates, monitors, and executes the NWS Annual Budget
  • Manages the NWS database for financial reporting
  • Allocates and provides accounting resources to support the Portfolios, Offices, and Regions
  • Develops and implements a program for internal audits and controls, business process improvement, and issuing federal compliance guidance
  • Maintains monitoring and reporting NWS Property Accountability

Management and Organization Division:

The Management & Organization team of the OCFO/OCAO specializes in labor relations management, human capital planning, career framework development, and administrative policy.  The team is responsible for ensuring that the organization maintains proper staffing levels and for developing strategies for effective workforce management.  The NWS mission can only be fulfilled with supported employees who have access to adequate training.  In order to help achieve this goal, the Management & Organization team:

  • Develops administrative policies
  • Manages NWS’s workforce management policy and activities
  • Coordinates national level labor-management relations within the NWS
  • Acts as liaison to the General Accounting Office, Office of the Inspector General, and other investigative services
  • Manages Awards and Recognition program
  • Monitors NWS Human Resources software, including timekeeping, benefits, and travel reimbursement platforms

For a comprehensive list of the responsibilities that the NWS OCFO/OCAO manages, click here.

Our Directors:


John Potts
Office of the Chief
Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer
 

John Potts has 26 years of budgeting and financial management experience in NOAA. He first came to the National Weather Service in 1990 as a budget analyst and eventually became the Deputy Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of NWS. In 2008, John took an opportunity as Acting CFO of the National Oceans Service (NOS), eventually becoming CFO of the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO). He returned to NWS in 2013 as CFO/CAO. Since then, John has established new internal controls, improved financial management and acquisition planning, and played a key role in justifying and implementing the NWS Budget Restructuring and Headquarters Reorganization efforts.

John holds a bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania., and received his master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University with a concentration in finance. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife and three teenage children.


Mathew Grow
Deputy Chief Financial Officer/Deputy Chief Administrative Officer
 

Mathew Grow came to the NWS OCFO/OCAO from the NOAA Finance Office, where he was the Director of the Financial Systems Division (FSD). He has over 20 years of Federal financial management, systems implementations, and operations and maintenance experience.  He started his career as a consultant supporting DOC, NOAA, and National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the migration of multiple Commerce agencies from their legacy financial systems onto the Commerce Business System (CBS).  In 2008, he joined the NOAA Finance Office, where he led the effort to consolidate five offices to two. 

In 2009, Mathew became the Director of FSD, overseeing the support and maintenance of NOAA’s CBS environment and representing NOAA as the CBS program manager in interactions with DOC leadership.  He also supported DOC leadership as they began to  plan and prepare for the future modernization of CBS and other DOC administrative systems. Mathew also spent time at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) improving their financial and administrative systems planning and execution.

For general inquiries about NWS OCFO/OCAO, please contact: nws.ocfo.ocao@noaa.gov

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