Biography
Ada Monzón
Chief Meteorologist
WAPA TV, WKAQ 580 am, Noticel
Founder and President, Board of Directors
EcoExploratorio, Inc.
Museo de Ciencias de Puerto Rico
monzonada@gmail.com
Committee term end date: December 31, 2026
Ada Monzón is the first female professional meteorologist from Puerto Rico. Currently, she is WAPA-TV Chief Meteorologist for Noticentro al Amanecer, Univision Radio (WKAQ 580 am) and Noticel digital platform. She is also the Founder and President of the Board of Directors of EcoExploratorio: Science Museum of Puerto Rico, a 501c3 non-profit community-based organization that inspires to protect our natural world, increase resilience and educate about the universe. After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, with a Physics concentration at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus, and a Master’s degree in Meteorology at Florida State University, Ada Monzón joined the U.S. National Weather Service Forecast Office in San Juan, where she became a Forecaster and the Warning and Preparedness Meteorologist. From 2003 to 2014, she was the Chief Meteorologist of Univision P. R. (WLII-TV), and until 2019, she was the Commonwealth’s Chief Meteorologist. Ada is the first and only female American Meteorological Society (AMS) Fellow and Certified Broadcast Meteorologist. She is also a board member of the Caribbean Regional Association for Coastal Ocean Observing Systems, an affiliate member of the PR NASA Space Grant Consortium, and member of the American Alliance of Museums, National Science Teacher Association and American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is one of five experts of the Governor’s first Climate Change Commission of Puerto Rico. She is a professional speaker and producer of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education programs and disaster mitigation educational campaigns and is widely recognized for her successful social media networks with over 1,700,000 combined followers. Her standout service and commitment during 2017 provided invaluable reassurance as the commonwealth prepared for the most devastating disaster in the island's modern history. She closely followed Irma as it passed through the Caribbean and then brought not only essential weather information, but helped the population prepare and remain calm throughout Hurricane Maria—one of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters on record. Ada is a strong advocate of space education and hurricane preparedness and mitigation, and has dedicated her 31-year career to forecasting, public education, awareness, and safety. She is a Principal Investigator for the NASA Teams II Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions grant. She is proud to be a Solar System Ambassador and a NASA Social Alumni. She was the most-searched person of the year, according to Google's 2017 Year in Search data for Puerto Rico, the 2018 National Weatherperson of the Year, and the 2019 American Meteorological Society Award for Broadcast Meteorology. Among her awards are: The AMS Joanne Simpson Mentorship Award, The Silver Medal of the US Department of Commerce, Distinguished Alumni of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Puerto Rico, STAR Award-Univision Television Group, the AMS Award for Excellence in Science Reporting by a Broadcast Meteorologist, and most recently, the “SorIsolina Ferre” Award for Community Service and Education. Ada is widely recognized for her tireless efforts in protecting as many people as possible from one of the deadliest storms in history and the current earthquake sequence in southwest Puerto Rico.