Mark Svoboda

Mark Svoboda, a geographer and climatologist by training, has been with the National Drought Mitigation Centersince 1995. He oversees the center’s staff and mission focused on drought risk management, monitoring and early warning, research, and outreach activities. He co-founded the creation and development of the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) in 1999 and serves as one of the principal authors of both the weekly USDM and monthly North American Drought Monitor products. Svobodais heavily involved with drought monitoring/early warning, assessment and prediction committees at state, regional and national levels. He is currently a member of the World Meteorological Organization/Global Water Partnership Integrated Drought Management Programme’s Advisory Panel and also serves on the NIDIS Executive Council. Mark was recently selected to serve as a member of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification’s (UNCCD) Science Policy Interface (SPI) team. He was also recently appointed to serve as a drought preparedness working group co-leader for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG). 

Svoboda earned a doctorate in natural resources with a human dimensions specialization, a master’s degree in geography with a specialization in remote sensing, climatology and GIS and a bachelor’s degree in geography specializing in climatology, all from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.