2017 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award: Tobi Baker

The 2017 winner of the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, Maj. Tobi Baker, has truly distinguished himself during the first part of his career.

Baker graduated from NC State in 2001 with bachelor’s degrees in meteorology and environmental science. Two years later, he joined the U.S. Air Force and embarked on an extraordinary career chasing some of the biggest and most dangerous storms of the 21st century. Now based at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, Baker is an aerial reconnaissance weather officer who contributes to the organization and training of technicians and reservists who make up the one-of-a-kind organization known as the Hurricane Hunters. The squadron is the only operational unit in the world flying weather reconnaissance on a routine basis, flying directly into the core of tropical cyclones to gather data critical for forecasting a storm’s intensity and landfall.

Throughout his career, Baker has logged more than 2,100 flight hours and made no fewer than 120 hurricane eye penetrations. His work has been recognized with numerous military honors, including the Meritorious Service Medal, the Aerial Achievement Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.