2017 40 Under 40 Honoree: Abby Dyer, 27

With a do-it-yourself attitude, KY3 Inc. meteorologist Abby Dyer was the first at the news station to incorporate virtual reality graphics into weathercasts.  How’d she do it? She taught herself via online tutorials.  The 27-year-old also initiated winter weather special programming in the fall and severe weather special programming in the spring. Popular since their 2011 creation, the segments have continued each year. On top of those innovations, Dyer also is helping educate the next generation of meteorologists. She teaches weather education to thousands of students across the Ozarks through KY3’s Weather School program, the Springfield Cardinal’s Weather School at the Ballpark event and even mentors a Nixa student.

What was your first job? I was a waitress at a 1950s-themed diner called “Cool Cats.”  I can still make a mean sundae.

When did you realize you had grown up? Either when I made my final payment on my student loans or when my husband made me stop buying frozen pizza rolls.

What about your job would shock clients? A lot of people think I use a teleprompter but meteorologists ad-lib everything you see on the air.  

Top secret alias if you worked for the CIA? Wendy Day

What’s your most treasured possession? My wedding ring.  It belonged to my husband’s grandmother who was an intrepid woman and had a career in the sciences in the 1940s – a time when few women were in the field.