[4] Carlis credits his relationship with Dr. Gary Davis, one of the few African American physicians in Tulsa at the time and the father of a close friend, for inspiring him to pursue a career in science.

[1] This led to the publication of a research paper in the journal Monthly Weather Review, with Yi-Leng Chen, of the University of Hawaii Department of Atmospheric Sciences, and Morris serving as second and third authors.

[6] After completing his PhD, Carlis held positions at the National Weather Service (NWS) Honolulu Weather Forecast Office, as well as the agency's Pacific Region Headquarters, before returning to the mainland United States, where he held several positions at the NWS National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) from 2007 to 2014.

[19] Global ERG Network named DPAWG the fifth-best employee resource group as part of its 2021 Diversity Impact Awards.

[21] They have a daughter, Dia Carlis, a Georgia State University graduate who works as a law clerk in New York City.