[1][2] Silah attended Chamberlain High School in Tampa, Florida and graduated in 1988 where he was voted “Most Likely to Succeed”.

[3] Silah holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Duke University and a master's degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

During his NOAA Corps career, he has served as chief of staff of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), as chief of staff of the NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, and as aide-de-camp to the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

[2] During his tour as its commanding officer, the AOC received the Department of Commerce Silver Medal, the Department of Commerce Bronze Medal, a NOAA Unit Citation Award, and the Safety Management System Level 3 Award, which is the highest possible distinction.

[2] During his U.S. Navy and NOAA Corps years combined, Silah has flown over 3,000 flight hours in the P-3 Orion, over 1,500 of them as pilot-in-command, over 500 hours of U.S. Navy flight testing, and nearly 150 penetrations of hurricanes as a "hurricane hunter.