James W. Balsiger Ph.D.
Acting Assistant Administrator of Fisheries

Dr. Balsiger was appointed the Acting Assistant Administrator for Fisheries on February 17, 2008.  He oversees the management and conservation of marine fisheries and the protection of marine mammals, sea turtles and coastal fisheries habitat within the United States exclusive economic zone.  The National Marine Fisheries Service protects and preserves the Nation’s living marine resources through scientific research, fisheries management, law enforcement, and habitat conservation. 

Dr. Balsiger began his career with NOAA in 1977 and has held other leadership roles in the National Marine Fisheries Service during his tenure.  Since May 2000, he has served as the Alaska Regional Administrator in Juneau, Alaska.  He was the Regional Science and Research Director at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle, WA, where he also served as Deputy Science Director from 1991 through 1995.  Prior to that, he was the Program Leader for the Status of Stocks Task within the Center’s Resource Ecology and Fisheries Management Division from 1977 to 1991.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan; a Master of Science degree in Forest Silviculture from Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana; and a Ph.D. in Quantitative Ecology and Natural Resource Management from the University of Washington in Seattle.  In 2002, President Bush awarded him a Meritorious Award for sustained superior accomplishments throughout his career.

John Oliver
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Operations

Mr. Oliver serves as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Operations at NOAA Fisheries, a position he has held this position since January 2001.  As the Principal Deputy for NOAA Fisheries he serves as the Chief Operating Officer responsible for the day-to-day management of the Agency's operations.  From 1997 to 2000, Mr. Oliver served as the Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer for NOAA's National Ocean Service.  Prior to that position, he was the Director of the NOAA Fisheries Management and Budget Office. Mr. Oliver has more than 30 years of experience in Department of Commerce/NOAA management and policy positions.

 

Samuel D. Rauch
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs

Mr. Rauch began serving as Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs at NOAA Fisheries in June of 2006. In this capacity he oversees all of NOAA Fisheries' regulatory actions, including those to support protected resources, sustainable fisheries, and habitat conservation. From January 2004 to June of 2006, Mr. Rauch served as the Assistant General Council for Fisheries where he supervised a team of attorneys, paralegals, and support staff responsible for providing legal counsel to the NOAA Fisheries. Prior to joining NOAA Fisheries he served as a trial attorney and the Assistant Section Chief for the Wildlife and Marine Resources Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division for the United States Department of Justice. In this role, he either conducted or managed most of the litigation brought against NOAA Fisheries Service. The immediate future will bring new challenges for him as the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act of 2006, signed into law on January 12, 2007. Mr. Rauch holds a J.D. from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College , and M.S. from University of Georgia , and a B.A. from University of Virginia . He has also been the recipient of many honors during his career, including: NOAA General Counsel's Award (1998, 2002, 2004, 2005); and Department of Justice Special Achievement Awards (1997, 1998, 2000, 2002).

Dr. Steve Murawski
Director of Scientific Programs and Chief Science Advisor

Dr. Murawski serves as Director of Scientific Programs and Chief Science Advisor for NOAA Fisheries. He is responsible for about 30 laboratories, eight offshore research vessels, and 1,400 staff throughout the United States. His organization’s mission is to provide the scientific basis for conservation and management of living marine resources and their ecosystems. Dr. Murawski was previously the Director of the Office of Science and Technology, a position he held since October 2004. Prior to coming to NOAA Fisheries headquarters, he served as Chief Stock Assessment Scientist for the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, Massachusetts (1990–2004). His research background is in fisheries biology and stock assessment. He has published in several journals, including the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Marine Ecology Progress Series, Bulletin of Marine Science, and Ecological Applications. During his career, Dr. Murawski has been a key representative on several committees and councils. His current roles include official U.S. delegate to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, member on the Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics (GLOBEC) Program Steering Committee, and Project Manager for NOAA Fisheries’ Ecosystem Management Pilot Projects. Dr. Murawski has also been the recipient of many honors during his career, including: NOAA Fisheries Employee of the Year (2002); three NOAA Bronze Medal Awards (1994, 1999, and 2003); Distinguished Alumni Award from the Department of Natural Resource Conservation, University of Massachusetts (2003); and the David Belding Marine Conservation Award from the Massachusetts Divisions of Marine Fisheries (2004). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts–Amherst.

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR

Rebecca Lent, Ph.D.
Director, Office of International Affairs

Dr. Lent began serving as Director of the new Office of International Affairs, in July 2005. The new office was created due to the increasing importance of international fisheries issues. Previously, Dr. Lent was Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs at NOAA Fisheries, a position she held since 2001. In that capacity, she reviewed all of NOAA Fisheries’ proposed regulatory actions, including those to support protected resources, sustainable fisheries, and habitat conservation in both the national and international arenas. Dr. Lent joined NOAA in 1992, serving as the economist and later as the Chief of the Atlantic Highly Migratory Species Management Division. She has broad experience in dealing with a wide variety of controversial fishery management issues affecting fishermen, conservationists, business, and communities. Dr. Lent was appointed Southwest Regional Administrator in 2000 and in this capacity directed NOAA’s fisheries management and science programs in the southwestern United States, Hawaii, and the U.S. Trust Territories. She earned her Ph.D. in resource economics from Oregon State University in 1984 and holds a master’s degree in economics (1978) and a bachelor’s degree (1975).

Tim Hansen
Director, Seafood Inspection Program

Mr. Hansen began his career in the seafood processing business holding several quality assurance and production positions in Washington State and Alaska . In 1985 he joined the National Marine Fisheries Service Inspection Program as an intermittent inspector in Seattle , WA . He was quickly transferred to Los Angeles California and was promoted to Deputy Regional Chief Inspector in 1987 and held that position through 1991. In 1992 he was selected to be the Director of Field Operations for the Inspection Program. During this period he worked with NMFS staff and FDA under a proposed joint voluntary HACCP program that was important to the implementation of HACCP concept to the seafood industry for both agencies. In 1996 he became the Director of Technical Services for the Seafood Inspection Program leading a group of trainers and scientist who supported the program and industry. In 1998 Mr. Hansen joined the FDA Office of Seafood at the beginning of the implementation phase of the seafood HACCP regulation. He became a branch chief in 1999 and a Division Director in 2003. During this period he was heavily involved in Codex Fish Committee work and the international implementation of the seafood HACCP regulation (21 CFR 123). In August 2006 Mr. Hansen became the Director of the NOAA Seafood Inspection Program.

Larry Tyminski
Chief Information Officer

Mr. Tyminski is the Chief Information Officer for NOAA Fisheries. One of Mr. Tyminski's principal responsibilities is to ensure alignment with the Agency’s business and strategic goals by providing oversight and direction of information technology (IT), information infrastructure, and telecommunications programs within headquarters and 12 Regional Science Centers and labs. He is responsible for local- and wide-area network operations, IT strategic planning, and IT security. His duties include the management of a multi-million-dollar IT budget, oversight of a staff of IT professionals, Internet and Intranet operations, telecommunications management, and project management for various software and hardware projects. He serves as the NOAA Fisheries representative to the Department of Commerce CIO Council, outside organizations, and other Federal agencies for IT initiatives. Prior to joining NOAA Fisheries, Mr. Tyminski was the Deputy CIO for the Bureau of Economic Analysis. He has held IT management positions with the National Weather Service, Grumman Aerospace Corporation, Raytheon Company, and Sanders Associates (Lockheed). He received his M.B.A. from George Washington University and holds a B.S. degree from the University of Buffalo.

Dr. Mark Holliday
Director, Office of Policy

Dr. Holliday serves as the Director of the NOAA Fisheries Office of Policy, after helping re-establish the function in the Directorate in 2003. His prior service to the Agency includes an 11-month detail as the Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer in 2002, and a career progression in the Office of Science and Technology beginning in 1981 and ending as Chief of the Fisheries Statistics and Economics Division. During his tenure he helped organize or lead NOAA-wide strategic initiatives in the planning and formulation of budgets, and created new programs in information technology, social sciences, and fisheries-dependent observing systems. His training includes a wide range of disciplines, including fisheries biology and resource economics. He received his Ph.D. in marine studies in 1981 from the University of Delaware, and holds a master’s degree in marine and environmental science from Long Island University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from SUNY at Stony Brook.

Dr. Michael Rubino
Manager/NOAA Aquaculture Program

Dr. Michael Rubino is the manager of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Aquaculture Program. He joined NOAA in late 2004 to lead NOAA's renewed commitment to marine aquaculture. Most recently, Dr. Rubino was the manager of New Funds Development for the World Bank's Carbon Finance Group. In the 1990s, Dr. Rubino was at the International Finance Corporation, a private sector affiliate of the World Bank, where he developed renewable energy and biodiversity investment funds. Earlier he was the CEO of Bluewaters, Inc., an aquaculture R&D company, and a partner in Palmetto Aquaculture, a shrimp farm in South Carolina . Dr. Rubino also served as vice-chairman of the State of Maryland 's Aquaculture Advisory Committee. He holds a Ph.D. in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan.

 

Natalie Huff
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)/Diversity Manager

Ms. Huff has been a Department of Commerce employee since 1978. She has worked with the Employee Development Division, one of the many offices in the Office of the Secretary’s Personnel Office. In 1988, she joined the International Trade Administration as an Employee Development Specialist/Awards Officer. In this capacity she was responsible for the development of several training programs and the management of the ITA Awards Program. In 1992, she was selected by NOAA Fisheries to serve as a Management Program Analyst in the Office of Management Services. In this capacity she managed the training program, awards, and many day-to-day management functions. In 1995 she was appointed to serve as the National Program Manager for EEO and later as the Human Resources Team Leader in the Operations, Management, and Information Office. Following the inception of the NOAA Diversity Office, Natalie was appointed by the Assistant Administrator to serve as the National Program Manager for EEO and Diversity.

HEADQUARTERS OFFICE DIRECTORS

Alan Risenhoover
Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries

In 2006, Mr. Risenhoover began his service as the Director of the Office of Sustainable Fisheries in Silver Spring, Maryland. In this role, he is responsible for NOAA Fisheries Service headquarters activities relating to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conversation and Management Act and other laws, and oversees more than 90 staff in a number of locations around the country. The Office oversees Atlantic highly migratory species (bluefin tuna, swordfish, billfish, shark) management, domestic fisheries re gulation coordination, fisheries policy development and implementation, Atlantic Coastal Act implementation, outreach and constituent services, and food safety risk analysis . Beginning his career with NOAA in 1989, he has held several key positions within the agency including Deputy Director within the Office of Sustainable Fisheries (2004-2006), Deputy Chief Financial Officer/Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget, 1999 - 2004), Fisheries Team Lead for Legislative Affairs (1994 - 1999), and assignments within the Offices of Protected Resources and Habitat Conservation. He received his bachelor's degree in aquatic zoology from Colorado State University and a master's degree in fish and wildlife sciences from Texas A&M University.

Dale Jones
Chief, Office of Law Enforcement

Mr. Jones became the Chief of the NOAA Fisheries Office for Law Enforcement in May 2000. His previous law enforcement experience includes 5 years as a municipal Chief of Police for the City of Hagerstown, Maryland; 4 years as the Director of Police and Fire Services with the City of Warren, Pennsylvania; and 12 years as a police officer, supervisor, and member of the command staff of the Arvada Police Department in Arvada, Colorado. In addition to and during his tenure with these communities, Mr. Jones has served as a peer advisor to the State of Pennsylvania, working with other municipal police chiefs to review their departmental operations and administration. He has also served as an assessor for the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and as an adjunct faculty member of the Hagerstown Community College, teaching courses in the criminal justice program. He holds a master's degree in foundations of bilingual and multicultural education from the University of Colorado–Denver and a bachelor’s degree with a double major in criminology and sociology from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Jim Lecky
Director, Office of Protected Resources

Jim Lecky is the Director of the Office of Protected Resources. This headquarters Office is responsible for national leadership, policy development, and program implementation for NOAA's protected resource conservation mandates, primarily the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA). Previously he served as the Senior Advisor for Intergovernmental Programs for NOAA Fisheries, where his focus was on improved intergovernmental coordination on a number of cross cutting programs, such as the Healthy Forest Initiative, counter part regulations to improve implementation of the Endangered Species Act consultation process, and several multi-agency conservation efforts. He served as the Assistant Regional Administrator for Protected Resources in the Southwest Region from 1990 through 2004. He supervised staff in four field locations across California who were involved largely in restoration and management of listed salmon populations from San Diego County north to the Oregon Border. He has a degree in biology form California State University, Fullerton, and has conducted graduate research on biology of eastern Pacific dolphins. He joined NOAA Fisheries in 1977 as a fisheries biologist in the Southwest Region's Marine Mammal and Endangered Species Program. In 1986, he began working on the restoration of depleted salmon runs with the development of a ten point restoration program for winter-run chinook salmon in the Sacramento River, California. His interests continue to include ecosystem restoration, salmon recovery, and resolution of endangered species conflicts with human activities.

Gary Reisner
Director, Office of Management and Budget

Gary Reisner serves as the NMFS Chief Financial Officer responsible for advising the Assistant Administrator and agency leadership on the agency-wide objectives, measures of accomplishment, and the distribution of resources among the agency's management units. In addition to these planning and monitoring elements, he oversees the Office of Management and Budget, which provides for the agency's administrative processes, budget formulation and execution, strategic planning, performance management and oversight, facility and safety management, grants coordination, audit coordination and oversight development, human resource management, and loan financing services. Prior to his current position, he worked at the White House Office of Management and Budget where he oversaw policy and program development of the NOAA budget and the performance of the Commerce Department under the President’s Management Agenda. He brings experience in developing and implementing government-wide natural resources initiatives including Lands Legacy and the Conservation Spending Category, recommendations of former President Bush’s Task Force on Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Development, and guiding development and review of the first Interior Department Strategic Plan. Mr. Reisner has a Masters of Science degree in natural resource economics and over twenty years of Federal service devoted to advancing public policy on natural resource management, and related science. He has been involved with and a supporter of research that fosters economic and politically feasible solutions to many of the Nation’s environmental and management conflicts.

Patricia A. Montanio
Director, Office of Habitat Conservation

Pat Montanio became Director of the Office of Habitat Conservation in March 2006, where she oversees the conservation, protection, and restoration of oceanic, coastal, estuarine, and riverine habitats vital to our nation's marine fisheries. She is Manager of the NOAA Habitat Program and a member of the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program's senior management council. Pat has served NOAA for over 20 years. Most recently, Pat was Chief of the Office of Response and Restoration's Damage Assessment Center in the National Ocean Service. There she was involved in implementing the natural resource damage provisions of the Oil Pollution Act and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund) for NOAA. Prior to that, she served as Deputy Director of the Office of Response and Restoration. In both positions, she advanced the protection and restoration of coastal resources by developing improved strategies and partnerships, provided scientific guidance to federal, state and local agencies on oil and chemical spills and waste site clean-up decisions and promoted the restoration of natural resources affected by hazardous materials. Prior to her stint in NOS, Pat was the Deputy Director of the NMFS Office of Protected Resources. There she directed programs for the conservation of marine mammals, endangered and threatened species, and other species of concern. She led agency efforts to develop new approaches to improve the implementation of the Endangered Species Act, as well as a legislative proposal under the Marine Mammal Protection Act establishing a new model for managing interactions between marine mammals and commercial fishing.

Dr. John Boreman
Director, Office of Science and Technology

Dr. Boreman is the Director of the NMFS Office of Science and Technology, moving in September 2006 from his previous position as Science and Research Director - Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC). Other positions held during his 33 years of service to the Federal Government include Northeast Regional Power Plant Specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Aquatic Ecologist for the FWS National Power Plant Team, Senior Assessment Scientist for NEFSC, Chief of Research Coordination for NEFSC, Director of NOAA's Cooperative Marine Education and Research Program and Adjunct Professor at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, and Deputy Director of NEFSC. His research interests included population dynamics of coastal migratory fishes, and impacts of coastal development on fisheries resources. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from Cornell University and his bachelor's degree from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

 

REGIONAL OFFICES

Bob Lohn
Regional Administrator, Northwest Region

Mr. Lohn is a native of Montana. He attended Harvard University, served as an officer in the Navy, then returned for a law degree from the University of Montana. Following graduation, he became counsel for the Governor of Montana, taught law at the University of Georgia, became chief of the legal staff at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, and later practiced law in the Bay area. In 1987, Bob was chosen as General Counsel for the Northwest Power Planning Council in Portland, Oregon, where he began working with fish and wildlife issues in the Columbia River basin. In 1994, he left the Council to manage fish and wildlife activities for the Bonneville Power Administration, which implements the Council’s program and addresses Endangered Species Act requirements for the regional hydropower system. In 1999, Mr. Lohn returned to the Council as Fish and Wildlife Director. He was appointed Northwest Regional Office Administrator in October 2001.

Rodney R. McInnis
Regional Administrator, Southwest Region

Mr. McInnis is the Regional Administrator for NOAA Fisheries' Southwest Region. He joined the Region in 1982 and has held progressively more responsible positions prior to becoming the Regional Administrator in 2004. Mr. McInnis earned an M.A. in biology and a B.A. from San Francisco State University. His graduate work was conducted through the graduate studies program at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.

SCIENCE CENTERS

Dr. Douglas DeMaster
Science Director, Alaska Fisheries Science Center

Dr. Douglas DeMaster became Science and Research Director of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in October 2001. Previously he served as Director of the National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML), leader of the NMML Cetacean Assessment and Ecology Program, and head of the Marine Mammal Division at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center. Dr. DeMaster is recognized as one of the leading experts on marine mammal stock assessment and marine mammal–fishery interactions. He has published more than 65 peer-reviewed publications on marine mammals and an additional 38 reports related to the population ecology of marine mammals. In cooperation with other NOAA Fisheries scientists, Dr. DeMaster helped develop the system under which marine mammals are managed in the United States under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Since receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1978, he has been an active member of the academic community. He was an Adjunct Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where he taught courses on marine mammal biology and population dynamics. Since 1994, Dr. DeMaster has been an Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington’s School of Marine Affairs and more recently the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. He also served as the President of the Society for Marine Mammalogy, the Chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), and is currently the deputy Commissioner for the US delegation at the IWC.

Dr. Usha Varanasi
Science Director, Northwest Fisheries Science Center

Dr. Varanasi is Science and Research Director of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, a position she has held since 1994. With almost 30 years of service in NOAA, she has dedicated much of her career to applying chemistry to critical biological questions, advancing our understanding and the application of science to regulatory, management, and public policy decisions. Her research on how marine organisms accumulate and process contaminants revolutionized the field and led to the development of techniques that reduce the impacts of pollution on fisheries resources and ensure that seafood is safe for human consumption. Dr. Varanasi has published articles in many peer-reviewed journals and has edited two books. She serves on many expert committees and scientific boards and is the recipient of a number of distinguished awards, including the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service and Department of Commerce Gold Medal. She is deeply committed to the open communication of science, the education of students in the sciences, and the mentoring of young leaders. Dr. Varanasi received her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Washington, where she now holds an adjunct professorship; an M.S. degree in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology; and a B.Sc degree from Bombay University in India.

Dr. Norman Bartoo
Acting Science Director, Southwest Fisheries Science Center

Dr. Bartoo has been Acting Science and Research Director for the Southwest Fisheries Science Center since February 2008. His previous positions have included Deputy Science and Research Director for the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 2004-2008. Prior to becoming the Deputy Director he served in a variety of senior management and scientific assignments at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center. Dr. Bartoo’s focus has been on stock assessment and population dynamics of highly migratory species for over 30 years. He holds a Ph.D. in fish population dynamics from the University of Washington, as well as a M.S. degree in fisheries statistics and a B.Sc in fisheries management and administration. He is author or co-author of over 50 scientific publications and served as the Scientific Editor for NOAA’s Fishery Bulletin and NOAA Professional Papers from 2003-2005.

 

Dr. Samuel Pooley
Science Director, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center

Dr. Pooley is Science and Research Director of the Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center. For the past 20 years he has served as the Honolulu laboratory’s lead economist, with responsibilities ranging from economic analysis of commercial fisheries to evaluation of the benefits of recreational fisheries and endangered species preservation. He has also published papers on bio-economic analysis and alternative fishery management and property rights regimes, including cooperative and corporate management. Dr. Pooley received his doctorate in political science from the University of Hawaii and his master’s degree in economics from the University of Birmingham (U.K.).

 

Dr. Nancy B. Thompson
Science Director, Northeast Fisheries Science Center

Dr. Thompson is Science and Research Director, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, headquartered in Woods Hole, Massachusets. Prior to becoming Director her research activities included evaluating the status of fishery and protected resources within the region. She is an Adjunct Professor of Marine Biology and Fisheries at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, and a Fellow of the Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami. She received her Ph.D. in biological sciences and her M.S. in zoology from the University of Rhode Island, and she has an undergraduate degree from Duke University.

 

 

Dr. Bonnie Ponwith
Science Director, Southeast Fisheries Science Center