Leadership

Panel's swearing in ceremony. Left to right: Ron Baird, Manuel L. Hernandez-Avila, Jerry R. Schubel, and G. Ross Heath

Sea Grant is a partnership between the nation's universities and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  There are three leadership components within Sea Grant: NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office, the National Sea Grant Advisory Board and the State Sea Grant Program Directors.

NOAA’s National Sea Grant Office (NSGO) administers funding to the Sea Grant colleges throughout the nation and oversees several national funding competitions.  The NSGO also facilitates both the Department of Commerce designation of Sea Grant College Programs and quarterly Sea Grant Program Assessments.

Mandated by law, the National Sea Grant Advisory Board is a Federal Advisory Committee comprised of 15 individuals with diverse backgrounds in marine affairs. The Board advises NOAA’s secretary, the undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere, and the director of the National Sea Grant College Program on scientific and administrative policy. The National Sea Grant College Program Amendments Act of 2008 changed the name of the Review Panel to the Advisory Board.

The state Sea Grant Directors coordinate program activities, setting local, regional and national priorities. They are a unified voice for these institutions on issues of importance to the oceans and coasts.