DAVID KENNEDY NAMED DIRECTOR
OF NOAA OFFICE OF OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

David M. Kennedy has been named director of NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, where he will oversee the administration of the Coastal Zone Management Act and provide national leadership on the nation's coastal, estuarine and ocean management.

"It is with great pleasure that I announce David Kennedy's appointment to this critical post within NOAA," said John H. Dunnigan, assistant administration of NOAA's National Ocean Service. "David's collaborative style, ability to foster partnerships and strong management skills make him an excellent choice for guiding OCRM into the future."

Kennedy, a 17-year veteran of NOAA, has served as director of NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration for the past eight years, where he led a multi-disciplinary program to reduce risks to coastal and marine resources from environmental threats, including oil and chemical spills and hazardous waste sites. In that post, he directed three divisions; the hazardous materials response division, the coastal protection and restoration division, and the damage assessment center, with 30 regional offices nationwide. His duties also included overseeing the Pribilof Islands Remediation and Land Transfer Project, NOAA’s Marine Debris, Coral Reef Conservation, and Emergency Response programs.

Prior to leading ORR, David served as the chief of the hazardous materials response and assessment division from 1991 to 1998, working with local, state, and federal partners across the coastal U.S. to prepare for and respond to oil and chemical releases.

From 1978 to 1991, Kennedy was a scientific support coordinator, providing scientific advice to the U.S. Coast Guard during oil and chemical spills. During this time he coordinated federal scientific response to more than 100 oil and chemical spills, including the Argo Merchant, Amoco Cadiz, IXTOC I oil-well blowout, Presidente Rivera, World Prodigy, and Exxon Valdez. Prior to 1976, Kennedy was director of the spilled oil research team at the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute.

In addition to overseeing the coastal zone management program, Kennedy will guide the National Estuarine Research Reserve and Coastal Estuarine and Land Conservation programs, as well as the Marine Protected Area Center and the Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology. Kennedy will also retain responsibility for the NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program and the Pribilof Islands Remediation Project. He officially assumes his duties on May 22nd.

Kennedy is a native of Oskaloosa, Iowa, and received a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology from the University of Northern Colorado. He and his wife, Gini, reside on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C.

The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management is within the National Ocean Service, which is an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA’s National Ocean Service: http://www.oceanservice.noaa.gov

The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management: http://www.ocrm.nos.noaa.gov/